A Plea to all Fauxtographers

I'm a amateur photographer, just a beginner who has only been shooting for just over a year.  Like you, my family and friends are always encouraging me to go pro and become a photographer for hire.  They tell me I'm great and could make lot's of money at it.  Believe it or not, we all get that sort of praise and encouragement as soon as we let it be known we have an interest in photography, but the truth is, only a handful of people are talented enough to become great.  The rest of us have to settle for being as good as we possibly can be.  I'm pretty confident in saying that my photography doesn't completely suck and I know a number of people in my life that are in business, and I think I could do it even better than them.  So, why I haven't opened up shop and taken advantage?  This isn't because I lack confidence in myself, or out of any sort of fear like a lot of people in my life think.  It's out of respect, not only for the people working in the photography profession, but for my own photography as well. Fact is, that like most novice photographers, I possess about 5% of the skill, knowledge, equipment, experience, etc needed to be a professional photographer.  Also, I am perfectly happy and satisfied with what I am doing currently with my photography.  When I feel an itch I am able to scratch it, when I see where I fall short, I can work to improve.  Sometimes I feel as though I am the only person with a DSLR camera that resides in the same realm of reality that I do.

Right now the line between professional portrait/event/wedding/family/newborn etc photographers, and amateurs with a new found "passion" for photography reads about as clear as mud for the average person.  "Photography Businesses" are popping up left and right without care or concern about what it is they are actually doing.  These "photographers" (and I use this term loosely) are snapping pictures like crazy, charging a ridiculously small fee, burning the images to a disk and all the while, making the world a happier place.  What could be the harm in this?  I can tell you what harm is being done.  Not only are they undermining the very profession they supposedly hold dear to their heart, they are ripping people off by selling amateur, mediocre at best work, while misrepresenting themselves and their skill level.  They are also guaranteeing that they will never have the talent or skills, that they need to become a successful professional photographer.  They are selling themselves short, their clients short, and aggravating the heck out of people who respect photography as a profession.  They also make it very difficult for people that won't hire them, because these people, unlike some, are able to see the difference between quality professional work, and the work they produce.  They all make it very difficult for these people to even find a real pro photographer to hire for their special occasion, family portraits, or senior pictures, and so on.  Don't you see, the population of these fauxtographers needs to stop growing, and get back down to a more feasible number for everyone involved?!  What can YOU do to help?  If you find yourself in what I am writing, stop and think about what you are doing, and make the necessary changes that need to be made.  If you are a pro, speak up about this issue.  “Only speaking when you have something nice to say.”  isn’t going to work at all in this instance.

How am I undermining the photography profession?  People don't HAVE to hire me to take their photos.
By the way you practice business.
By misrepresenting yourself, believing that good enough is good enough, by charging ridiculously low fees, and/or not offering a finished product, (and the list could go on, and on). You are driving the value of a photograph down faster than a sinking ship.  This affects real photography businesses too, even if they aren't directly competing with you.  By "real" professional photographer, I mean those crazy people that have invested years in learning photography and developing their skill.  The people that have invested thousands in equipment and tools that are needed to produce a quality finished product.  The people that count on their acquired knowledge, skill, tools and equipment, to feed their families everyday.  Those silly people that aren't felons and actually have a tax license, business license, and pay their income taxes.

