Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph.
– Matt Hardy

This morning my two year old daughter delivered a very special envelope to me from the letterbox. Luckily I rescued my Diploma in Professional Photography from her before the ‘Do Not Bend’ warning was wantonly ignored! My creative past (aside from many, many thousands of images taken) began as Photography GCSE then a Degree in Fine Art and now this – the course which sparked true professionalism, technical knowledge and confidence in post production processes. The quest for perfection is something every great Photographer searches for, with the most brutal critiques saved for themselves. The journey is not complete by a long way, but I now know the style I want to achieve and have the technical means of doing so.

The role of a Professional Photographer in my eyes is to listen to the client’s expectations and ideas and then exceed those expectations with great quality prints, fair prices and beautiful presentation of the finished product. In order to do that you have to be a gifted Photographer and much more. Behind the scenes you must find your niche, create marketing opportunities, build up clientele, maintain a website, update accounts, project income and remember to occasionally spend time with your beautiful family!

The curse of a Pro Photographer is the end of the so called family ‘snapshot’. Never again can you take an image without considering the white balance, whether you should use a reflector and then distribute it to friends without any editing. Just a tweak to the contrast? A little cropping, sharpening, cloning or smoothing? Taking the ‘proper’ camera on a family holiday is to test your self control to the max – sometimes the Iphone is a welcome replacement with it’s instant quick shots. Because it will never be as good as a ‘real’ camera. Invest in Professional Photography and hold on to priceless memories you will want to remember forever.