Is Photography The Easiest Thing In The World To Do?

I think the beauty of "Can anyone be a Photographer" is yes, (if you take some workshops from me).

Chicago photography tours | workshops
http://www.kevinophotography.com

If 'anyone could do it and sell photos' they would be doing it as well. I suppose anyone can take a photograph but whether anyone would buy them is another matter. Your son should be proud of his talent.

First of all, he's reaching that age where he'll begin to recognize a true 'friend'. Thank goodness.

Beyond that --

if you have some sort of picture-taking device in your hand -- yep, taking a picture is the easiest thing in the world. A 2-year-old can do it.

But, taking a worthy picture (an actual photograph) is usually something else entirely, and is about intent, and having a viable set of skills. Selling is something else entirely, and means that someone is prepared to lay out cold hard cash as a review of your work, instead of tossing out empty opinions.

How many of his friends are selling their own creative works? Or even have the nerve to show them to the world at large?

Tell Kyle to stay the course -- he already knows his own worth and has backed that up in a very tangible way. Some people don't get around to that until they're twice his age, or more.

Oh, and remind him that

1. Teenaged brains are not fully developed, and

2. Opinions are like . . . well, you know. ;-)

the easiest thing in the world is to do nothing.

something - always has some skill. we already know that just owning the camera and posting stuff won't create a sale. and anything said is due to jealousy. they should all give it a try. many think that photography is easy because now everyone has a camera and anyone can point it at anything. and unless they have a trained eye - everything looks good to them.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

"Photography is the easiest art, which perhaps makes it the hardest." - Lisette Model


"The belief is once you buy a camera you are photographer. SO that means if I buy a Cello...... I own a cello." - Vincent Versace


Taking a single great photograph is perhaps easy, building a consistent body of work with a distinct style is hard. Much harder than in other mediums.

Then I started to make photos, I thought it is easy, but now after a few years it gets more and more difficult

"It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the extraordinary."

- David Bailey

please...there is no possible way this is another discussion on the ability or lack of photographers.

Taking photographs IS easy - if you have a 'camera' and know how to make it work - even a point and shoot. Taking a good photograph - may well be another subject that requires some knowledge of composition, lighting, subject, etc., as well as some skill other than point and shoot at whatever appears in front of you. Then you get to that difficult part - for many - marketing your photographs or art - for some it's as easy as waking up in the morning - for many, perhaps most - it's a nightmare.

Those kids are scewing with him. The talk with him needs to be more about crappy people trying to put doubt in his head than about photography. Those kids are bad people friends.

You want something easy? Try fractals :D

This guy makes it look easy.

This looks like an easy studio set up.

Taking a picture is of course very easy. Being a professional photographer and making a living is another thing. One could compare photography to cooking - virtually anyone can cook but to create a great dish that people will like is something else.

Tom, it is not. It is answering a question from a 15 year old photographer.

If you do not wish to participate, then don't.

I have a friend who thought that photography would be a piece of cake if he bought a DSLR. He really thought the DSLR was a magic box that took stunning photos for you.. He bought one and started taking photos... He was wondering why his shots looked so blah.

So I started explaining everything to him - white balance, shutter speed, ISO, aperture, depth of field, using different lenses, tripods, ND filters etc to get different shots. What lenses work best for what types of shots. Also, post processing. He basically just gave up trying at it after a week or two.

I also have people saying 'wow, did you take that with your phone?' on shots that would clearly be impossible with a phone (telephoto lens zoomed in, super detailed macro, long exposure etc.)

In general the average person has no idea how much is involved in photography. There is so much to learn.

"Is Photography The Easiest Thing In The World To Do?"

For sure, it´s not the most difficult thing in the world to do ... (unfortunately 😕)

You keep trying to prove its not easy to a group of kids who were just picking on your son. They probably don't know or care what goes into photography

I like ( & agree with ) Joe Hinson's comment.

" Snapping a shot " - is easy.

Creating a work of Art, takes dedication.

Photography is like cooking: Everybody can buy the equipment and ingredients you need. The internet is full of recipies and how-to-tutorials. At the end, everybody can produce something eatable. But not everybody becomes a 5-star chef.

