Photography and Certification

Happy Friday, everyone.  Today I read an article about photography and certification.  The author thought that if you want to have good portraits done, you would need a photographer who is certified.  He made the comparison to doctors, nurses, and accountants, and basically said that if the photographer wasn't certified, then the photographer couldn't be trusted to give you the results you wanted.  However, there is a problem with this thought.  Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Picasso, etc., were not certified (and no, I'm not comparing myself with them, LOL).  But I think you see where I'm going with this.  You don't have to be certified to make great art, or great images.

They were artists, and I think we can agree that photography is also an art.  Certification might mean you can produce something that is technically perfect, assuming you would want that (sometimes breaking the rules may give the best results).  Do you want someone who will make a perfect image of you, but not capture your emotions, your personality, that special something that makes you who you are?  Or do you want a work of art that does capture all those things?  Being certified is not what will determine that.  When you see your images, you will make that determination.  I try to create images that are at least what you want (hopefully better), and you are the critic, the final judge of the results.  If you don't absolutely love the results, you don't pay a penny for them.  I give that guarantee because with over 25 years experience, and having studied lighting, posing, fashion, etc., I'm pretty certain you will be extremely happy with your images.  I will do my best, too, to make sure you have an enjoyable experience during the photo session.  I want you to have fun and be relaxed so we can capture some great images.

I am not saying certification is worthless, only that it is not needed, because a photographer's images speak for themselves.  A 100% guarantee, to me, negates any need to worry about whether a photographer is certified.  Certified or not, make sure whoever your use as your photographer, that they give you a total money back guarantee, not just a re-shoot guarantee, as many do (who can say you'd be any happier with the re-shot images).  I hope this helps you when your are choosing a photographer.

On an upcoming post I will go over what to expect during the session, prior to the session, and after the session, as well as what my prices include.