Life as a working, freelance photographer has never been harder. At least so it feels.

You hear lots of freelance creatives say that you spend 80% of your time doing admin and 20% of your time performing your art (in my case photography) and this has never felt more true. That 80% is made up of fairly standard career admin tasks, such as emails, marketing, website maintenance, keeping accounts up to date, researching new kit and networking. However, more and more of this time seems to be spent trying to convince potential clients of the benefits and advantages of professional photography. Dealing with rejection has always been and always will be a part of the self-employed, freelance lifestyle, especially one in the creative sector, though it really feels now more than ever, that when it comes to photography this is more prevalent than ever. The worst type of rejection is that email response that says ‘We actually have good enough photos taken from our phones’. This sort of response is really difficult to swallow. It stirs two different sorts of emotions in me. One is frustration from a business point of view from the loss, at least in the immediate future, of a potential client. The other is a mixed feeling of being saddened that such a creative and skilled art form is being devalued and that the desire to use professional photography isn’t viewed as a necessity for businesses in 2023. In an age where social media and having a strong online presence has never been more crucial to business (rightly or wrongly), the desire for professional photography has never been less.

The number of conversations and replies to emails I receive regarding how photos from phones is ‘plenty good enough’ for businesses and companies is astonishing. I probably receive at least a couple per week. It has become normalised by so many to simply accept the quality from camera phones because it is cheaper, or perhaps because it’s free or maybe because it is right there in our pockets. Image quality is a big subject throughout photography and perhaps that a blog for another time and there are arguments in both directions. Does image quality really matter? Is image quality really the most important aspect of photography? What even is image quality? Is it the megapixels of a camera? Is it having the skills to capture that picture-perfect, intimate moment effortlessly? Is it just a photograph that simply means something to you personally without caring about it being slightly out of focus, or over exposed or not composed perfectly? Like I say, these are all discussions for another time. Perhaps I’ll write a blog with my thoughts about those questions soon. The purpose of this discussion is to establish the difference in just taking photographs and professional photography. Yes, both involve cameras of varying different degrees, but they are without doubt not the same thing.

Image quality when it comes to businesses is a very different situation. Why? Because you are selling a product or a service. You are telling a brand’s story. Portraying a certain message to prospective clients or customers. You are looking to attract and engage with as many people as possible whether that is through a website, social media, at a trade show or event, or through physical marketing channels. Therefore, does a sharp image matter? Does a well exposed, well balanced and composed image matter? Does how you work with and interact with your subject, whether that is other human beings, animals, products or even the environment matter? In my own option I would say that yes, these do matter. Then, moving away from the actual art of taking photographs themselves, what about providing a client with a smooth and seamless workflow, from initial communication through to understanding a client’s project brief? Understanding the businesses story and brand’s style? Understanding their target audience? Where they would like to use the images – online, print, social media? There is a lot of thought, planning and preparation that goes into a photography job, sometimes even just to get one photograph! How many of us strategically go through this same thought process when we snap away on our phones?

Nowadays, the access we have to taking photos has never been easier. We can simply pull a pocket-sized device out, wherever we are and snap away, without really thinking too much. Pretty great really! We can capture memories instantly and treasure them on our phones, tablets and other devices or share them with friends and family on social media within just a matter of minutes. I am all for this. The technology behind having such incredible images on such small and accessible device is awesome. However (and I bet you all knew there was a ‘however’ coming) – are these images good enough to replace professional images from a professional level DSLR or mirrorless camera? Does the art form we call Photography simply disappear or cease to exist simply because of advancements in technology?

Our camera phones are not anywhere near as good as cameras that have been developed by world leading manufactures such as Canon, Nikon, Sony and Panasonic over decades and decades. I firmly and passionately still believe that. Have we been caught up and swept away in the technology of Apple and Google? Well, for me, yes. We have substituted quality for simplicity. Skill for effortlessness. In some situations, then this is great. Family holidays – perfect. To capture memories on nights out – perfect. For many people, this is all they want and that is great. They are using this technology to create and cherish special, personal moments predominantly for themselves. I also shoot on my phone at certain times and all of this is absolutely OK. This is essentially what the invention of the camera phone was intended for. Where the more sensitive issue comes in is when it comes to how you undertake professional photography. That is the term I am really leaning into and placing significant emphasis on here, the word 'professional. Is using your phone to photograph for business related work such as marketing campaigns, branding, events, portraits, editorial work, commercial work the right way forward – for me, definitely not.

It feels like photography is losing its value as an art form, one that has been established over generations. It’s something we all claim to know how to do now, without much thought. The term ‘Point and Shoot’ has become so common place that there are now cameras on the market that are simply referred to as ‘point and shoot cameras’. The purpose of them, to simply turn them on, place them into automatic mode and click away. Our phones are essentially the same. The difference being our phones do all the other fancy day to day, mobile phoney stuff too.

How many people are using their phone cameras not set on automatic? How may really study their composition in depth before taking the photo? Understanding of basic photography, such as exposure - highlights and shadows? Terms such as ISO, Shutter Speed and Depth of field? Without the need to think about these basics of photography, let alone the need and knowledge of how to adjust them to create a desired photograph, can we still really and honestly call this photography?

Perhaps, in many ways, it’s similar to the shift that happened between film cameras and digital (although film is making a very strong comeback – perhaps in retaliation to the ease of the camera phone?). Do film photographers feel this way about digital photography? Without doubt there is considerable more skill involved when it comes to working with film and that is something I have never explored myself, having started my photography journey very much in the digital, modern age, so perhaps I am a hypocrite in some ways? But, despite it being a significant development in the history of photography, do digital cameras completely alleviate the art and skill of photography? Well I know a few film photographers who would 100% answer yes to that question, but in my opinion it has to be a no, and at least definitely not to the same extent as phones do.

Throughout this post, I have outlined some examples of almost identical photographs, taken between my Google Pixel 6 (a very good camera phone) and my Lumix S5, my professional camera. I will leave it up to yourselves to decide on which images you prefer. Photos from both have been edited. One image is from a Samsung phone however (not mine, yuk, Samsung!)

A final point to finish. If you’re a business then I would really, really think about how you approach your next marketing campaign, your next event or project which requires images. The value of professional photography has never been lower. The need for professional photography in such an online and digitally dominated world has never been greater. The investment you make in professional photography...well, that can really add immense value to your business and take your content to a whole new level.

Thanks for reading (if you indeed got this far). I will now leave you with a nerdy, photographer joke, although one that I think does a great job at summing up this blog post…

“Your camera takes really nice pictures”

“Thanks, I taught it everything it knows”