Spotting a "fauxtographer"

In todays age of digital photography it seems like almost everyone who buys an entry level digital camera is instantly a photographer. While the ease of digital photography is nice for vacation photos, when it comes to professional photography it is often misleading for the consumer and creates disappointment in the final product.

In this blog I hope to give some insight into how to spot a fauxtographer, thus reducing the risk of the heartbreak of being the victim of bad photography.

First, what is a fauxtographer? From the Urban Dictionary:

Fauxtographer

1) A person who tries to jump on the photography band-wagon by "Pointing-and-shooting" hundreds of terrible pictures, which they will upload to myspace in an album titled "My Photography", "My Art", or "Critique My work". Always followed up by the person adding "Photography" to their General section, or adding "Photography is my life..." to their About Me.

2) A person that claims to be a good photographer when in reality they just set their camera to automatic mode a start shooting. This person also happens to fumble over photographic terms or has no knowledge of the terms or switches the color mode to monochrome and calls it artistic no matter what the hell is in in frame.

I will add the following:

Specialties: The fauxtographer will specialize in "newborns, maternity, children, weddings, families, seniors,..." and the list goes on. Realize that to specialize, one must choose a specialty and do that one thing exceptionally well.

Overstates themselves: When you see the words "I'm passionate about photography", what do you think? Many people mistakingly read this as someone who is qualified. Most professionals, however, know that they do not need to make this claim... their work shows it, not their words. Also be wary of the fauxtographer who claims more experience than their age would reasonably show. By this token I could claim over 40 years experience simply by going back to my first camera at age 6. Experience as a photographer goes far beyond how long one has been playing with cameras.

Often a fauxtographer will attempt to downplay professionalism and properly equipted professionals with misleading statements such as "Why have your photos made in a studio with a back drop when all of Mother Nature is available for that moment?"

Yes, why have your portraits done in a professional studio with proper lighting, thousands of dollars worth of professional backgrounds and proper equipment to control lighting to make you look your best when you can have a snapshot taken outdoors in unpredictable lighting, insects, wind, and other elements which can ruin your shot?

Now, I'm not saying that outdoors photography is a bad thing, but I will state that your choice of a photographer should be able to provide you with the choices and options of a comfortable studio with proper lighting and multiple backgrounds or location photography outdoors in nature, don't limit yourself to someone who can't provide these opportunities. Outdoor photography, or "location" photography as it is often called, can be very nice if done properly by a trained professional. There are limitations though as to when is the best time of the day to shoot for proper lighting and exposure and for the best results. Weather and temperature also play a large role in this type of photography.


They do not have professional resources. What if you want gallery-wrapped canvases to display in your home? Suppose you have an album of family images, and you’d love to find another similar album to put smaller images in. Imagine that your parents are crazy about watching slideshows of images and would love to have a CD slideshow of your family session to watch over and over. The Fauxtographer often has no knowledge or experience with vendors that provide professional quality photographic products.

Digital vs. film:

Your choice of a photographer should be experienced in each. If you don't see the option of film photography from your photographer, ask yourself how much experience does this person really have. Are they a fauxtographer who got a good deal on an entry level camera and is now a pro, or do they really have the ability to provide you withthe very best. A professional photographer will likely have no less than a half dozen good professional lens' for their camera. They will have backup equipment and be able to handle the misfortune of a cmera that suddenly stops working.

Let's face it, you wouldn't trust a surgeon who says "Why have someone operate on you in a sterile hospital with proper medical equipment, I'll take your appendix out in the park" so why trust someone who can't provide a studio with professional backgrounds and proper lighting. Odds are, if they don't actually have a studio, they aren't capable of producing the final image you really want.

In my opinion, and for the purposes of this blog, being a Professional Photographer is more about mastery of the photographic medium and quality of work produced, as well as the work ethics, business practices, and customer service standards adhered to, than about what someone charges – but you do tend to get what you pay for.

Some of my photography

I thought I would take a few moments to share some of my photographs with you, just to be different.