Chapter 1What is Professional Photography?

WHEN THE WORD ‘PROFESSIONAL’ is used in conjunction with the creation of photographs it is most often seen as a comment on the technical quality of an image. Camera manufacturers describe the most expensive cameras they produce as being for professionals and others as providing professional-quality images. They believe that we all want to be able to create professional images. But before we begin to discuss the role of the professional photographer we must first talk about what defines a professional photograph. What are considered to be professional images, and are they really professional?

Let’s deal with what elements are most commonly believed to constitute a professional image. The basic requirements ...

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