How can you identify a bad photographer?

JAWED ALAM wrote: there is nothing like Good or bad Photographer....A photographer is a photographer... Some clicks subject/photograph by keeping in mind that how the viewers will see his/her picture and some clicks photograph by thinking how he/she feels about the subject which makes him/her happy...
There are two types of photographers
1. Photographers who are successful in sending his/her message/emotions through his/her photographs.
2. Photographers who are not successful in sending his/her message/emotions through his/her photographs.

Good post

Oh, I dunno.... they get their first SLR camera and do all their shooting in AUTO mode, aren't prepared to learn creative approaches to their work *lol*

I went on a cruise once. The lady of the "other" couple had this really cool camera and was showing me all the neatoslick (NWA) things it had and could do. I was impressed until after several hours I noticed she was shadowing me and taking more or less the same shots that I was taking. I quickly formed a strategy to fix this annoyance. I took a bunch of photos of her doing stuff. She took a few shots of me and her camera broke!

OK, back to the topic.

A few years ago, the cub scouts did a "clean up," picking up garbage along the rail trail. The newspaper photographer was there and he did the same thing ... following me. The funny part, he didn't start taking pictures until I did.

The Time Capturer wrote: Without seeing any examples, what I would think would make a bad photographer is one that doesn't learn from past mistakes and makes the same errors again and again becaue they are so hung up on themselves, they don't pay attention to critique.

This to me is huge. Mainly because recently I've been learning a lot about reflectors and my flash etc. So most of my pictures that I have taken before hand I now don't like lol. That must mean I'm learning. So that must mean I'm becoming a better photographer. In my mind, a photographer who doesn't constantly learn and improve will never become a good photographer. They will be left behind with all the people who just like taking pictures. Which is good, as long as they don't try and make a business out of it.
I will get better and when I feel I am finally good enough, then I will say I"m a good photographer. And I think that's what will make the person a good photographer

Self portrait with blown highlights from the flash on the iphone being reflected in the mirror.

a bad photographer is one with no creative drive and never takes the camera off of simple mode, uses a D3s for snapshots and wants you to be impressed with his/her camera and not the skills that made the image

He used a fighter plane LMAO you should have asked him what type of camera he might have said an A-10 Canon and a B-52 flash

Thats funny as hell

DestinDave wrote: No way, you good-lookin' Brit you!
(refers to Photobod's entry.. meant to quote it.. )

I wish

Does Olan Mills count as bad? whifincog.wordpress.com/2008/01/25/olan-mills-awesomeness/ old site but still funny.

PhoenixPhotography wrote:

The Time Capturer wrote: Without seeing any examples, what I would think would make a bad photographer is one that doesn't learn from past mistakes and makes the same errors again and again becaue they are so hung up on themselves, they don't pay attention to critique.

This to me is huge. Mainly because recently I've been learning a lot about reflectors and my flash etc. So most of my pictures that I have taken before hand I now don't like lol. That must mean I'm learning. So that must mean I'm becoming a better photographer. In my mind, a photographer who doesn't constantly learn and improve will never become a good photographer. They will be left behind with all the people who just like taking pictures. Which is good, as long as they don't try and make a business out of it.
I will get better and when I feel I am finally good enough, then I will say I"m a good photographer. And I think that's what will make the person a good photographer

I have a lot of images from the past that I was so proud of at the time. When I look at them now, they are crap and I'm actually embarassed to admit they are mine... I think we all go through that during our learning phase. The learning phase, concerning photography, I suspect to last a lifetime. If I stop learning, that would mean I have lost my interest in photography.

I am fairly new to the Photography Business. took classes and entered in contests and I know I can use some work. But I have been taking pictures for over 20 years.Well My sister in law had me cracking up because she took her daughter to a park where they live and took some ok shots and Photoshoped the heck out of it and now thinks she can run a photography Business on her crapy Photoshoped pictures.....At first I was mad because she only lives like 20 mins from me but now I just sit back and Laugh. She really thinks shes that good because a few of her friends tell her they were really good photos.

I had a person bragging about being a photographer, after I caught her stealing one of my photos and posting as her own, she told me that one day I would understand that a good photographer creates their work in Photoshop...

LOL she stole your photo and "Created" her work in photoshop using the photo?