Being free to go wherever you want, see the things not many people have seen before you, put yourself into extreme situations, and all this for the sake of one single frame. This is how the life of a freelance photographer looks like. Well, not all of them are like this, but no matter what their preferred photographing material is, all of them have one goal, and that is the perfect photograph.
Making it happen
The job of a professional photographer is quite an exhausting one. It takes a lot of time, patience and experience to become better than the others. On top of that, there are a lot of them and they are all searching for that perfect shot. When it comes to nature oriented photographers, getting close to a dangerous, wild animal can be quite challenging and exhausting. Waiting for days, maybe even weeks in order to find the animal and capture it in a perfect pose is no small feat. Taking a photo does not end the process of making the photograph look its best. Some digital processing is required in order to get the full potential out of the frame taken. This part of the job is also time consuming but luckily, photographers have got a new friend in the shape of retouching companies which are created by people with the same goals, making photos look amazing and showing the true beauty of the piece taken. Professional photography retouchers use their full knowledge in order to make the customer satisfied, they spend hours in front of a single photo, until they make it look perfect.
Having a friend like this makes the life of professional photographers a lot easier. They can focus on what they do best and that is making the most out of places, people, and wildlife without being forced to think about editing photos. Problems with employers for breaking the deadline are a thing of the past, since retouching companies usually do their work online, so the communication between the photographer and the photo editor is unobstructed by the location of either one.
Making a name
The best way for a professional freelance photographer to show his/her work is through a good portfolio, since employers pay special attention to this when hiring. With the help of professional retouching services, photographers can also have a second opinion from someone working in the same industry sector. As an amateur photographer, I can say with certainty that some photos are more special than others, without regarding their quality. Some of them have a sort of sentimental value, which, unfortunately, does not make them perfect pieces for a perfect portfolio. Fortunately, having people around that share the same passion can be very helpful.
I believe that almost every photographer’s dream is to have their photos recognized by a great number of people. Just like one can recognize the piece painted by Van Gogh or Picasso. Photographers also wish to be recognized in such a particular way – as artists. There are various photography competitions, for both professional and amateur photographers, which have certain requirements about image manipulation. This can pose a great problem, maybe not for professionals who have a long experience of working in the niche, but for amateur photographers who can overuse certain effects and get disqualified for it. In my opinion, in cases when people lack experience, it is better to let the professionals do what they do best and employ a professional photo service to do the work and avoid awkward and embarrassing moments.
Winning a photography competition is a rewarding experience. Aside from monetary and prizes in the form of equipment, which you can never get enough of, a prize can come in the shape of getting introduced to some of the industry’s biggest names, that can further help you with your growth as a photographer, or even in the shape of a job offer. Professional retouching services require a small fee, but it is absolutely worth paying a professional retoucher to edit one’s photos to look better, especially if you are trying to sell that photo to somebody.
If you are a talented photographer but have no experience working with editing software, it is probably for the best to leave this job to a professional.