On Wednesday, August 20, 2003, at 08:42 pm, Peter Hirons wrote:
I would be interested in your full definition of what makes a professional
photographer.
Well: in 1995 I wrote........
(Is it dated?)
What is a “Professional Photographer?”
A professional photographer is a person who supplies an image he gets paid for.
The image is something that enhances the customers product.
A wedding photographer makes the bride look beautiful
A portrait photographer makes the person look beautiful
A still life photographer makes his setting look beautiful
A fashion photographer makes the clothes look beautiful
The wedding and portrait photographer supply a final product.(Album, mounted print etc)
The commercial photographer supplies an intermediate product.(The Transparency)
Qu: Why should the transparency be the final proof of the photographer?
The latter is the source of endless trouble because it in itself is of no use to the customer. It is subject to misinterpretation because it is:
a) held up to the light, not ink on paper
b) not the right size
c) out of context with the printed page it will appear on
d) in need of copying to the 4 col process before it can be of any use
e) information collected in a manner that cannot be copied with any true fidelity in the above.
Any photographer of the 1990’s who refuses to acknowledge any of the above will undoubtedly join the imagesetters of the 1980’s. The latter are now employed on Macs or on the buses (:-)
While the printed page still exists, the commercial photographer of the 90’s will have to take on the knowledge of digital pictures. It is with this knowledge that he will emerge yet again as the true creator of the image. It is not that difficult; there are thousands of repro’ houses and Painbox operators out there trying to be creative image makers.
There is no voodoo in producing top quality col’ seps. I learned to know the quality of pictures on a decent monitor, the same way I know what my transparencies will look like from a Polaroid.
“Matching a transparency” is a cop-out used by machine minders who don’t know how to spell creative let alone what it means. I match the product for my customer to the printed proof in the process inks that his job will inevitably be printed in. Also he is able to see other colourways or product that haven’t even been made yet. I do “the repro” while the product is still in my studio.
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