View Full Version : how to look like a pro
I'm going to print this out and preach it like it's the bible...
> I use a black Leica and wear all black
> clothes to look unobtrusive and professional. I also take
> very good care of my equipment so it also looks new and
> professional. But still, no one likes my photographs and
> people don't treat me as a professional. Even black tape
> does not help.
Ah... #1 problem there - to look like a proper pro you should put your Leica in the tumble dry (on cool mind you) along with some lose change and run it for 20 - 30 minutes. Then leave your camera laying around on the floor in your home/apartment, preferably where the dog/children can play with it a couple of days. Once it has acquired a proper "patina" apply a couple of odd stickers to it - say the kind you find stuck on fruit these days. A strap made from a knotted piece of that purple cloth tape you find in climbing stores helps too.
As for dress, sometimes a very smelly pipe helps the look, or a rather odd hat (not Tilley - no pro would ever wear a Tilley - that's for amateurs, especially doctors and dentists). A black photo vest can help, but it looks best if it's a tan one you have tried to die it black yourself, using those little packets of dye that make everything else you wash go grey for some weeks afterwards. If you must have a tan vest - get one like Dave Harvey's that was made by a small custom tailor in a back street in Havana.
Also, a small pewter hip flask can add to the look - preferably one with the crest of the Soviet Border Police, that you can claim to have picked up when the Wall fell.
Sand coloured Hush puppies of the sort the Brits call brothel creepers or desert wellies also add something
above texted pulled from: http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/cassidy/leicaslacker/plug/page1.html
Joe Brugger
02-23-2006, 10:29
Proper pros who command respect (and fees) have really good portfolios :p
I've worked with people who had 'the act' down pat but couldn't shoot for beans. They changed jobs a lot, and not necessarily for better gigs.
JoeFriday
02-23-2006, 10:38
and avoid any disreputable situations.. we all could learn from this loser
Brett,
Bin there :)
I'll get my coat...
jorisbens
02-23-2006, 11:46
I still need some things to become a "pro" I only have a hip flask but its not even engraved.
Joris
SolaresLarrave
02-23-2006, 11:51
Funny... my Leica never attracts comments, while my Nikon AF inevitably leads people to ask me, sooner or later, if I'm from some newspaper.
Hence, to look like a pro, grab your camera with one hand, fit it with a big lens, and act non-chalant about it.
back alley
02-23-2006, 11:53
you mean you ALL don't dress in black?
joe
High heel pumps, fishnets and a leather miniskirt?
Seriously, why would it be of importance to someone that they look like a professional photographer?
Most professional photographers I've been around are the worst-dressed person in the room, if not the building.
back alley
02-23-2006, 12:19
High heel pumps, fishnets and a leather miniskirt?
Seriously, why would it be of importance to someone that they look like a professional photographer?
for the chicks...?
;)
for the chicks...?
;)
Especially if you tell them you're from MTV.com. They go crazy for that ****.
back alley
02-23-2006, 12:33
i am very musical...
Why is it that when you're out walking around with your camera, in hand, stop for a crosswalk, someone invariably comes up to you and says, " Nice camera. How much did that cost?". Luckily the cross light always changes at the right time.
back alley
02-23-2006, 12:39
Why is it that when you're out walking around with your camera, in hand, stop for a crosswalk, someone invariably comes up to you and says, " Nice camera. How much did that cost?". Luckily the cross light always changes at the right time.
you must be more friendly looking than i am.
people rarely stop me let alone ask me questions on the street.
yossarian
02-23-2006, 12:40
You guys are forgetting the Banana Republic vest.
Banan Repulic was selling a courier bag that had a strong resemblence to Billingham.. what with all of its lack of padding and everything! I was real tempted to pick one up for $19..
Joe Brugger
02-23-2006, 13:20
Got one of those Banana Republic Billingham knockoffs years ago. It can hold more gear than most humans can lift.
According to the Nachtwey DVD, black is out. Pressed jeans with a white linen shirt are the uniform. And always speak slowly, with significant pauses.
back alley
02-23-2006, 13:30
Pressed jeans with a white linen shirt are the uniform.
omg, the 70's are back!!
Most professional photographers I've been around are the worst-dressed person in the room, if not the building.
You must know me! Where and when? Don't forget a simple but elegant strand of pearls with black. Heals are optional depending on how much equipment and whether I'm dodging bulltes. Simple flats are better in sand.
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=2450
"omg, the 70's are back!!"
Cool, the music from Deep Purple, Led Zep and Fleetwood Mac..... :)
back alley
02-23-2006, 13:38
"omg, the 70's are back!!"
Cool, the music from Deep Purple, Led Zep and Fleetwood Mac..... :)
OMG! the 70's are back!!
;)
Got one of those Banana Republic Billingham knockoffs years ago. It can hold more gear than most humans can lift.
According to the Nachtwey DVD, black is out. Pressed jeans with a white linen shirt are the uniform. And always speak slowly, with significant pauses.
Here ya go!
http://cgi.ebay.com/BANANA-REPUBLIC-CANVAS-CARRYALL-BAG_W0QQitemZ6850597273QQcategoryZ63852QQrdZ1QQcmd ZViewItem
Looking like a pro, and with the help of a press pass, you can get admission to a truck on a techno parade and explore new perspectives with a 28.
Todd.Hanz
02-23-2006, 15:34
Looking like a pro, and with the help of a press pass, you can get admission to a truck on a techno parade and explore new perspectives with a 28.
Ouch, that looks like it hurts, I'd rather get the vest :)
Todd
Todd.Hanz
02-23-2006, 15:35
BTW, where do you keep the film when you wear that outfit...never mind.
