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              February 6, 2013
              Pratik Naik

              You Know You’re A Photographer When, __________.

              Reality is sometimes funnier than fiction when it relates to something we all do. In this situation, I asked my network of colleagues to fill in the blank, “You know you’re a photographer when, ____.” The responses were better than I was expecting! Here are some of the best answers given by other photographers in the industry. Be sure to post your own answers in the comments as well! 

              “Strangers approach you to snap a camera pic and you instruct them to move into the best light direction.” – Rita Granberry-El

              “When you want to retouch/photoshop everyone’s faces.” – Bryant Phethmanh

              “Everything in life is set up to look good in print.” – Courtney Dailey

              “You’ve got to park your car outside because the garage is turned into your photo studio.” - Kanoa Ulter

              “ You can’t seem to look at someone’s face without wondering how good it would look retouched.” - Kanoa Ulter

              “Your carry-on is way too heavy to be on the plane.” – Romi Burianova

              “When you look at someone and can’t concentrate on what they’re saying because there’s a freaking highlight on their nose.” – Hannah Rhymes

              “You can’t sit through a movie without questioning the damn hair-light which magically moves room to room.” – Phen Mas

              “Seeing unique light makes you jump like a school girl.” – Phocus C. Jr.

              “You start to frame everything you see.” – Butch

              “You take more pictures on your iPhone than your actual camera.” - Kanoa Ulter

              “When you spend more money on equipment in a year than you do on rent.” – Sky Cheshure

              “When you are driving somewhere and you see the location as an editorial spread in a magazine.” – Sage Bell

               

              All the quotes above were posted with their permission.

              To see the full list of replies, go to the full Facebook thread here: (link)

              We’d like to hear your best answers in the comment section below!

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              Newer Comments →
              • http://tambnguyen.com/ Tam Nguyen Photography

                You can’t seem to look at someone’s face without wondering how good it would look retouched. <~~~ I do this all the time hahaha

              • Santiago Reil

                When you are looking a sexy/nude photo of a woman with your  friends (I’m a dude) and while everybody is checking the boobs, you are looking at the nice light fall, commenting how nice that soft light is, and checking the catchlights in the eyes trying to figure out the light modifiers.

                This happens to me on everything. Pictures on the streets, magazines, tv, movies. Im always checking the catchlights and the shadows. Movies are the worst. I keep checking them for shadows, try to figure out how many lights there are, etc, instead of following the plot.

                Lighting has ruined movies for me.

              • http://twitter.com/ralphhightower Ralph Hightower

                A few days ago, I was driving east towards the sunrise and saw gorgeous clouds with the sun hadn’t yet cleared the horizon; I said to my wife, “Darn it! I don’t have my camera with me.”  Photography isn’t my day job. So I took the picture with my Android cell phone.

                But my Canon A-1 at the time was loaded with B&W film.

              • Elroy Aguiar

                When you tell your friends at a party to stop doing cheesy smiles and “pretend i am not here”. 

              • http://www.facebook.com/brianreesephoto Brian Reese

                You get pissed at the stay at home that’s always at the kid’s ball games taking pictures and offering up her self printed business cards with a her name DOT SmugMug DOT com account and she beats you out on a local wedding because she charges $150 instead of $3,000.

              • sy

                When you can’t afford to buy a vacation home.

              • http://www.facebook.com/derrel.hoshing Relzlife Ho-Shing

                “Your carry-on is way too heavy to be on the plane.” – Romi Burianova
                BOOM!!!!

              • http://twitter.com/Darkphotography Mark Dub

                When you look at a glamour photo for the lighting and not the girl.

                I dont know at what point this happened to me, but photos of the glamour variety are no longer about the girl first.

              • http://www.facebook.com/bjorn.lubetzki Björn Lubetzki

                …You cant look anywhere in your home without seeing anything Photography related (an CF card, some Nikon boxes, batteries, an SD card, a lens here, a camera there….)
                ….You transform your complete livingroom into a studio
                …..You watch a film with your girlfriend and while she has tears in her eyes during the most romantic scene, you stare hat the movie going “Damn what a beautiful lighting!”

              • http://twitter.com/kkdkutler Kanoa Utler

                LOL! Yea my idea of beauty is completely skewed thanks to Photoshop! 

              • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1128244577 Loren Worthington

                -

              • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1128244577 Loren Worthington

                when you get stressed out trying to decide which lenses cant go on vacation with the family

              • http://twitter.com/LandonWisePhoto LandonWisePhoto

                When the equipment in your bag is worth more than the car you’re driving

              • http://www.facebook.com/adamalexandrul Alex Adam

                When you randomly start to move someone’s face during a conversation to check what their best angle is.

