Can I shoot professional photos with a small beginner digital camera?

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Warwick Castle

This was taken on a 2 mp camera ( Kodak CX4200 ) when i first got interested in digital photography (date as more or less didn't set camera date). I too had not got a clue at the time it was point and shoot and you really could not get a much cheaper camera at the time under£300) now if you can find one about £10.

So My answer is to blueboxpotter it is not so much the camera it is the person using it that matters
 
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steve_lyt said:
I have worked with some people who where getting paid , and they where far from professional in the way they acted. and also with people who wearnt being paid and the acted professionally.
so being paid doesn't make a professional , its part of it
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One term that I absolutely loath is acting or behaving 'professionally'.

Who gets to decide what that is?

Generally some uptight middle class prig (think Mrs Bucket) who thinks that the world revolves around dollies on the tea table and crocheted covers for the spare bog roll.

If you get paid you are a professional (photographer). If you don't, you aren't.
 
just because some one gets paid . does not make them a professional . a professional is someone who knows what they are doing and how to handle any situation.
 
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If you look at a website called pixelpeeper you can select to see photos for various camera models.

You can just find the one you intend to get and look through the pics.

Usually some of the people who have submitted pics there are decent photographers and some beginners so there is a mix to see what results people are getting.
 
steve_lyt said:
just because some one gets paid . does not make them a professional . a professional is someone who knows what they are doing and how to handle any situation
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If you can quantify that, it’s reasonable. Otherwise, it’s just a bunch of words used to make someone feel ‘superior’.
 
Phil V said:
If you can quantify that, it’s reasonable. Otherwise, it’s just a bunch of words used to make someone feel ‘superior’.
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it cannot be quantified because it is wrong, as we all know a professional photographer makes the majority of their income through photography, that's it end of debate.
 
steve_lyt said:
the meaning of profeesional from the wiki
"A professional is a member of a profession or any person who earns their living from a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skills necessary to perform their specific role within that profession."

it doesn't mention being paid, so if a student fresh from uni , buys a camera and gets paid that makes them a professional then. even though they have no experience
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Ehh
 
To answer the original question: "Can I shoot professional photos with a small beginner digital camera?": Yes.
 
I appreciate I'm VERY late to this one - but to answer this basic question...

Can I shoot professional photos with a small beginner digital camera?

I've no idea if YOU can, I know I can, and that many people I know can - many of whom are not professionals as such as they aren't paid, but the quality of their work is of a 'pro' standard (whatever that is)

HTH

Dave
 
I’m sure you’re all having fun arguing about this (yes, I’ve read the thread), but at post #4 the OP wrote “ I u apologize for using the word 'professional'. And yes, that's what I meant to ask, if you can make your images amazing with just a beginner camera and not a camera that costs over £300.”

Seems a lot less complicated than all you “professionals” are making out. The thread also tends to show why manufacturers of all kinds of things add ”pro” to the names.
:):):):):):exit::exit::exit:
 
sphexx said:
I’m sure you’re all having fun arguing about this (yes, I’ve read the thread), but at post #4 the OP wrote “ I u apologize for using the word 'professional'. And yes, that's what I meant to ask, if you can make your images amazing with just a beginner camera and not a camera that costs over £300.”

Seems a lot less complicated than all you “professionals” are making out. The thread also tends to show why manufacturers of all kinds of things add ”pro” to the names.
:):):):):):exit::exit::exit:
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As with most posts, the conversation ends up with people having multiple conversations some not relevant to the original post, very very few are conversations with only the OP, like this post or your post, totally irrelevant to the OP
 
steve_lyt said:
I was wrong on the paid part , but the other bits are are true
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Only if you slip over the last part of the definition from wiki you provided.
Agreed the being paid part is an easy definition but lots of places many crafts needs education and aproval before you get to work unsupervised e.g. here in DK you cant just go play plumber or electrician.
 