Yes, photography is very easy to do, especially in these days of digital, iphones, gopros, etc. And, the law of averages means that everyone who shoots a lot of photos will get a good one now and then.

Studying those good ones, learning what you did right, and attempting to do it consistently is what separates a good photographer from the masses of camera owners. Luck plays a role, as I'm sure you know, but getting lucky on a regular basis requires knowing where to be and when to be there. As the old adage goes, "The harder I work, the luckier I get."

Here's an example. I liked the look of this cloud and how the curve complimented the shape of the mesa. But, the angle I was at didn't allow me to get the two in the same frame. I walked a ways up the road, and still didn't have the right composition. It was getting close to sunset and I knew the light was going to get good. So, I walked all the way back to the car and drove up the road about a half mile. From there, I still had to walk a bit to get the right vantage point with no fences in the frame. Then, I had to wait about 20 minutes for the light to get just right, hoping the dissipating storm cloud would hold it's shape long enough. During that 20 minutes, several people pulled their cars over, rolled down their windows, stuck their phone out and took a shot. Those are the people who think photography is the easiest thing in the world. And they are possibly my future customers as they may want a print of the scene without the fences and road cluttering it up and some desert foreground to give it scale. :-)

Taking a picture is the easiest thing in the world.

Photography is not the easiest thing in the world.

Selling photography is downright hard.

I find it interesting in this day and age with all of the knowledge that a google search can provide that this question is still asked and people still think that photography is "easy." In one respect the pushing the shutter part is very easy but knowing camera settings for different photo situations, knowledge of the correct gear and training your eye to "see" interesting and eye catching compositions is the difficult part.

a proud father and his sons accomplishments ...a wonderful discussion !

Fine Art America can transform any image into a professionally designed work of art. Simply upload your image, preview your artwork in a variety of formats, and select the ones that you like best!

To Suzanne's point, re composition. It's not enough that we find interesting subjects. The light must be adequate, at minimum, the subject must cooperate and the camera settings and angle must be correct. In the original capture, I had Mama Duck at the edge of the pond. She looked OK, but the composition was lopsided. It needed to be balanced, with more interest added. Luckily, I had Huey and Louie in another shot, also at the edge of the pond but without Mama. Huey was parallel to the camera but Louie had his back turned away from the camera. Thankfully, Dewey was plowing toward the camera in a different shot. He did a nice job of covering Louie So this became a composite of 3 different shots in an effort to balance the composition. The only thing real about the final image is that these darling ducklings are her children. Her seven healthy babies were scattered in all directions and impossible for her to herd.

For most 15 year old boys everything "sucks". That is just the way it is and only experience will change it and sometimes not even then. I think it is fabulous that you and your son have something you can do together for the rest of your lives and enjoy. My daughter is a painter and a photographer like me and I really enjoy any time we have creating things together.

Funny - out of this entire discussion, what I got was JC has a 15 year old boy who still looks to him for advice openly - and likes to do the same things he does!!

Cool!!!

JC, Dave is spot on here. What I get out of this conversation with your son is, he thinks his dad is a hero. He looks up to you, and respects anything you tell him.

My friend, that means your a great dad, and did your job.

Now for the bad news. He is on the edge of changing as so many kids start to change around 16. Takes em a few years or more to change back.

JC,

there is the crowd and there is the artists, the worker, the doer. The crowd has it easy, they sit on the butts.
The other kids are including him as sitting on his butt. But he was not sitting on his butt. He was working.
What was it in Tom Sawyer? The picket fence. Most Toms do not want to do the work. And perhaps that is the
only really issue here. Your son has work to do while others act like there is no work done.

Your son has to learn to forge his own path. This does not mean giving up photography, this means not taking
the critics too seriously. Unless they have a point. So listen with one ear and do your own thing is my advice.

Because at the end of the day he will only be answerable to himself for what he does. He wont be collecting anyone
else's check come payday.

Damned if you do and damned it you dont. John Lennon said it best in this song.

