If you hang around other photographers enough, whether it’s online or in real life, you’ll likely encounter some of the types of photographers mentioned in this video by The School of Photography. I know I’ve certainly encountered more than my fair share of each of these. If you haven’t yet, then be careful, because it might just be you!
The Purist
I see these all the time. They resist any kind of post-processing, retouching or manipulation of images, and actively criticise those who use applications like Lightroom or Photoshop. Usually, their argument begins with “Back in the film days…” although, what they don’t realise is that when they took their Kodak Gold down to the local one-hour lab, the lab would automatically correct their screw-ups for them. They just assumed they were good photographers. They also don’t realise exactly how much other photographers did in the darkroom, either.
Of course, that’s not all of them. Some of them just don’t understand how to use Lightroom or Photoshop. Either they’re overwhelmed and afraid of something they don’t understand, or they just refuse to pay for it.
All the gear and no idea
Oh boy, have I seen this one. They’re the main reason I stopped doing any kind of group events with other photographers. I used to do them a few times a year with other members from what was then a popular UK-based photography forum. And while the meetups were filled with great people, the “all the gear and no idea” people ended up ruining the trips for many of the other photographers. We weren’t able to just relax and shoot our own photos without constantly being interrupted with questions.
The know-it-all
These are the “photography elite” (or at least, they think they are) who know exactly what gear everybody else should be using to create the vision in that person’s head – without actually knowing what the vision in their head even is. Or what their needs are, nor their budget. Just, stop it.
These are the kinds of people who walk around photography shows with a backpack loaded with camera gear and a DSLR with a 70-200mm f/2.8 hanging from their neck.
The Technical Geek
This is the flip-side of the know-it-all, except this one often focuses on how you shoot your shot rather than what you shoot it with. They think they know way more about the technical aspects of photography and your gear than you do. Gear that you presumably researched when you decided to hand over large sums of cash for it. They will happily tell you all about the features you’re not utilising for your current shot, that they believe you didn’t know existed and exactly how to use your camera.
They’re also generally shooting gear that isn’t as good as yours. They only know so much about the gear you’re using because they believe that better gear makes for a better photographer – but only if you know how to use it. Because they’re not happy with the gear they have, well, reading manuals for the gear they don’t own and reading on the Internet is all they can really do with their spare time while others are out shooting.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of the worst types of photographer. There are plenty of others out there. But which types of photographer do you despise the most? Are you guilty of being one of these types?
[via School of Photography]
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