Uncle Frank !!!

I posted this little article last year but I thought it would be handy to bring it to the top of the blog for a while.

Good ol' uncle Frank.

He just bought one of those new-fangled fancy digital cameras. He's always liked photography, and now he's got a camera just like the pro's use. Why don't we just let Uncle Frank take the pictures at our wedding? I'm sure they'll turn out good. I've seen some of the other pictures Uncle Frank has taken. Remember the shots he got at the New Year's party? OK, so Uncle Frank had a little too much to drink... but the pictures still turned out OK. Didn't they? We don't really need a professional, do we?

Hopefully, you enjoyed the little bit of sarcasm in this blog entry. Actually, that is one of the biggest excuses I hear about why people don't want to hire a professional photographer, whether it's for their wedding, or just their latest family portrait. What is the difference between Uncle Frank and a professional photographer any way?

Well, for one thing (and this will seem nit-picky at first), Uncle Frank "takes pictures." A professional photographer creates portraits.
Uncle Frank (hereafter referred to as UF) will sit everyone down, or have them all stand up, side by side, have them look into the camera, say "Cheese," and... *snap*... there's your family photo at your daughter's wedding.
A pro has studied lighting, posing, and the technical aspects of his camera. He knows how to place his subjects in the light to achieve the most flattering look for that person. He also knows how to pose the subject so as to remove weight in the photo, or add weight if it's necessary. If the subject has one eye smaller than the other, he knows how to compensate for it and make the face look balanced. He knows how to place all of the subjects in the frame so that the composition is pleasing to look at. He knows how to adjust his camera to make certain aspects in the frame become more or less pronounced in the photo and, more importantly, WHY that should be done.

These are just a FEW of the reasons. Hey, is UF a member of the Master Photographrs Association? Does UF spend days and weeks studying the craft of photography so he can keep getting better and better? Probably not.

So, the next time you're tempted to let an uncle, cousin, best friend, or someone else create the images of you that you want to show to everyone else, think about the fact that a professional photographer does what he does to make you look your absolute best. Will Frank do that? Just a thought.

Thanks for reading.
Mark