How am I ripping anyone off by charging for my services?  My clients are always happy with their pictures.
Your client doesn't know a lick about photography.  Chances are they don't even own a camera other than a cell phone or a point and shoot.  They most likely have no interest in photography at all, but they LOVE photographs of their loved ones and of themselves.  They trust that you know more than they do, that's why you were hired.  Remember way back, just a few months ago before you got your DSLR?  Remember how you loved your pictures?  Take a look around, how many awkwardly posed cheesy school pics do you have around the house, or how many snap shots of your babies and/or friend and relatives do you absolutely cherish?  You love them, because you love the people in them.  I know I adore ALL of mine. 
Once you snap a photo of someone or their loved one, they are instantly personally invested in that photograph,  regardless of your skill level or how shoddy you edit it, the photo is truly wanted just the same. 
You post your pics and get great feedback on them.  "Oh WOW!  Great shot.  You are so talented!"  These are people that know you and like you, people who mean you well, and want to encourage you.  Seriously, ask yourself…. are they really complementing my photography skills, or do they see that my camera is more expensive than theirs, and/or the subject matter is irresistibly cute?  Chances are if you jumped into this endeavor before you learned how your camera works, before you had any understanding of light, composition, posing, exposure, shutter speed, etc before you have practiced and made a million mistakes to learn from, or before you interned, took a class, read a book, or were mentored by a professional, then it's most likely the latter.
The photograph in question is of an event that they want to remember, it's of a child they love with all their heart, their daughters first dance, etc it's of their loved ones.  People who don't know better (and this accounts for a lot of the population), are able to see right through the bad lighting, bad focus, bad exposure, and editing ect and see just the person they know and care for.  To them it is beautiful because they love or admire who is in it.  Whether knowingly or not, you are shamefully taking advantage of this fact.

I'm not misrepresenting myself,  I tell every client that I'm still learning.
You charge a session fee, you refer to them as clients, you have a price list, you market yourself, you have a business page and name, a website, business cards….Guess what?  You're in business.  You're a pro, or at least misrepresenting yourself as one.

How am I selling myself short by charging for my portraits?  That makes no sense at all! Isn't my time worth something?!
A photographer trying to learn and develop their skills first shoots for themselves.  When you shoot for other people another dynamic comes into play that isn't there when it's just for you.  Concentrating on camera settings, lighting, light manipulation, focus, composition, and all the technical aspects of photography become out weighed by, backgrounds, locations, schedules, posing, props, facial expressions, messy hair, smeared make up, crying children, and all the many details that come into play.  The important fundamentals that you are trying to learn, take a backseat.  You'll find that you get stuck right where you are with your technical skills, while you have to concentrate almost entirely on customer service, people skills, marketing, networking, and all that goes into being for hire.  You'll quickly find yourself unable to manage on the amount you are charging, but can you successfully raise prices and feel more comfortable with the work load you have vs the pay you are receiving?  Not if your product hasn't improved, or has only improved minimally.  Also these shots paid for by other people have to be processed/edited before getting in their hands.  When you shoot for yourself editing can take a back seat while you learn how to perfect your shots in camera, and then you can work on enhancing GOOD photos instead of trying to make bad or O.K. photos look better.  A little slap of reality: Your time is worth NOTHING until you have actually put time and effort into your work.  I haven't heard of any profession that pays while you learn how to become said profession.  I do believe it works the other way around. 

If I ever become a professional photographer, I will take the necessary steps to make sure I am successful at it, or at the very least have a fighting chance.  No one will be taken advantage of including me.  I will have a complete understanding of how my camera, and all of my equipment works.  I will have an understanding of light, how to use and manipulate both natural and studio light to my advantage, how to use off camera flash for successful strobe photography.  I will have the skills and knowledge necessary to produce quality work consistently.  I will have a business license, I will pay my taxes, I will price my work at it's true value, and insure that I am also getting paid, and my equipment can be maintained and regularly updated.  I will give my clients finished products and they will NOT be circular in shape.

Until then, I will leave the professional photography up to the professionals, and continue to wear my amateur label very proudly.  I also promise to always aspire to improve my photography for myself, for others who view my images, and for my possible future clients.  If anyone out there feels as though I was talking to you in this open letter of mine, I invite you to join me.  No, I BEG and PLEAD for you to join me.  Take down those price lists, and business websites, take some of the pressure off, and feel free to discover how good your photography can be.  Go ahead, put on an "I'm an amateur" hat, and come have a seat next to me, so we can share in a slice of humble pie.  Reality, It's a fantastic place to be :)