Todd
Nothing says pro like kevlar!
http://www.ubp-europe.com/bulletproofvest/images/2155_1.jpg
just what every photog needs to live out there Robert Capa fantasies
MelanieC
02-23-2006, 18:37
I'm sad to say that I spent most of my life never carrying a camera anywhere and never taking pictures -- because being Asian, I was self-conscious about how it looked. (Everyone knows we're born with cameras around our necks and never take them off, right?) Incredibly silly, but you know, you grow up in Virginia with identity issues to begin with and everyone around you automatically assuming you speak Chinese (when you aren't Chinese) and asking what nationality you are (when you were born in Washington, D.C.) ... anyway, the last thing I ever wanted to look like was someone who took a lot of pictures.
It took the advent of cheap digital cameras to get me to carry a camera, because everyone else was and I no longer looked like the stereotype of an Asian tourist. Or at least, it wasn't only the Asian tourists carrying cameras. And because it was cheap and easy to take digital photos, I did it more often. And then I finally got up the nerve to pick up the two classic cameras my father left behind, that sat in a drawer in my mother's house for over 20 years. I thought they'd be complicated and hard to use, but they are wonderfully simple. The M3 lives in my purse (except right now, since it is out for a CLA) so I can pull it out and take pictures whenever I want.
I love my Leica and my Rollei not only because they were my father's, not only because they are classy and mechanical and make cool-looking photos seemingly all by themselves, but because they are beautiful and will never be mistaken for any tourist's camera.
I don't know what a professional photographer looks like. I guess that would depend on how good you are at it, and what kind of a living you are making from it. I do know that 95% of the people who see me with my M3 don't look twice at it (the Rollei gets more looks because I think people can't figure out what it is). The 5% that do look, give pretty significant looks.
I think most pros use DSLRs. So I guess if I wanted to look like a pro, I'd leave the mechanical cameras at home and carry the D70s.
By the way, I do wear a lot of black.
...The M3 lives in my purse...
From 1001 Phrases Unlikely to be Used on Internet Camera Discussion Fora by Biggles, Harper & Row 2003
Wear it out, ma'am. Wear it out.
Why bother trying to look like a mere professional photographer? What you want to look like is an editor or an art director. They're the ones who hire professional photographers.
I can't be of much specific help, because I've never seen any two art directors who dress alike (including me, when I used to be one.) Editors usually look either like Rotarians or drunks (and yes, I know it's possible to be both!) So, carrying it off is mostly a matter of assertion...
MelanieC
02-23-2006, 19:10
From 1001 Phrases Unlikely to be Used on Internet Camera Discussion Fora by Biggles, Harper & Row 2003
I just spent some time looking at the "guys vs. gals" poll thread. I don't know if you'd call me a gear-head (although I do have a pretty bad REI problem), but if it makes you feel any better, this is what I mean when I refer to my purse:
http://www.teamestrogen.com/images/products/TK-7134-PBCPB_lrg.jpg
I bought it because the M3 fit in it.
Common guys, everyone knows that Domke knows how to make you look like a pro! ;)
BTW, where do you keep the film when you wear that outfit...never mind.
Todd
The trick is getting others to undressed! I was the one on the floor in professional torn jeans and wrinkled T-Shirt.http://www.hett.org/images/TurboSocke-pnet.jpg
Get some off- white cardboard and make a huge cylinder to disguise your Leica lens as a 1750 mm Canon L ; Don't shave for three days. Get Socke's lady to lug a large number of mysterious bags and boxes, all beat up with hotel stickers from some obscure hotel on the Amazon or in the Central African Republic. Stand on everbody's toes to get in the front line. Make your own press-pass. (With sincere apologies to real professionals who are often not even recognized as professionals.)
BJ Bignell
02-24-2006, 00:41
What's wrong with a Tilley hat? :( Gotta keep the head dry somehow... Does it count if you actually use and abuse the Tilley? Mine's been worn and folded and worn and folded so many times that the brim wire is broken in two places. I think the only thing I haven't done with it is to drink beer from it, and that's only 'cause it's got vent holes and I'd just end up wasting! :D
>>I don't know what a professional photographer looks like. I guess that would depend on how good you are at it,,,,<<
Thanks for sharing your wonderful post, Melanie.
OT: I've found that, if I'm not carrying my Domke bag or a laptop bag when I'm traveling, then I'm completely disorganized because ... I don't have a purse.
Back On Topic: For those putting together professional photog wardrobes, don't forget to keep some kind of not-quite-clean scarf/bandana tied loosely around your neck so that everyone knows you're ready for an Iraqi shamal sandstorm, even in a major American city.
I'm sad to say that I spent most of my life never carrying a camera anywhere and never taking pictures -- because being Asian, I was self-conscious about how it looked. (Everyone knows we're born with cameras around our necks and never take them off, right?) Incredibly silly, but you know, you grow up in Virginia with identity issues to begin with and everyone around you automatically assuming you speak Chinese (when you aren't Chinese) and asking what nationality you are (when you were born in Washington, D.C.) ... anyway, the last thing I ever wanted to look like was someone who took a lot of pictures.
As far as I'm concerned, that racial stereotype is the one of the best thing going for us. Alright, well, at least for me. No one will take you seriously, you won't register as a threat. Perfect the 'lost and confused' look and you can get away with murder (well, almost). Hell, if I were a cute Asian girl, that'd be even better (strictly in terms of sneaking under the radar, you understand)!
It's sure as hell better than looking like a middle-aged white guy with a photo vest and a Billingham or Domke bag ;) But what the hell do I know, I wear a lot of black, carry a bright red satchel bag and wear white headphones; I'm surprised I'm not regularly beaten up on the grounds of pretentiousness.
Hin
red satchel bag? which one?
red satchel bag? which one?
It's a bag I picked up in Berlin in one of those Communist nostalgia stores. See what I mean about pretentious? ;)
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