Advice to new photographers hoping for the easy button.
Last night I was looking back on my Formspring account and this one stuck out to me. I am being a bit blunt in my answer, but I still stand by my answer.Note: Formspring is a site where you can have people ask you questions and you are able to give a public response. You can choose which questions are posted publicly.
The opinionated Jeff
You should follow me on twitter here
Question:
What advice would you give to photographers just starting out?
Answer: Focus on one thing. Don't try to be the jack of all trades and master of none.
I also think it is EXTREMELY unethical to grab a camera that you can only use on P and throw some bad pictures up on a $100 bludomain site, steal a Coldplay song and then call your self a professional photographer.
You have an obligation to your client to be able to deliver what you have promised. I guess this goes back to false advertising and just bugs me. The people who do this either get good enough really fast or you just don't hear about them anymore.
Be deliberate. Make a plan. Make a 5 year plan. Choose what you want to shoot. Only show what you want to shoot. Be professional. Don't steal other peoples ideas. Don't buy someones business template expecting to have their success. I am sorry but it doesn't work that way.
There is NO magic bullet. Sad to say but it really does take hard work and sacrifice to make any business a success.
Good advice here and throughout your site ... thanks for creating LBOBI and sharing ideas/techniques/actions so freely. This really is a great medium to collaborate creatively!