Studio488commercial said:
As with most posts, the conversation ends up with people having multiple conversations some not relevant to the original post, very very few are conversations with only the OP, like this post or your post, totally irrelevant to the OP
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Op didnt check in after september 2019 so is think this is a free playground now
 
soeren said:
Op didnt check in after september 2019 so is think this is a free playground now
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Yes, but I just think it’s a bit pointless given that ‘professional’ has several very different meanings in English, all of which seem to have been used here. Context is all :).
 
steve_lyt said:
just because some one gets paid . does not make them a professional . a professional is someone who knows what they are doing and how to handle any situation.
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Sadly thats wrong. Professional means it's your profession, ie you get paid for it. Being good at it isn't a factor. There are lots of professionals in all fields who are rubbish, they still get paid and it's still their profession.
In an ideal world there would be standards of competence, but the fact we have civil servants, builders and mechanics proves the flaw in that argument :exit:
 
I agree . professional infares the person knows what they are doing, most professionals do know what they are doing , it has to be one of the most misused words in the dictionary.
 
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steve_lyt said:
I agree . professional infares the person knows what they are doing, most professionals do know what they are doing , it has to be one of the most misused words in the dictionary.
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I have never known it to be anything other than meaning you make the majority of your earnings from it. I would estimate half of all the "professionals" I have had dealings with turned out to not have a bloody clue what they were doing !
 
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swanseamale47 said:
but the fact we have civil servants, builders and mechanics proves the flaw in that argument
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So when the brakes fail on your car and it crashes through the front wall of your house you'll be getting a huge bill from HMRC? :naughty:
 
engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as an amateur.

The term professional refers to anyone who earns their living from performing an activity that requires a certain level of education, skill, or training.

used to describe someone who does a job that people usually do as a hobby:

none of the above definitions mentions that if you were a professional photographer for instance,, earning money from it, you need to have an "expensive professional" camera

"professional cameras" are the choice of photographers who make a living or at least some remuneration from their photographic endeavours and so by competition of others of a like mind, needs must!!

what is better than a big 'un...a bigger 'un

ir follows in some way that if you sell a seaside snap on your p.o.s....do lots of post processing then have it printed, and sell it framed in the local shop....you are a professional and may pay tax!!

there are loads down here in the touristy shops...and in our post office as well...small cornish town

why dont i do it then!!

À Chacun Son Goût....:thinking:
 
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steve_lyt said:
I agree . professional infares the person knows what they are doing, most professionals do know what they are doing , it has to be one of the most misused words in the dictionary.
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In my experience, perversely, the ones who chunter on about being a professional and acting professionally the most are usually the ones that the phrase (in their meaning) least applies to.
 
I think the problem here is semantics.

Yes if you check a dictionary as I just did it’s someone who is paid to do something for a living.

As with lots of words their original meanings can and do change with time. I do think the aspect of ‘receiving a good job or service’ is inextricably linked to the modern use of the term professional.

How many of us vacuum clean our houses and how many hoover them?
 
Sometimes it's still worth considering the original meaning though, there only used to be 3 professions... and no, not that one :)

Doctor, lawyer and priest were professions because they "professed" an oath, i.e. they pledged to act in a certain way and that supposedly set a higher standard from people who just got paid for some work. These days there are a number of professional bodies who over see standards in certain fields and membership requires people to meet a certain code of conduct - similar to the oath that used to be professed. So, at least in some areas of work, professional means more than just getting paid.
 
swanseamale47 said:
Sadly thats wrong. Professional means it's your profession, ie you get paid for it. Being good at it isn't a factor. There are lots of professionals in all fields who are rubbish, they still get paid and it's still their profession.
In an ideal world there would be standards of competence, but the fact we have civil servants, builders and mechanics proves the flaw in that argument :exit:
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This is so bloody true. I see it all the time. Carpenters, mechanics, solicitors ...

To me there's a personal ethic involved - that you do the best you can. But it seems that some people are in it mainly for the money, and become box-tickers - the failing in the whole Grenfell Tower business. People there specified a system, oversaw (or didn't) its installation, and signed the work off. And now they're shouting 'It wasn't me!'.

Craftspersonship and ethics are powerfully linked. An inextricable component of true craft is honesty.

But added to that, in a realm like photography that can be creative, there's a more intangible reference which is cultural, and which has its own scale of values.

As in any discussion or casual conversation even, define your terms.

Yes, you can make professional images using a point & shoot.
 
droj said:
This is so bloody true. I see it all the time. Carpenters, mechanics, solicitors ...

