Just like with any business or job, there are things that are not common knowledge to the public. Most of the time these misconceptions come out of a place of ignorance with no ill will intended. After being in the photo biz for so long, I've come up with my top 5 misconceptions about being a photographer. I want to help educate you, so that we can better understand each other and that you can see where your photographer is coming from. 

1. "Your Camera Takes Good Pictures"

     Like all these listed, when you say this, you mean well. But the fact is, my camera is not the reason I am a good photographer. Years of training and practicing and education have played into the way I see and capture the world. You wouldn't say to a Baker, "Your oven bakes great cakes!" but it's the same thing! They are simply tools that allow us to preform our task. 

2. We are "rollin' in the dough"

     Photography is an expensive game to play - especially when you depend on it for income. Every photographer has the right to charge what they will based on their cost of doing business. You'll need to factor in your costs such as insurance, equipment, time editing, time shooting, taxes, products for client orders, packaging material and anything else you spend while working with your client. Plus you can't forget what you actually want to make an hour. By the time the numbers are all added up and the client see's their quote, most think we are bringing home the big bucks. 

3. The photos are "yours"

     In the digital world we live in, ownership is something that is often disputed. In many of the art classes I took at UVU, it was stressed that the second you create something, it is yours. The same goes for photos. It may be a picture of your family, but it is legally my art work. Unless your photographer specifically signs over the copyright to you, you don't own them. In most cases, you'll be given a print release. This allows you to print your photos, but you still don't own the rights to them. 

4. Photoshop is not a "cure all"

     It's true that Photoshop allows you to manipulate and create many wonderful things, but it is not a "magic button," so to speak. It does have it's limits. For example, I can't photoshop out a parked car or something from the background if I don't have an image to replace it with. For me and my style, I tend to shy away from big photoshop jobs - I have more of a documentary take on things and love preserving real life. 

5. The photo shoot is what I spend the most time doing  

     Although it may seem like the photo shoot is the most time intestive part of my job, it actually takes up about 20% of what goes into working with a client. Trust me, I wish the majority of what I do was shooting, it’s my bliss. But in actuality I am working so much more BTS. Every photographer has their own process, for me I meet with clients three times; pre consultation, shoot and ordering appointment. I average about an hour at each encounter, that is already three hours and I haven’t even started to import my photos and start editing. Not to mention ordering the prints and delivering them. This point ties back into number two. 

And there younhave it. I hope this was a fun, helpful insight into the mind of a working photographer. What are some misconceptions people have about your line of work?