There's a great saying in my trade and it's one you all need to think about, my valued clients, potential clients and photographers checking out my site.
Owning a camera does not make you a photographer, it makes you someone who owns a camera
So called photographers who own a camera and start to trade as professional photographers without any formal training, no membership to any professional photographic associations and without the relevant insurance policies including CRB checks if you work with children are Not professional photographers, they are just someone who owns a camera.
I'm in the very enviable position of being at the top of my professions and I can proclaim that all my Full and Part time staff have the relevant knowledge, training and professional background needed to work for my studio. Infact we actually do work placements for calderdale schools offering photographic placements as well as more formal lectures for the BIPP and MPA, at a local level
www.bipp.com
www.thempa.com
Now the point to todays rant is that if you want to use photographers who profess to be professionals, ask for all the information I've just gone over, and if they try to pass work off thats clearly not been taken by them, or not part of any governing body but they have a nice camera, they are clearly just owners of a nice camera!
