Preparing for my first product/model Shoot -- Critique my plan?

[km6xz]

erozier2, there is no reason to assume "fault", you were direct in stating you were non-professional and were going to stay in the "amateur" catagory. Somehow the term "amateur " has taken on a meaning that suggests beginner, novice, unskilled and that is not the meaning of the word at all. It means one who pursues a subject for love of doing it. In many fields the common skill sets that "professionals" rely on were all developed, invented by amateurs, those who were able and willing to devote the time to invent, research and experiment with things that had no monetary goal. In photography that certainly is the case. Only late in the game was it taken over by professional engineers.
In my field of sound recording, all the great advances in technology and understanding of perception were made by amateurs who just happened to be highly educated in unrelated fields or self taught far beyond the level of technical schooling. One of my hobbies, that got me interested in electronics in the first place when I was 8 years was Amateur Radio, a field where the science was greatly extended by amateurs in the true sense of the world. Every broadcast station, receiver, military communications system, and even important basic principles of electronics were dependent on amateurs paving the way, when there was no "practical" commercial application in sight.
There is a real difference in approach but not neccessarily skills or knowledge between amateurs and professionals. A professional has a certain level of job or task proficincy required but that in reality can be a pretty low level of skill or knowledge. The kid who snaps photos all day long in mall children's photo studios has all the skills needed to perform the service he was hired for and is in every definition of the word "professionals" but are not likely to have a detailed or deep knowledge of wave mechanics, field theory, art or other component knowledge sets that are part of the field. That kid earning minimum wage might not even like photography and never pick up a camera away from work. A professional might have a love of the topic, and study long into the night things that are not directly going to be applied to paid tasks, some of those professionals are on this forum, yet they are here not because of their professional hat being on, it is their amateur hat they are wearing. They would be here discussing the topic even if there was no paycheck in sight. I would venture a guess that most professionals, however, are not amateurs, it is not their hobby.
I run into such people all the time, they acquired a certain skill set needed to accomplish a job requirement and their knowledge never really advances much. That is as in most fields, when they get home from work the last thing they want to think about is the topic of their work. They might have pastimes to take their mind off of work. There are some professionals who really stand out in extending the craft, doing the extra that is not thought of or thought needed, they are known as professionals but in fact the passion that drives them to do more than expected or sought is their Amateur side. From my experience very few professionals in any field are also amateurs, but those two motivations when combined in one person often extends the craft. We can all name people who fit into that dual category, they are noteworthy because they are so rare.

So in my mind, and that of the compiler's of dictionaries, an amateur should be proud of that name and aspire to it, even if they work for a living in taking pictures for others.
But beginners and novices should not assume that having no knowledge is excusable by calling themselves amateurs. They are not amateurs, they are dabblers or novices but not amateurs. That class of hobbyist really needs to educate themselves a lot more. In the US in particular recent decades have glorified dumbness as a virtue, where being intelligent and studying hard in fields that do not have a direct payday is called "elitist" and where science, math, perception, physiology, the arts, hobbies and learning in general is being deemphasized and replaced with activities, pastimes, and closed end pursuits for children. There is no doubt the appalling lack of understanding of science and the world around Americans is the root cause of the downward spiraling downward of the middle class and the country's very survivability. It is a national security issue as well as a quality of life issue that is putting the US at a real disadvantage compared to new emerging leading societies around the world.
I am in favor of less professional educations and more general education. There is nothing done in most professions that can't be learned on the job if someone is generally well educated. Career tracks in the US are geared very much towards job tasks rather than developing an educated class of people who know about many fields and how they all interact. It is very common, for example, to meet lawyers or accountants who might be very skilled in their job tasks but are clueless about the world, art, philosophy etc. or how their work fits into the overall scheme of life. If anything, "professionalism" is a roadblock to general awareness and love of learning.
Reading the forums suggests to me that most people who are active are not amateurs either, they are consumers looking for quick answers, choices in equipment, purchase focused. There is very little discussion of photos or imagery and a great deal about technical details about consumer products. There are two hobbies here and the larger one is gear hobbyists who think about, write about and collect equipment. And a smaller group seldom heard from, who create, think about and collect images. Sometimes they cross over into the other's realm but not often.

Good luck on become an Amateur;>)

[Ed Shapiro]

Hi Stan!

Thank you for a very scholarly and insightful reply- I can hardly disagree with anything you wrote. Perhaps some my rather harsh philosophies got misinterpreted. I realize that there are many amateurs who have substantial talent and know how. I also realize that the word “amateur” has taken on bad connotations in that oftentimes it is misconstrued as a word meaning “inapt” or
“of low quality or craftsmanship” when this interpretation or definition is not necessarily applicable. Sadly enough there are inapt “professionals” who muddle through and somehow manage to make a living with their photography. This situation is based on a poor or non existent degree of consumer product knowledge whereby the clients really can’t tell the difference between hack and fine photography.

My complaint is not with amateurs making transitions into the professional market place or folks who just want to have fun with their photography. Probably, my gripe is with people who don’t actually realize and respect what professionalism in photography actually entails as to education, dedication and talent. Therefore my complaint is more philosophical than practical.

