Everyone claims to be a photographer these days.  Chances are, if you threw a rock on any street corner you’d hit one of them.  Then, if you asked him or her to explain aperture, shutter speed, the rule of thirds or, God forbid, how to open a legitimate business in Louisiana, they’d look at you like you were the crazy one.  Whether you call them momtographers, fauxtographers or some other name, the results will usually be the same: wasted time, wasted money and timeless moments missed.

Photography as a profession seems to have become a huge draw to those who want to make extra money while they stay at home with their kids or just on the side of their “real” full-time job.  Unfortunately, this stems from the common misconception that photography is pretty easy, or even worse that it’s nothing more than finding a pretty place with flowers and pressing the shutter a few hundred times. Easy is probably the last word that I would ever use to describe photography.  Rewarding and fun come to mind as well as hard work but never, ever easy.

“There is a difference between being a person pushing a button on a camera, and a real, true artist,” said Courtney Dellafiora, an international wedding and boudoir photographer based in Baton Rouge.

Photography starts with a true artist who, by definition, has an exceptional ability to express creativity. Without this first building block, a person cannot even hope to someday, after lots and lots of practice, morph into a professional photographer.  Second, it takes hard work, experience and a lot of financial sacrifice.  While gear alone won’t make you a pro, it can certainly make a huge difference in the final product clients receive. The cost could be around $5,000 for even the most basic of professional set-ups.

Now there is certainly a difference between a fauxtographer and an aspiring photographer.  Aspiring photographers are those who’ve taken the time to learn how to use a camera, and I mean really, really use a camera. They’ve soaked up all the knowledge they possibly can through the resources available to them and usually still think they aren’t good enough. They’ve usually taken more free shoots of their families, friends and acquaintances than they’d ever care to admit.  Basically, they are everything a fauxtographer is not – committed, devoted and a true artist.  

So what’s the magic formula?  Practice, practice, practice and more practice. Invest in yourself.  Oh, and when you finish practicing, practice more.