As a full time photographer people who are interested ask me time and time again how I manage to survive in this very competitive business, after all most people have a camera on their phone, their tablet, even own their own DSLR.
Well, it's not just about knowing how to shoot, it's also being able to communicate with your clients and subjects, how to know when to step forward and defiantly knowing when to step back, it's about pointing out what could be done then letting the client make up their minds.
In addition it's about knowing how to edit the images you do get, sometimes it's impossible, due to the subject or time constraints or the sheer spontaneity of the shot, to be able to set the camera up to get the very best in camera image, so you need to be able to get the best you can and quickly, I'm not talking about shooting RAW instead of JPEG because even in RAW it the settings are all over the place you will have a highly detailed RAW of a terrible shot, so it's knowing how to lie to the camera to make the shot happen, perhaps a little underexposed, perhaps not quite the crop you may want but all this can be dealt with in post.
You have to shoot 'everything' nothing is below you, this includes website images, products, weddings and portraits, I have even shot cardboard boxes and envelopes (white on a white background) keep busy and practice your passion, the more you do the more you understand what different clients are looking for.
I have shot at many prestigious locations and had to instruct many high profile clients such as Joanna Lumley, Professor Brian Cox, Pierluigi Collina and many more.
I was the photographer in the BBC series ' the secret history of my family' and again had to keep everyone happy including all the families that were featured in the documentaries, but the director, film crew and so on.
If you are looking to capture an event or celebrity guest don't just consider using a photographer to get the images, consider using a photographer who will help you get the best results and who can be a great representative of your business or project.
Matt James
www.sevenoaks-photography.co.uk
www.mattjamesphotography.co.uk