Why 30 Years of Experience Doesn't Always Mean 30 Years of Excellence
Here's an uncomfortable truth about hiring photographers: the most experienced photographers often produce some of the most uninspired work.
How is that possible? Shouldn't decades of practice create mastery?
Not if you spent those decades perfecting the wrong things.
Experience vs. Expertise: They're Not the Same
I've met photographers who've only been shooting for a couple years produce considerably better photos than some 30 year veterans.
Why?
The 30-year veteran spent three decades:
Focusing on increasing profit
Streamlining studio operations
Maximizing client throughput
Standardizing repeatable processes
Managing employees and overhead
The newbie photographer spent those years:
Obsessively studying light
Experimenting with techniques
Analyzing what makes images compelling
Continuously refining their craft
Pushing their skills forward
One became an excellent business operator. The other became an excellent photographer.
Both are valuable skills, but a professional photographer needs to develop both to be successful. But when you're hiring someone to create your portraits, you care about photographic excellence—not how efficiently they run their business operations.
The Standardization Trap
Here's what happens in many established photography studios:
Year 1-5: Learn various techniques, experiment, develop skills
Year 5-10: Find what works reliably, standardize successful approaches
Year 10-30: Repeat the same formulas for maximum efficiency
This creates a business model optimized for volume and profit margins. Set up the same lighting configuration. Process clients through quickly. Produce technically acceptable results consistently.
The problem? Acceptable results become the ceiling, not the floor.
When you prioritize throughput over excellence, you stop pushing your craft forward. You're not creating the best possible images—you're creating the most profitable images using the least time-consuming approach.
The Assistant Trap: Learning "That" Without "Why"
Many established photographers learned their craft as assistants in busy studios.
They learned:
"This lighting setup works for headshots"
"Use this lens for portraits"
"Set lights at these ratios"
"Follow this formula for corporate work"
They didn't learn:
Why that lighting works
When to deviate from formulas
How to analyze individual faces and customize approaches
What makes one image aesthetically superior to another
So they replicate setups they saw work once, without understanding the underlying principles. When you don't understand why something works, you can't adapt it, improve it, or know when to abandon it.
You're not a photographer—you're a formula-follower.
Practice Doesn't Make Perfect
There's a saying: "Practice makes perfect."
It's wrong.
Perfect practice makes perfect. Imperfect practice just makes mistakes permanent.
If you spend 20 years practicing mediocre technique, producing uninspired work, and following outdated formulas—you don't get better. You get really, really good at producing mediocre results efficiently.
I've seen photographers who've shot 500 weddings using the same approach for all 500. Each one technically acceptable. Each one aesthetically forgettable. They didn't get better—they got faster at creating the same level of work.
Compare that to a photographer who shoots 50 sessions but treats each as an opportunity to learn, and refine. Who analyzes what worked and what didn't. Who constantly pushes to understand their craft more deeply.
After those 50 sessions, they're dramatically better than they were. After those 500 weddings, the other photographer is exactly the same—just faster.
The "Going Pro" Problem
Here's when many photographers stop learning: the moment they start making money.
When you're building a business, the pressure is to:
Book more clients
Increase efficiency
Maximize profitability
Reduce time per session
Standardize for consistency
These business priorities actively work against craft development, which requires:
Experimentation (risky, unpredictable)
Time investment (inefficient)
Continuous learning (takes time away from billable work)
Trying new approaches (might not work)
So photographers plateau. They found a formula that books clients and generates income. Why risk that by continuing to grow?
Because comfortable competence is the enemy of excellence.
The Occasional New Setup: Still Missing the Point
The "learning" that does happen for many experienced photographers looks like this:
See a lighting setup on YouTube and writing down all the settings
Replicate it in their studio
Add it to their formula rotation
Continue producing the same level of work with a new variation
They learned a new recipe without learning to cook.
They can now execute five standard setups instead of three. But they still don't understand light deeply enough to:
Create custom solutions for unique situations
Recognize when formulas aren't working
Adapt and innovate when needed
Evaluate work aesthetically rather than technically
More formulas doesn't equal better understanding.
The Excellence Mindset: Never Stop Growing
The best photographers—like the best painters, surgeons, engineers, and craftspeople in any field—share a common trait:
They never stop learning.
They understand that:
Skills must be developed constantly
There's always room for improvement
Complacency is regression
Yesterday's excellence is today's baseline
My approach:
I study light constantly—not just photography light, but how painters use light, how cinematographers create mood, how light behaves in nature.
I analyze what makes images compelling, not just technically correct.
I experiment with new approaches, even when old ones work reliably.
I push my understanding deeper, asking "why" even when I know "what."
Because the moment you think you've mastered photography is the moment you stop being a good photographer.
What This Means When Choosing a Photographer
Don't be impressed by "30 years of experience" alone. Ask:
What have you learned recently that changed your approach?
Great photographers can articulate recent growth. Formula-followers cite their years of experience.
How has your work evolved over the past five years?
Show me early work vs. recent work. If they're identical, nothing improved.
What are you currently working to improve?
Excellent photographers always have an answer. Stagnant ones are confused by the question.
Can you explain why you made specific lighting choices in this image?
Understanding produces thoughtful answers. Formula-following produces generic responses.
The Dangerous Comfort of Competence
Here's the trap: competent work books clients. Technically acceptable portraits satisfy most people. Efficient operations generate profit.
There's no business pressure to pursue excellence over competence.
That's why many experienced photographers plateau—competence is comfortable and profitable. Excellence requires constant discomfort and growth.
But here's what you should care about: Do you want competent, acceptable portraits? Or do you want exceptional images that make you say "wow"?
One comes from experience optimized for business efficiency. The other comes from relentless craft development, regardless of how long someone's been shooting.
Experience Is Valuable—When Combined With Growth
To be clear: experience matters. You want a photographer who's shot thousands of faces and understands the technical craft thoroughly.
But that experience is only valuable when combined with:
Continuous skill development
Deep understanding of principles, not just formulas
Aesthetic sophistication that evolves
Commitment to excellence over efficiency
Hunger to improve, regardless of experience level
That's the difference between 30 years of experience and one year of experience repeated 30 times.
The Bottom Line
When evaluating photographers, look past the resume. Look at the work.
Does it show:
Visual sophistication that evolved?
Deep understanding, not formula replication?
Continuous improvement over time?
Evidence of a photographer who never stopped learning?
Or does it show:
The same approach for decades?
Technically acceptable but aesthetically uninspired work?
Efficiency prioritized over excellence?
Someone who stopped growing the moment they went "pro"?
You deserve a photographer who's obsessed with craft development, not just business operations. Because years of experience creating mediocre work efficiently doesn't serve you—years of relentless skill development does.
Ready for Photography From Someone Who Never Stopped Learning?
If you're looking for Los Angeles portrait photography from someone who prioritizes continuous craft development over comfortable formulas—let's create something exceptional.
My fine art background and obsessive commitment to growth means I'm constantly pushing to understand light, composition, and aesthetics more deeply. Not replicating the same setups for decades, but evolving and refining with every session.
Contact me to discuss your portrait, headshot, or commercial photography needs.
Professional Los Angeles photography where experience serves continuous growth—not comfortable repetition of outdated formulas.