"Working Class Hero"

As soon as you're born they make you feel small
By giving you no time instead of it all
'Til the pain is so big you feel nothing at all

A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

They hurt you at home and they hit you at school
They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool
'Til you're so blancking crazy you can't follow their rules

A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

When they've tortured and scared you for 20 odd years
Then they expect you to pick a career
When you can't really function, you're so full of fear

A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

Keep you doped with religion, and sex, and T.V.
And you think you're so clever and classless and free
But you're still blancking peasants as far as I can see

A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

There's room at the top they are telling you still
But first you must learn how to smile as you kill
If you want to be like the folks on the hill

A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

If you want to be a hero well just follow me
If you want to be a hero well just follow me

Dave

Yeah, I am very close with both of my sons and couldn't be prouder of either of them. (my daughter too but she is a little older)

Both have their talents and gifts and I try and nurture what they want to do and what they like. The younger one is really a gifted creative and excels in his academics and has also inherited my love of reptiles. He is a turtle expert and can ID a turtle with just a glance and knows more about turtles than I do about snakes. Put us in a reptile house together with cameras and we will spend hours taking images in them much to the chagrin of anyone with us. He also writes and draws.

His older brother never did push away during those older teen age years. Mostly because I start letting them make their own choices and pick their own paths. I will give them guidance and keep them out of trouble but I stop with the hard and fast rules which I have never been huge on anyway.

There are my views on parenting but I have great kids so I suppose it has worked well.

Several thoughts:

-Doesn't matter what his friends think. If he loves photography, then keep on doing it.

-Why must we keep trying to draw a line between 'photographers' and 'those who just take pictures'? Every photographer started off just 'taking a picture'. Skill levels vary, Intent varies, passion varies. So what?

-Photography makes self made art accessible to many; we should encourage it. Some will take it to a higher level, some will be content to go their whole lives never knowing the difference between a RAW image and a JPEG.

-Worthy? Worthy of what? Adoration? Money? Self-satisfaction? Critical acclaim? Who cares? As far as I'm concerned, is the PHOTOGRAPHER happy with the result? If so, then it's a worthy picture.

Kudos to you and all those out there helping children grow to adulthood.

**Mary Lee Dereske

Most people looking at photos on social media don't know the difference in a good photo and bad photo, or what to look for. Living in a coastal area, I see my fair share of sunset/sunrise images from phones that are grainy with tons of noise, have no dynamic range or depth of field, with crooked horizons, and that have been edited with the saturation bar to the max. Yet people will constantly tell that person how great a photographer they are and how great their image it is. If one hears those things over and over again, they will truly believe they are a photographer, even though all they are doing is hitting a button on their cell phone. Hitting a button and pointing with a cell phone IS EASY.

As someone mentioned above, the reality is most people don't understand there is more to photography than just pointing and clicking. To most, when one goes out to take a photo they just walk up to the scene and hit the shutter button, and walk away. They don't consider you might have waited a while for the shot, your understanding of aperture, ISO's, shutter speeds, stops, etc. , and also the time and money you have invested. How many times have you heard, you must have a nice camera? As if the camera does the work.

The image I shot below took a while to get right because I was shooting long-exposure to smoothen the water with a catamaran that was rocking in the water. The rocking catamaran was causing problems because it was blurry in my image. I had to take a bunch of shots adjusting exposures to get this one, and it is still not perfect. All the while getting eaten alive by mosquitos and noseeums in the dark. I shard this image on FB and got some likes, while another friend of mine posted a noisy oversaturated sunset photo on FB that was all the rave.

JC, that is how I raised my boy also and he's never pulled away either. Guidance, support and backing...that's all I have given him.

Yours sound like good kids.

It is the easiest thing in the world that I can do. It is also a lot of work. Planning, traveling, hiking not so easy places to hike. I have not been great at anything in my life but when I started photography a few years ago it opened up a whole new world to me and made me want to improve. It was not the easiest thing when I started and there are a lot of aspects of photography that are still not easy and I can't do yet. But the type I do is easy to me now. I do believe that it can become of the easiest things for anybody who is wiling to put the time and effort to learn and improve. If I can, anyone can. I agree, selling it is the hardest thing to do. I am one of the ones JC mentioned that sell only occasionally. I have promoted the snot out of my images on social sites but my images still seem to get lost. Social media at the time is the only way I can think to promote myself seeing as I don't have money for shows or galleries. Now I don't think I am the best photographer out there but I think I should be selling better than I do.

FWIW, your work is some of my favorite on FAA Mark.

