Architects, Photography and Professionalism

My reading habits tend to wander and a few months ago I got hooked on Bob Borson’s Life of an Architect, which has almost nothing to do with photography, photojournalism or journalism but is a nice look in to the thought processes of modern design. (Yes, I’m a Modernist. I wanted to be a Postmodernist, but I couldn’t hack it.)

This morning I was reading a recent post by Borson about his growth as a photographer because of his blog. These lines resonatedL

(T)he entire process makes you think of the final product and what you want it to look like. This is a skill that I have talked about before, that as a designer, it’s important to know why you like a particular thing and then be able to articulate your reasons. This ability is what makes you a professional in my opinion because this level if knowledge means you can duplicate your successes without having to recreate them.

As I’m about to head into class for the last time this semester, knowing one half of my “intro” students are headed out the door, I hope they’re still reading and understand it. Professional photojournalism is not luck, it’s practice and analysis and comprehension and the ability to “duplicate successes.”

Heck, that is just plain professionalism.