Unmasking the Unskilled: Telltale Signs of an Amateur Photographer

To begin with, let me clarify this: there is absolutely nothing wrong with being an amateur photographer. In fact, I find it fantastic that you are so passionate about your hobby, and I hope you value the artistic aspect of it even more than the technical competition of black versus red checker pieces. The most significant indicator that you’ve progressed as a photographer, however, goes beyond merely posting everything on social media. It involves actually having a dedicated website that reflects who you are and the work that you produce.

If you’re discussing your work with me, I would prefer not to conduct extensive searches to understand what you refer to in your portfolio. More crucially, I don’t perceive your portfolio as your Instagram account. While I believe that Instagram and social media can be beneficial, you are diluting your work for an attention economy that may not favor you.

Now, grasp what I’m conveying here, and kindly pay attention to the words in front of you. Nowhere in this write-up have I labeled you as an inferior photographer or an unqualified one. Honestly, we have featured numerous photographers here who are amateur and semi-professional. However, those who take their craft seriously are the individuals who establish their own websites. The most obvious indication that a photographer is an amateur is solely relying on social media for posting their work.

Why does this happen? Because your entire collection becomes dependent on an attention economy. That is not photography — that is content production, and the two are remarkably different.

Photography, when practiced as a form of art, is rooted in self-expression and is indifferent to what an algorithm states about their creations.

However, let’s avoid reiterating the same points repeatedly. It’s not constructive — but what is constructive is understanding what you should feature on your website. This begins with recognizing your creative and photographic identity. If you are a portrait photographer, and all you’re doing is displaying scans of the Polaroids you capture in a never-ending stream, you’re expressing to me that your pictures are not important to you. If you categorize them and present them in specific portfolios on your website, then you convey to me how much you value your work — especially when you keep it up to date.

Social media acts like a buffet for photography — it showcases a vast array of content aimed at mass consumption and encourages individuals to take what they desire in any quantity they choose. A website serves as a refined selection of a few works that they excel at — it’s a platform that treats their craft with much greater seriousness. Like a buffet, it provides a pleasant experience to pick and choose or sample various items. But when you are ready to invest more, then you create a website for yourself.

Moreover, with a website, you possess the ability to dictate which services scrape your site and how the content is utilized. Meta and other social media platforms employ your images to enhance their AI. However, you can instruct bots not to index your website and associate your photos with AI. Ultimately, you gain more control and protect your copyrights significantly more easily.

This article is not sponsored in any manner — rather, it is intended for photographers to truly awaken, update their websites, etc. Those who genuinely care will focus on your website rather than solely your social media platforms.