A person who takes pictures is a photographer. I am not a professional I have never been paid for a picture nor have I sold any. I take them for me, they mean something to me, I hope other people enjoy them but if they don't that's ok. No body starts out knowing how to do anything, all things are learned. Take photos because you enjoy doing it and nothing more.

If I understand correctly, being a photographer involves getting up before the break of dawn, hiking up treacherous mountains, and battling bears and mosquitoes in the wake of Lewis and Clark --- if that's what it's all about, then sign me up, it sounds like a pretty good time. If that's what photograpers do then I want to be one, too.

I've been living out on the prairies of Saskatcewan for the last five years and spending a majority of my working hours outside in wind chill facorts of -40. Before that I was living in the Northwest (Washington state) getting up every weekend and heading into the mountains before dawn. Now that I have no Mountains to climb, I get up befoe the break of day and go for a 15 - 20 mile run in preparation for a marathon I'm planning to run this September. So I guess the only difference between me and a photographer is that I don't carry a camera. Maybe instead of asking if photography is easy the question should have been: Is being a photographer easier than being Karl Reich?

All kidding aside --- I am a painter, not a photographer. As such I would never submit an image of one of my paintings to FAA if I had have photographed it myself --- because I am not a photographer. I will only have professional photographers digitize my work. If they want to climb frozen mountains, crawl through swamps and over broken glass to capture one of my images on canvas; I certainly wont stop them --- as long as they can produce the results I am paying them for. How they achieve that objective is their art, not mine.

But in doing so, I would hope there was some technical knowledge involved. Not just the fact that they had to deal with mosqitoes and bears in order to frame a high qualitiy imaage of my work suitable enough to be submitted to a well regarded POD retailer.

Finally; there is a minority of photographers who do brave the elements in which to document a particular concept ---- that's awsome and more power to 'em. But like any other artist who wants their work to stand out as fine art, no matter what extreme they choose to battle and regardless of their medium of choice, they will all eventually need to adhere to the principles and elements of good design and composition.

--- Light, shadow, color, shape, rhythm, form, pattern, balance, symmetry, harmony. etc, etc. It's all there, so take it and do something with it.

And finaly, in response to the original question: No. Photography, like any other art, is not easy. But once mastered there's no reason it can't be no better than nothin' Shakespeare ever wrote.

-----Now saddle up cowboy, sounds like you got a few pictures that need takin'.

Developing a thick skin is important with any creative pursuit. Also realizing that not everyone is qualified to provide intelligent feedback or is even in your target market. Probably 90% of the visitors to a modern art museum shake their head and joke about the art on the walls yet someone spent million acquiring it.

The goal is to study the medium yourself and develop an understanding of what is good or "average".

Thanks Karl, thats a great discussion for FAA. I just added it to the thread.

Karl

That is one of most interesting and true answers I have read.....

I gotta go fight me a bear.

It's funny the difference in comment you get from those who know and from those who don't. We went to visit out daughter yesterday and because I thought we were going to a museum, I didn't take my camera. Instead we ended up in an arboretum with a wonderful peony garden. I pulled out the phone and shot some of the flowers. I shared a couple of them in a family sharing stream and my son said "wow, mom, you take great photos even with a cell phone". He has a good camera and is quite a good photographer himself. He knows.

Bottom line on comments from people is "consider the source".

I don't know J C fighting bears might be pushing the envelope a bit.

If I were you I'd just stick with the poisonous snakes, ---- at least untill you feel a little more comfortable with larger animals.

Yeah, the reality is I make a LOT of noise in grizzly country and have no desire to encounter one by accident. Snakes, I can handle.

Thanks JC, appreciate that from you.

Yeah, I've been out in the open about 15 feet away from my truck and 30 feet away a from a mother grizzly and her cub in Alaska, I;ve cleared rattle snakes off ranches in Colorado, and I've eaten a few rat snakes while stationed at Ft. Benning Ga. But you're right, making noise is the best way to avoid bears, and as much as snakes creep me out, they are fare more preferable to a grizlzy bear encounter. And polar bears, ---- I don't even want to go there.

So what part of the U.S. or North America have you encounterd grizzly bears in?

