Are Professional Photographers Images Vastly Better Than Yours?

Sparks Lane in Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains Naitonal Park (click to enlarge)
X-T2, 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 16mm plus polarizing filter; 1/20th sec. @ f/16; ISO 200 (tripod)

As I had written in a previous post, I recently attended the week-long Great Smoky Mountains Photography Summit in Townsend, Tennessee.  If you want to know more about it, check out their website here or my previous post here..

While sitting, watching and listening to some very accomplished professional photographers, I started wondering what it is about their images that cause them to be so much better (or seem so much better) than those of us photographers in the audience.  In the end, I don't think many of their images are markedly better than my fellow audience members.  Let me explain why.

There are a few of differences between enthusiast photographers or serious amateur photographers and professional photographers.  First, professional photographers are out to make money (make money or change professions) from their photographic endeavors, whether through licensing images, selling prints or teaching.  They are dead serious about what they are doing (they darn well better be!), understand fully what they need to accomplish to be successful including understanding the business of photography, knowing their craft and their tools inside and out and putting forth maximum effort everyday. They don't take their photographic efforts lightly.

Enthusiasts and amateurs don't necessarily have that same mindset.  Now we might be very passionate and serious about our photography but putting food on our tables and paying our bills does not depend upon us making great photographs as well as developing a reputation for excellence in bringing back great photos every time in order to get hired. The mindset is different and the efforts are on a different level.

Pros routinely make great photos while enthusiasts don't.

Second, professional photographers, because of the nature of photographing full time, are out at various locations repeatedly.   They have to be as the great light doesn't just happen every day.  We enthusiasts usually are restricted in time and visit a location once or only a few times, accepting the light and weather circumstances as they are. Photography by design versus chance.  

Pros don't accept the light as found.  Sometimes we have to.  If they need to execute a given photograph, they will come back to the same location over and over until they find exactly the light they need to accomplish their vision (or client's vision). Most of us enthusiasts don't have the luxury to come back over and over to capture just the right light or circumstances to create that "wow" factor that pros need. 

Additionally, pros tend travel to many more and varied locations, some exotic, and many travel around the world.  Many of those trips are for hire or sponsored by a camera company.  How many enthusiasts can afford to travel that extensively and that often using their own funds?  Not many.  

Pros have a big advantage as images from other cultures, from remote or exotic or legendary locations have a built-in benefit and "Wow Factor" than images made locally or in places we all have seen hundreds of times in the past.  The difference is extraordinary locations versus familiar locations.

Exotic versus familiar locations.  Paid trips versus us paying out own way.

Third, when viewing some of pros' images right out of the camera, they look like ours. What does that mean?  In looking at the way pros edit their images, it is apparent that either they really understand and fully exploit the abilities of their editing software, sometimes pushing the editing software to its limits or pay someone to edit their images in the same vein as some of the most famous photographers of the past who never printed their own work (Cartier-Bresson, for example).  How you edit your final images makes a huge difference in how they look.  Too many amateurs/enthusiasts do a halfhearted job in editing their images before showing them.  Some don't edit them at all.  I always believed that you are only as good as the worst image you display or share.  That is how people will ultimately judge your ability.  Your really good images will be looked upon as luck more than as designed.  Pros are relentless in choosing only the very, very best and editing those images to maximize their attention-grabbing qualities versus amateurs and enthusiasts not necessarily being so self-critical and taking the time to learn and use their editing tools.

Editing to maximize potential versus routine editing.

Beginnings of dawn over the Great Smoky Mountains (click to enlarge)
X-T2, 50-140mm f/2.8 lens @ 87.1mm; 1/2 sec. @ f/11; ISO 200 (tripod)

One thing that is the equalizer in all this is the gear.  Pros use the same gear as the rest of us, for the most part.  Some enthusiasts can't afford Canon 1DX Mark IIs and Nikon D5s and D810s, but many professional photographers don't either.  Many use Sonys, Fujis, Olympus', etc.  The point being we all use about the same gear.  So the difference is elsewhere, when looking at their images.

When you add all the above factors together, and I'm sure there are more, professional photographers have an advantage over enthusiasts. No wonder their work looks better. AND...I'm not discounting their skill levels at all.  They are highly skilled, highly accomplished and highly motivated.  So are enthusiasts, in many cases.  But, again, enthusiasts are at a disadvantage to pros because of some of the factors listed above.

All this being said can you, as an advanced amateur or enthusiast, create similar photographs as the pros?  Of course you can.  They don't have a lock on all photographic excellence.  If you put forth as serious an effort, educate yourself in the craft and gear to the point where it is second nature, make a commitment to get out as much as possible and practice patience and wait to get just the light you need, only accept excellence in the images you choose, learn your editing software as best you can, you can produce equally great images.  But it does cost money and time.  You must be also willing to commit those two items as well.

I'm sure some will disagree with me.  But, I've been looking at professional photographs as a learning tool for over 46 years now—literally tens of thousands—to understand what makes a good photograph.  There is no magic, it is just hard work, dedication, developing skills by being out there photographing as much as possible, being in the right place at the right time with the properly educated eye and, let's not forget on the back end, marketing yourself in a very smart way to get the recognition for your accomplishments.


Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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