Are there too many wanna be photographers these days???

Rob pix4u2 wrote: That's a shame because you do beautiful work

Thanks Rob.

Kind of a non-point...but a nikon d300s is entry level.

Pro-sumer, but I think the point here is it really doesn't matter.

MLKstudios wrote: Pro-sumer, but I think the point here is it really doesn't matter.

Agreed. The more the market gets flooded, the more cream rises to the top. So nothing changes from a business stand point.

Mattthew brings a good point to the discussion - does the builder use a craftsman hammer ( Sears) or a Kobalt ( Lowes) or some other brand ? It really isn't the tool or the model that creates the image. As Karl is discussing in another thread it's about the mind and mindset of the photographer that does the creative process that renders the image a photograph rather than a snapshot. ( Whole nother subject ).So does it really matter which model of camera a person can afford in creating a professional image ? I found in my film days that the brand and type of film that I used was more important than whether the image was made with my Konica Autoreflex or my Nikon FE or my Nikon N90s depending on the look and feel I was trying to evoke in an image or subject... Quality tools always help the more seasoned artist - having my fathers artist brushes didn't help my skills as a painter just as a pro level camera doesn't help the novice or untalented create a stunning image.

Rob pix4u2 wrote: Mattthew brings a good point to the discussion - does the builder use a craftsman hammer ( Sears) or a Kobalt ( Lowes) or some other brand ? It really isn't the tool or the model that creates the image. As Karl is discussing in another thread it's about the mind and mindset of the photographer that does the creative process that renders the image a photograph rather than a snapshot. ( Whole nother subject ).So does it really matter which model of camera a person can afford in creating a professional image ? I found in my film days that the brand and type of film that I used was more important than whether the image was made with my Konica Autoreflex or my Nikon FE or my Nikon N90s depending on the look and feel I was trying to evoke in an image or subject... Quality tools always help the more seasoned artist - having my fathers artist brushes didn't help my skills as a painter just as a pro level camera doesn't help the novice or untalented create a stunning image.

Scotty wrote: Kind of a non-point...but a nikon d300s is entry level.

I guess what I consider entry level and what you consider entry level are different things.

crystal wrote:

Scotty wrote: Kind of a non-point...but a nikon d300s is entry level.

I guess what I consider entry level and what you consider entry level are different things.

Dont think nikon professional services consider it pro...last i knew.

It's all about perspective. On the Bahnhoff Strasse in Zürich, I watched a couple come in to this little bistro. They ordered French champagne (Dom) and Russian caviar (an early afternoon snack). Their total was around 5000 Swiss francs, for a few minutes stay -- they came and went while I was having a beer (or two).

Until you've seen these places, it seems ridiculous to us. I grew up middle class America. People didn't do that.

I remember dreaming about having a Leica camera. Now I have many, and lots of lenses that go with. It's like that song by the Talking Heads.

"You may find yourself...."

Life changes everything. Just give it some time.

I am on a disability pension because of an illness that I acquired in 2006. Whenever I upgrade, I am limited to whatever I can afford. Therefore, my equipment will never be better than entry level. I will never have any of the cameras that I would like to have. But I have captured many decent images over the last few years and people come to me asking how.

There are many points I'd like to make here but they are beyond the scope of this thread. So I will just say this. Nearly everyone can afford a camera now. What type of camera they buy, and whether it suits their abilities, doesn't matter to me. I am happy that there are wannabes because my business depends on them. I teach techniques to anyone who wants to learn. The business of photography is very competitive and there are so many photographers that advertise themselves for business. But it's the non-professionals I deal with. Whether it's someone that appears to be a pro, with several SLRs hanging from his neck or the little old lady who just wants to take better pictures of her grandson playing in the pool, everyone wants to get the pictures themselves, not pay someone else.

That's where I come in. I don't teach photography ... I teach techniques that they can apply to whatever level their photography is at.

As far as amateur or professional goes, we are what we are. If we claim to be pro when we're not, we won't get far. If we sit silently and let others decide, the world will come to us.

It has been said here several times, it's not the camera, it's the person behind it, and any photographer with or without a professional attitude will respect other photographers, unlike the selfish people mentioned in the cockpit.

There are many who try and more than a few who fail. The persistent, can do,grind it out folks succeed because they want it badly enough, and have the talent to make it.