To me there's a personal ethic involved - that you do the best you can. But it seems that some people are in it mainly for the money, and become box-tickers - the failing in the whole Grenfell Tower business. People there specified a system, oversaw (or didn't) its installation, and signed the work off. And now they're shouting 'It wasn't me!'.

Craftspersonship and ethics are powerfully linked. An inextricable component of true craft is honesty.

But added to that, in a realm like photography that can be creative, there's a more intangible reference which is cultural, and which has its own scale of values.

As in any discussion or casual conversation even, define your terms.

Yes, you can make professional images using a point & shoot.
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I still fail to see how an “image” can be professional ? Only the person taking it can be.

I did think of a little fly in the ointment the other day, I make all my money from photography, yet I never pick up a camera, so does that make me a professional studio owner ? I certainly would not class myself a professional photographer ?
 
DemiLion said:
One term that I absolutely loath is acting or behaving 'professionally'.
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Could this mean acting in a way befitting your profession ie the way you conduct yourself. If you are the greatest at taking a photograph however act like an utter ************ towards customers word will get around and you would possibly soon be unemployable.

Studio488commercial said:
I still fail to see how an “image” can be professional ?
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Ok maybe of professional quality and again that will probably open up a line of debate. But for me professional is a photo that fits the requirements (and you can repeat - and not just do as a one off chancer) and stands out from the photo that any tom dick or harry takes ie if a customer wants a photograph of their home to use to sell it might not be best to produce some artsy B&W "interpretation" of the living space or some other pretentious phrase and present it on some sort of metallic finish paper in a perfectly complimentary frame. This might be professional in an art gallery but is not what is required. Equally it might be expected to shoot it on a wide angle lens to make the rooms look spacious (if thats what will sell the property).

It seems like Professional means something a little different to everybody - yes there is the dictionary definition of it which is along the lines of:

relating to or belonging to a profession. or engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as an amateur. This seems to be the what, where as it looks like a number of offerings in this thread as to what is professional cover the how as well.
 
The OP has not logged in since they first posted, 13th September 2019.
 
It is possible, if you recognize that camera’s specific capabilities and limitations and the way to figure around them. For instance , even with an inexpensive camera it's possible to catch an honest moment or find an unusual angle or lighting - figuratively speaking, use your creativity to form up for technical limitations.
 
Petrochemist said:
A good pro can get great images from a beginners camera, but a beginner can't reliably get 'pro' images even if using a top quality camera (they may get lucky once or twice).
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That says it all Really.

Low cost cameras are by their nature technically limited. While expensive cameras can be technically challenging.
The important qualities of a professional image are more than purely of a technical nature.
Images that catch the eye and draw you into them do so because of the lighting, composition and human interest and timing more than technical perfection.
the skill of a professional is to so adsorb the technical matters that they become second nature, so that he can concentrate on the subject not his camera.
 
All these comments about getting good/high quality images from cheap equipment reminds me of a few years ago when I decided to upgrade from my bridge (supercompact as they were called at the time) camera to a DSLR. I took the bridge to a car boot sale and marked it up with a reasonably low price. Not much interest till what I would call a 'pixel tart' came along. His 1st question was "how many pixels?", I replied 7.5mp. he replied words to the effect of 'it's rubbish, my phone is 18mp'.

Now maybe I formed the wrong opinion of the guy but the impression I got of him was he only viewed any photos he took on the phone and maybe got some printed 6x4 or at most 7x5.

At the time 1080 TVs were probably the highest definition realistically available meaning that at least 10mp would be wasted every jpg image his phone produced.

Camera phones and the images they produce these days are good but they have there limitations. Stay within them and you certainly can get images that will sell but as mentioned the camera is only one of a number component parts of a good image. There is the photographers 'eye', composition skill, post processing, choice of media to name but 4.

The budget of the OP was small but getting a compact within that budget he could have gone out, took photos and have some of what he thought were his best ones printed to show round family & friends and watch they reactions (sometimes a way to know what they think rather than listening to what they say). From there he could decide if he wanted to take it further or not.
 
As was told to me no matter what camera you have, you will never exploit its full potential. Often one moves on before ever reaching that point.

Remember the old one "you must get some superb picture with that set up....." It's NOT the camera, but the person behind it.
 
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