What A Professional Means To Me.

Ok, this is another update.

Ok guys, yes I have heard of Mr Bourne blog today. And to that I say this. I will not allow someone to drag me down to name calling or allow anyone to deflect what this subject, is really about. The original conversation might have started out as a price war thing or what ever you want to call it. However, once that first DM came in, it stopped being about what someone charges, but instead became about someone who calls themselves a Professional. Acts on the up and up in public but brings out full-blown rude behavior behind closed doors.

It is not like we are walking up to him and going, Hay! I hear you’re a professional Photog, do you know how to do this and this? He is presenting himself as Professional Photog and a Professional Trainer.

Juvenile 2 faced behaviour is unacceptable in any profession and if you work with big names, rubbing elbows with them and trying to aligning yourself with their good name then you owe them and those that are looking to you for guidance the respect of keeping yourself in good public standing as well. Professionalism is deeper than face value, you have to be willing to live it in all aspects of your life not just in the public eye…

to the bottom of this article from another person who was sadly abused by the same said professional.

A professional to me is NOT someone who can make a lot of money at something they do, but instead one who knows their field inside out and produces top quality work from the knowledge they have gain though experience and training. They present themselves in a professional way.

Tonight on Twitter I had a run in with someone I though was a Professional and who I thought I respected in the photography field. Imagine my surprise when the so-called person removed the wool from my eyes himself.  First let me say, that said person made the comment and I quote;

“‘I’m consulting with a wedding #photog studio selling against a studio doing $500 weddings. Our new ad – “We fix $500 wedding photography.”

Ok, I didn’t say anything when I read this. To a degree I do understand. It wasn’t untill I saw the next tweet that I thought I would reply.  I quote again;

“To all those defending the $500 wedding guy I have a simple statement – if you have a $10 head buy a $10 motorcycle helmet.”

Like I said earlier  I agreed to a degree with what he was saying. But I also understand the other side.

People are losing their jobs, and with a lot of our jobs going overseas these days. It is not like you can just go down the block and get another job like you could 10 yrs ago. People are not just losing their home they are becoming homeless and ending up in homeless shelters and some with their children.   People are just struggling to get by these days.  People are afraid to spend money and if they do they want the best bang for their buck.

Soooo I tweeted back “We are in hard times, people are trying to survive and keep a roof over their families head. :(”

Now keep in mind I thought I was dealing with a rational Professional.  So image my surprise when the FIRST DM from said PROFESSIONAL came in.  And I quote;

By the time the third one hit my feed I had to block him to stop reading his egomaniac racist dribble.

To top it off, he made sure he wasn’t following me so I could not reply to said DM’s. Wasn’t that nice? To bad he didn’t know me better to know I wouldn’t let a little thing like that stop me.

Does he know this other studio that has slashed their prices? Are they someone like me, just starting out and breaking into the field and feel they don’t have the right to charge the going price because yrs of experience isn’t in their back pocket yet? Or could they be someone with experience but have fallen on hard times and are just trying to keep a roof over their families head and while trying to keep their business a float.  Could they be someone with an ill family member and had lost business because they had to take care of a love one and now must rebuild their business? In this economy who am I to judge someone else for how they run their business?

I can say this was a real shock and an eye opener for me. I see no integrity in his words or the actions he took by trying to hide his true self behind close doors while attacking me. Where is ones integrity when you would put your business before your childs health? And to even suggest such a thing to a parent is NOT acceptable at anytime ever.  Is that really a Professional? To me no, but greedy Gus does come to mind. The only thing that I can see that he values is his wallet and ego….

I think the DM’s speak for themselves.

~ by mitzs on January 24, 2010.