This will soften the blow when we get our price list shortly (they were doing this at my daughters nursury last week) - enough effort was spent getting her to not look petrified so I suppose we'll pay.
Also,
HOW IS THIS STILL AN INDUSTRY?
We can all take a photo and edit, filter etc.
Come at me, photographers.
I would disagree with that part totally. I think there are many that have a good "eye" for an image. Yet there are also many that definitely can't.
While I agree with much of the rest I think this boils down to "what the client wants?" generally you get what you pay for. These "mass shoot school photographers" do tend to take the piss a little as in you don't get buggar all for your money and then ramp up the price for prints.
I'm not a pro photographer, i'm an amateur but with a good eye and passion for photography. I have a confidence in my ability and I know my standard is better than many pro's i've researched to develop my own style. Working alongside 3 of my pro photographer friends i'll be 2nd shooter this summer at 3 or 4 shoots. It'll be my first time shooting in a professional environment and while it's scary and i'll probably feel like I haven't got the best gear, I know that I will have much of an idea. I know I can get great results out of my current camera, so that is all that matters to me. It's also a great opportunity to learn and develop my portfolio massively.
Apologies Costanza, I wasn't trying to make this about me. To truly answer, yes there is a place for photographers. I think on the whole as an individual you have to think about what goes into the price. Like when people expect musicians to play a gig for nothing or say £50. There is all the factors; practice, equipment, labour, consultation, marketing etc, etc. The same applies in any trade as i'm sure you know. It's no different in photography and like in trade you get some good, some bad, some cheap, some expensive. Erring on caution most people choose someone in the middle.
There is also a massive difference between being able to just shoot in Auto to being able to shoot in Manual. Real photographers work hard on set/site and many hours of set.
I really don't like these big school photography companies because effectively once they have set up and rigged the lighting, set focus etc, the kids are told to do exactly the same pose, sit in the same spot and they can take four or five frames. I imagine it must sap the creativity from them as the monotony of the job must be a bind. That and I imagine having excellent daycare skills is a bigger factor than being a talented photographer.
I'm sure there will be some that disagree. I'm also sure someone will do this in a more concise way.