JC, first off, congratulations and God bless you for being a truly commendable father, role model and mentor for your son. As he looks back over the years I know he will thank you in ways that cannot be fathomed.

BTW, I’ve looked at Kyle's photographic portrait of a lion posted on your site, and it is magnificent! He is already following his Dad's footsteps in artistic excellence!

In regard to his question, my reply would be, “photography is one of the hardest things to do in the world to make an image look easy.” Easy being pleasing to the eyes, and making it so much so that someone is willing to buy it and display it, not only to personally enjoy, but also as a reflection of their taste in art.

As one who has taken photographs as a hobby for nearly 35 years and only recently started posting some of my images on Fine Art America, I’ve found personal and professional development towards presenting noteworthy photos (and any artwork medium for that matter) is a combination of God-given talent, time, undying love for the art, dedicated work on location and behind-the-scenes, perseverance, encouraging fellow artists (as we are not an island to ourselves, and I greatly appreciate the supportive FAA community!), constant learning and growing, and most importantly, a teachable attitude. I love what Zig Ziglar said, “Attitude, more than aptitude, will determine one’s altitude”.

If there is anything I would leave with your son (as a very small contribution to your already stellar leadership in his development), I would encourage him to ignore the naysayers, follow his dreams, pursue the knowing in his heart that he is destined for artistic greatness, and do all he can to develop the extraordinary talent with which he has been blessed. I know beyond any shadow of doubt he will go places his peers would only dream of, and continue to be an exemplary role model for others to follow.

Many blessings to you and your family and artistry!

Mark I Echo JC....I love browsing your port. Something just hasn't clicked yet on the sell part for you, I don't know what it is not knowing what you have done, I would just say keep at it because the quality work is THERE.

"Is Photography The Easiest Thing In The World To Do?"

Compared to what?

Thanks Thomas. I am thinking maybe I am too localized to one area and need to spread out further. Problem is my budget won't allow me to spread out too far from home. I would love to get out west sometime, if I can ever afford to do so.

Hello JC, thanks for posting this discussion forum. I think your son will follow in his father's footsteps. My answer to the question your son is asking "Is Photography The Easiest Thing In The World To Do"? The question is no doubt a loaded question, my answer for your son, yes, it is the easiest thing in the world only if you do not make it difficult for yourself. The most important thing to remember is your involvement in photography is your own personal and individual way of expressing your creative abilities. Do not weigh heavily of what your critic may think or say, its your ability to do with it as you deem necessary, by learning from peers technical corrections and perfect what your ambitions truly are when capturing that next photo. It may be well planned, thought out or a candid photo.

I have never forgotten throughout my life time that very first camera my parents gave me at 10 years old as a Christmas Gift. A gift my parents already new existed in me "the talent of creating" either through my artistic abilities or the camera, at such a young age and here I am 63. I have over the years thankful for to mentors the difference between a snap shot and a quality photo and the countless volumes of reading material written by the masters. From that kid of 10 years old to present over the years I have been a successful photographer and now my works have been published in various publications. In time your work will evolve and your own identifiable signature will be noticed as the photographer of the creations.

The moment you look through the viewfinder if the natural instinct as a photographer exist you know you have captured a one of a kind photo. Always remember no one can tell you differently a renowned critic or otherwise. Since beginning of time from the cave wall drawings to present and technology of advanced cell phone cameras to the most expensive its the individual behind the camera or artist producing the next masterpiece and Bravo to you and best of success with your continued ambition and that is being the best photographer you possibly can be which is successful!!!!! It does not matter if you are 10, 15, 35, 50, or 63 if your work has mass appeal you will be rewarded and recognized.

Cheers,
Michael Hoard Principal Actor, Artist and Photographer

I know it is as difficult as painting and illustration in comparison if not much more. People want to see real looking things.

You can arrange props and wait months for a wild Snow Leopard but a painter and film maker does this does the for the purpose earning a living. Look at Marty Stouffer as an example(Wild America). He started in Denver at the zoo with the director there trying to drum up support for wild life film making in 1974.

Photographers in Land Rovers in the field for months at a time making shots are the example I use for why it is no easy endeavor. First one has to have to contract and then perform the level of the money's worth. I use nature photographers as an example by news correspondents as well.