Professional Photography

Photographers produce photographic images that tell a story, record an event, convey an impression, create a particular feeling in the viewer, or show off a product. They often use special lighting, filters, or other techniques to achieve a specific visual effect. While professional photographers are those who earn a living from their photographic skills, there are many very skilled amateur photographers.

Amateur Photography

The work of amateur photographers, or hobbyist photographers, ranges from the occasional vacation-snapshop type of photograph to very skilled, professional-level photography. Many amateur photographers prefer to use a simple point-and-shoot camera set on fully automatic settings to do nothing more than record memories of family events, trips, and the like, but many are as serious about their hobby as professional photographers are.

Services Provided by Commercial Photographers

Commercial photographers provide a wide variety of photography services: from model photography to product photography, sports photography, wedding photography, family and baby photography, and more. Professional photography requires a good eye, creativity, and imagination, in addition to knowlege and technical expertise in things such as f-stop, lenses, filters, depth of field, film speed, grain, lighting and reflectivity, and so forth. Photographers may try out different lighting techniques, various lenses, and different focusing styles during a single photography session to produce an array of different effects.

Many professional photographers, if not most, have begun using high-resolution digital cameras instead of the more conventional film cameras, although some photographers continue to use film cameras, particularly large-format film cameras, for consistent high quality and reliability. Digital photography permits the photography to see the raw image immediately and to adjust lighting or other technical aspects as needed, and also frees the photographer from the time and expense of film and processing.

Some photographers specialize in some particular type of photography, such as weddings, product photography, portraits, or sporting events. Others enjoy involving themselves in a wide variety of photographic sessions requiring the full range of knowledge, skills, and creative engagement. More than half of all professional photos are self-employed (according to the U.S. Department of Labor), and thus are able to choose for themselves what type of photography they wish to engage in.

• Every photographer should always carry a multi-tool