              • http://www.solsticeretouch.com/ Pratik Naik

                “Honey I promise, I was just looking at the light!”… and actually meaning it. 

              • http://twitter.com/StephenRMelling Stephen R Melling

                I’m not keen on this answer. Photography is about using light in my opinion. Not using photoshop. 

              • http://www.facebook.com/arno.kamphuis Arno Kamphuis

                When you tell your wife to dim the lights in the living room by 1 stop.

              • DBorscak

                “When you explain to everyone on family birthday photo a Peter Hurley’s neck thing!” :)

              • Michael Battenberg

                …yet you take photos of someone elses

              • Darleen Hope

                 haha, so true ;)

              • http://twitter.com/David_Asch David Asch

                When you see anything black with red piping and immediately think ‘L glass’.

              • http://www.chromaticaversion.com/ Kyle Sanders

                …or when you start thinking of a lens as a good deal because it is “only” $1,400.

              • http://www.facebook.com/andre.hawle André Hawle

                when you even sees what no one else sees

              • http://www.facebook.com/andre.hawle André Hawle

                when you even sees what no one else sees

              • http://www.maartendeboer.net/ Maarten de Boer

                So true haha :’)

              • ennuipoet

                Or the flip side to this: When you are looking at porn and thinking “COME ON this lighting is AWFUL! “

              • http://www.maartendeboer.net/ Maarten de Boer

                When you focus your eyes on your finger and to try to see what your eye’s bokeh looks like :D

              • http://twitter.com/MarkSmithPhotos Mark Smith

                When you stop reading photo blogs and you go out and shoot

              • http://twitter.com/NarshadaPhoto Mike Rickard

                When you see a beautiful young woman & you think, “Damn! I’d love to take her … photo.”

              • http://twitter.com/tiagocostatmrc Tiago Miguel Costa

                You know you’re a photographer when your mom ask you if you go work, instead than ask you if you’re gonna shoot something! ahahah. http://www.facebook.com/whoistiagocostainphotography

              • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=33400783 Casey Wray

                You have mastered the “camerasutra”.

              • http://nickfancher.com/ Nick Fancher

                You haven’t attending a wedding as a guest in seven years. 

              • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=33400783 Casey Wray

                All around you is art waiting to be captured.  

              • http://nickfancher.com/ Nick Fancher

                You aren’t in any of your family photos.

              • http://www.facebook.com/jonathan.maniago Jonathan Maniago

                … when you’ve been questioned by security personnel for acting suspiciously in your obsession to find the best angle.

              • http://profile.yahoo.com/CP2KJABEMTMPXBVIQJ2IEICQHI Gabby

                You’re on your way to your day job in the morning, seeing the sun rise, and pull over to get a picture, even though you’re running late already.

              • rehabeldalil

                when you’re camera gear is the most expensive among anything else you own 

              • rehabeldalil

                When you’re broke! 

              • http://www.facebook.com/jeremy.wallace.904 Jeremy Wallace

                You know you’re a photographer when you pay more attention to the lenses on the sidelines of NFL football games than the actual game….

              • Penny Lennox

                when you choose restaurants for gatherings based on the quality of the lighting instead of the food.

              • rismit

                When you take your camera to your mother in-laws funeral.

              • http://www.facebook.com/Seanscottfoto Sean Scott

                You get angry when you see an instagram photo or a crappy shot being called professional image. Lost hope with the photography industry and want to change your career to a better one.

              • http://www.ericomori.net/ Eric Omori

                You know you are a photographer when you carry a small light meter in your pocket instead of a stopwatch. 

              • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=520005779 Alberto Wainstein

                when you dont need photoshop or instagram  ….. ANYMORE!!!

              • http://profile.yahoo.com/CP2KJABEMTMPXBVIQJ2IEICQHI Gabby

                When staying up late at night isn’t torture.

              • http://eeskaatt.tumblr.com eeskaatt

                I do this! haha

              • David Leyland

                When you can see beauty in the mundane!

              • Keith Bradshaw

                When you’re reading a thread this long on Fstoppers.

              • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000159331612 Manny Cuason

                when you check the models eyes on every posters, magazines or billboards what type of lighting gears were used and how it was positioned to catch the reflection.

              • http://www.facebook.com/mike.stanway.10 Mike Stanway

                Amen, Casey…

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