Photography myths

You know how photographers are always complaining about those people that don’t value what they do? I try not to let this bother me. This is probably easy for me because I was one of those people that didn’t get it for a while. I’m not proud of it, but here are the things I thought were true before I learned everything that goes into being a photographer. 

“Photography is overpriced, photographers make so much money.”

This seems true until you consider that photographers have to pay their own taxes, continuing education, editing programs, and spend hours at a computer editing after a photo session. I would say a good photographer makes about 30% of what you pay them. If that’s their only income, it isn’t a lot.

“What kind of camera do you use? If I bought an expensive camera I could do that.”

Sure, and if I bought the right pans I could cook like a professional chef. The camera is just like anything else, it’s a tool that only works if you have the right know-how.

“I just need the digital files. I can print them from somewhere online.”

No, definitely not true. Photographers know where to get prints and what file settings get the best results. Once I used MPix.com, I knew I had been printing my photos incorrectly this whole time. You don’t realize how bad quality your photos are until you check out a professional printer. There are still other printers that photographers use, but this one is helpful to consumers.

“Pixel size doesn’t matter that much, it looks alright when editing. That stuff is hard to learn, is it really important?”

It’s not hard, it really isn’t. Just google something like “Lightroom export settings for Facebook,” etc. and you’ll easily find what you need. It really makes a difference in the quality of your photos. What you see in Lightroom is not the same as what is exported.

Do you know any photography myths?

There it is, my embarrassing beliefs about photography before I became a photographer.