Are You A Professional Photographer?

I remember being asked years ago if I was a professional photographer.  My immediate instinct was NO!  Photography is my passion, my “fun” job; I am a photographer because I enjoy it, not because it is my living.

A few years passed and there was a moment when I realized that I began to answer that question differently.  Yes!  I am a professional photographer!  I am grateful that there are people who seek me out to spend time with them with my camera in hand just in case we feel like having a photo session

A number of years ago (before I was a “professional photographer”) I hired one to photograph my graduating senior.  While his images are beautiful, I look at them and don’t recognize my son in the photos.  They are perfect photos.  They just aren’t him.  There is a fine line between “retouched” and “photoshopped”.  Each time I photograph an individual or a group, I want you to view the images later and recognize yourself or your loved one; not just recognize that it’s a beautiful picture.

Columbus, Ohio Photography by Brenda Kerns