Hi my name is Eric Morales and today I want to speak to you not as a photographer but as an individual the knows and recognizes the struggles of becoming or wanting to be a photographer. I am not going to use the word professional for the simple fact that is why I'm writing this. Being a Professional is nothing but a mindset; a set of rules to follow. This rules once established will be more like guidelines that can make you better, more consistent photographer. Think it as if discipline rules. For example: you want to lose weight, what do you do? You simply create or follow a routine that will help you maintain a path into your goal which is losing weight.

Now in photography its almost the same. Adapting good strong principles are the key but just like anything else, you have to apply yourself and practice, then practice some more. Masters became masters through hard work accomplished over time. They also had the urge and the drive to become and overcome their situation. Do you really think anyone can pick up a camera and shoot like a pro? The answer is NO! or at least I haven’t heard that yet. I have heard of proteges in music and some other types of art but I really haven’t heard that of a photographer. Now understand this guide lines is not the same as workflow. People often think is the same but its not.

                

The science that lays behind photography it already have been discovered and had been evolving thanks to technology now a days. You may find yourself in a situation in where you been trying to master one technique and once you do there will be 5 or 6 more, or you will read so many great articles on lighting techniques, camera, gear and on and so forth. What I'm trying to say you’ll never stop learning but when do you find the time to apply what you've learned is what’s important. I have spoken to many great photographers and they all think different, they all shoot different but at the end they have great, out of this world images. Now, because they are professional the first thing we think or say is: “They make great images cause they have high end stuff and or better camera than us”. That is partially true but not entirely. Great Images are not made by the equipment they shoot with but by the Knowledge and understanding they have about creating an image. Before every shot, every photographer has a vision or visualizes what he wants in his shot and then using his knowledge and creative thinking process to make it possible and that’s for me what creating an image is.

               

  Having a good base knowledge and understanding and visualizing or projecting what we want in an image is what is going to give us great results.