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1A Extreme Landscape Photography - What It Means to Be a Professional

Li Weinan, a professional landscape photographer and co-founder of 1A Extreme Landscape Photography, goes by the screen name “A Little Squint”. Originally an interior designer, Li started out as a hobby photographer who has gradually transformed into a professional photographer over time. The landscape pieces he produces are not only a series of exquisite photographs, but also a step-by-step discovery to feeling the harmonious relationship between man and nature.

Accolades:

  • National Geographic Contributor
  • 2022 - Institute for Planets Special Photographer
  • 2021 - 7TH 35Awards Landscape Group Champion

He authored the below blog about his thoughts on professionalism in the field of photography and what he values about his ColorEdge monitor to achieve accurate image display.

Professionalism in Photography

“As a landscape photographer, after my works are published, I often hear people say things like, ‘That’s a great shot!’ and ‘You’re so professional!’. This often makes me think about what it means to be a ‘professional.’ In the field of photography, there will always be someone whose shots are better than mine or who has more creativity than me. Am I still a professional compared to them? Sure, there are also plenty of photographers in the field who aren’t the most skilled, but they make it. Do they too deserve to be called professionals? Questions like these often cross my mind. Over time, I have been able to think about and summarize my understanding of professionalism for some of the current situations within the field.”

1A Extreme Landscape Photography

Occupation Does Not Mean Professionalism

“First of all, there are lots of photographers in the industry. Most of them rely on their shooting skills for survival, while a few rely on their social skills alone. In the social media age, where views are king, you can gain quite a bit of traffic with excellent pieces of work. However, if you know how to run your own social media account effectively, you can also get traffic without having outstanding shooting skills. These two types of people are both called occupational photographers, but they differ in their professional skills, one of which is shooting and the other of which is operating. For those who are aiming for certain photographic achievements, they tend to prefer the former. When it comes down to it, though, most people can only achieve the latter under pressure. Thus, I have concluded that occupational photography doesn’t necessarily equal professional photography.”

1A Extreme Landscape Photography

Hobby Does Not Mean Amateurism

“Many people in this field make a hobby of photography instead of pursuing it as a career – such individuals are called photography enthusiasts. I have met a lot of people like this, who I’d say fall into two categories: (1) those with the desire to become occupational photographers and (2) those with the means who have simply taken up photography as a hobby. The former is the predecessor of many occupational photographers; my own journey places me in this category, having turned my hobby into a career step by step. The latter represents those who experience life in a way that occupational photographers admire.

“No matter which category they fall into, a lot of people have better shooting skills than many occupational photographers. With such a high skill level, these people are definitely worthy of the title of professional, but they don’t make a living from photography. Therefore, I have also concluded that just because people are photography enthusiasts it doesn’t mean they are amateurs.”

1A Extreme Landscape Photography

Prerequisites to Becoming a Professional Photographer

Solid Shooting Skills

“If you take the professional route, your works cannot just satisfy yourself. For example, when you are content to think your works are good and you feel better than you did before. Instead, you need to compare your works with those of others. Since everyone is always advancing and professional standards are continuously improving alongside the mainstream, you will only be eliminated if you cease to advance.”

Professional Photography Equipment

“The current barrier of entry in the field of photography is actually very low. It doesn’t cost much to buy a decent camera lens, and I don’t think there’s much of a difference between buying a camera priced at 10,000 CNY and one priced at 20,000 CNY. In any case, the quality of your photography should be top priority. Most lenses and cameras on the market have almost the same so-called image quality, and, I dare say that 99% of people can’t tell the difference. However, the difference is actually quite significant when you have the right equipment versus when you don’t.

“Some people will tell you that professional photographers can take good pictures even with mobile phones, and they’re right. While a person’s shooting ability can be revealed through a mobile phone, for the same person, the quality of the images taken with that phone versus a professional camera can be quite different. A full-frame camera, several corresponding lenses, and a professional photography monitor are all necessary pieces of equipment – the camera and lens are the eyes of a photographer, and the monitor is his face. In this regard, it is therefore the most basic requirement for a monitor to display the picture perfectly.”

1A Extreme Landscape Photography

“People tend to place more emphasis on cameras and lenses in photography, often ignoring the importance of monitors. I often get asked questions like, ‘Why do my photos look different on the computer than they do on mobile phones?’ and ‘Why do the colors of my photos look different in the eyes of others?’. Of course, these issues are not solely caused by the monitors themselves. Another probable reason is that the photos are not set properly in the editing application. However, many issues are largely caused by the color gamut of conventional monitors, which is below the level of professional monitors. So, using professional versus standard technology and devices makes a big difference.”

1A Extreme Landscape Photography

“When it comes to monitors, I have to share that I recently bought a monitor that amazes me. Every industry has its own standards for professionalism, and the ColorEdge CS2400S from EIZO is as professional as they come. The monitor, with vivid colors in line with industry standards, accurately reproduces 99% of the Adobe RGB color space with its wide color gamut, ensuring images are displayed correctly. It also covers almost the entire ISO-coated and US web-coated CMYK color spaces used in printing. Plus, it has a 10-bit synchronous display function with a 16-bit look-up table (LUT), which means that it can display over one billion colors at once. This means that the monitor can show 64 times more colors than those displayed by an 8-bit monitor, which makes for much smoother color reproduction and reduces the Delta-E difference between two similar colors.

“If you do not quite understand what the above information means, you can directly observe the gap between professional and conventional monitors from the following comparison photos.”

1A Extreme Landscape Photography

1A Extreme Landscape PhotographyLeft: ColorEdge CS2400S Monitor
Right: Conventional Monitor

1A Extreme Landscape PhotographyOriginal Work

“It can be clearly seen that the display of the two monitors vary greatly. Also, compared to my original work, you can see that the CS2400S can correctly display the photo, while the other monitor has an off-color cast. Just as when I first used a professional camera and found that the photos were vastly different than those taken on my phone, the CS2400S has left me shocked at its display performance.

“To prevent over-generalization, I have provided multiple pictures for comparison, including one of an urban scene under complex lighting. These examples illustrate a significant discrepancy in monitor display characteristics.”

1A Extreme Landscape PhotographyLeft: ColorEdge CS2400S Monitor
Right: Conventional Monitor

1A Extreme Landscape PhotographyOriginal Work

 

1A Extreme Landscape PhotographyLeft: ColorEdge CS2400S Monitor
Right: Conventional Monitor

1A Extreme Landscape PhotographyOriginal Work

 

1A Extreme Landscape PhotographyLeft: ColorEdge CS2400S Monitor
Right: Conventional Monitor

1A Extreme Landscape PhotographyOriginal Work

 

1A Extreme Landscape PhotographyLeft: ColorEdge CS2400S Monitor
Right: Conventional Monitor

1A Extreme Landscape PhotographyOriginal Work

 

“Based on the above pictures, it can be concluded that the monitor is crucial for displaying images accurately. Even if you don’t know much about the meaning of monitor parameters, these direct comparisons should be enough to show the most intuitive means of expression and I believe you can now realize the importance of monitors. For a professional photographer, having the right technical skills, camera lenses, and photography monitors is essential!”

 

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