Our original poster explains the degree of education that is required for a career in professional engineering and the ongoing need for keeping up with the changers in technology and the innovation of new ideas and principles. Although the photographic industry is not regulated and licensed, there are many of the same ethical requirements and perhaps unwritten principles that are just as necessary and important prerequisites one should possess before one can and should “hang their shingle” and open for business. All of this is voluntary in most of North America unlike in many European countries where education, apprenticeship, mastership and licensing are required for most professions and trades.

The professional photographers associations are totally voluntary but they are consistent in quality standards and encourage their members to attend classes, lectures and participate in all sorts of educational programs. They hold print competitions and issue degrees which are not particularly easy to earn. Photographers who are seeking degrees have to garner points by attending educational activities, score well in competitions, teach others and in certain certifications have to pass examinations for basic competency. To receive a mastership in many of theses associations can take about 5 years. There is also lots of business oriented programs and courses made available to members that get into business planning, sales and promotional techniques, accounting and taxations issues.

To reiterate; I am not resentful of people who want to dabble in photography, enjoy it as an art or form of entertainment or even want to take on certain assignments for profit. What annoys me is that many people in serious professions, especially those which require significant degrees if education and practice, think that real professional photography is based on a few tips and a good assortment of equipment. Then the come on the forum and say the have allready taken on an assignment for which they are ill equipped in knowledge, technique and actual gear and expect their problem to be resolved by a few tips or a “magical trick of the trade”.

If I were resentful or looked down upon amateur photographers or upstart professionals, I would not be active on this forum and continuously seek to help people and give my advice on workable methodologies.

Ed

PS- After 51 years in the business of photography, photography is still my hobby and pass-time even when I am “off duty”. I am one of those lucky folks who thoroughly enjoy my work and get to do it as my full time job in life.

[erozier2]

Ed, I think I've somehow given you the wrong impression of why I started this thread, or the manner I've presented myself to the folks who organized this shoot. My apologies if I've made this confusing.

Originally Posted by Ed Shapiro

Probably, my gripe is with people who don’t actually realize and respect what professionalism in photography actually entails as to education, dedication and talent. Therefore my complaint is more philosophical than practical.

Our original poster explains the degree of education that is required for a career in professional engineering and the ongoing need for keeping up with the changers in technology and the innovation of new ideas and principles. Although the photographic industry is not regulated and licensed, there are many of the same ethical requirements and perhaps unwritten principles that are just as necessary and important prerequisites one should possess before one can and should “hang their shingle” and open for business. All of this is voluntary in most of North America unlike in many European countries where education, apprenticeship, mastership and licensing are required for most professions and trades.

I'm well aware of (and respectful towards) the education it takes to become a professional artist of any sort. I have quite a few friends who went that route, many of whom are now in the movie industry. Part of the reason I took this assignment was to learn. I've got a stack of about ten text books on art and photography sitting next to me on my desk, along with print outs of every good technical and theory article I've been able to find thus far. It's not a substitute by any means for real training, and education in photography, but I'm doing the best I can to learn as much about this hobby of mine as I can.

What annoys me is that many people in serious professions, especially those which require significant degrees if education and practice, think that real professional photography is based on a few tips and a good assortment of equipment. Then the come on the forum and say the have allready taken on an assignment for which they are ill equipped in knowledge, technique and actual gear and expect their problem to be resolved by a few tips or a “magical trick of the trade”.

That's definitely not what I'm trying to do, and I'm not sure how you formed this opinion. It's not like my original post was "Hey guys, I told some dudes I was a pro, they hired me and expect me to know what to do... what do I do? Please do my work for me."

Instead, I tried to lay out the limitations I was working with, and a plan for how to light the situation under these limitations, hoping to get a quick review on this, similar to how in my real job, someone might drop by with a stochastic activity network they planned to use to model a file system, and asked if I thought it checked out given their goals.

I don't expect photography to come in a few easy tips and tricks. I expect it to come after years of practice, study and learning. My current photographic side job is one I took with full understanding on both sides. My clients at the Law School know I'm a Engineering Ph.D. student with no real experience in photography. I know my clients are strapped for a budget and just looking for a way to get good photographs for their admissions documents and websites. Before each shoot we've been sure to sit down, talk about what the ideal is, and manage expectations based on what is available.

In fact the only reason they can pay me at all right now, is because I'm already on University payroll. There's a state wide hiring freeze, thus why they'd been searching flickr to fill their needs prior to us meeting.

What I've tried to do is then sit down, and lay out a plan for the shoot, test what I can myself on my friends and wife while they're still willing to put up with playing model for me, and develop my own plan to go forward. I'd hoped to then do what I tried here, and lay out the plan to some folks who might be willing to look it over briefly, perhaps let me know of impending disasters my lack of experience didn't see coming, and maybe share some general wisdom on the situation.

[erozier2]

Here, by the way is the first of the shots I've post processed. I've been playing with masking with it, so this is fairly experimental, but I'm close to the look I want from the shoot.