There’s an advertising slogan that promises a certain school will teach its students "How to be a Model - or Just Look Like One!". I always thought it was one of the silliest catch phrases, especially when adapted to other professions. For instance; "How to be a Dentist - or Just Look Like One!", "How to be an Air Traffic Controller - or Just Look Like One!", "How to be a County Commissioner - or Just Look Like One!"

And my favorite; "How to be a Photographer - or Just Look Like One!" Truth is, it’s pretty easy to look like a photographer. Buy some Nikons or Canon cameras, put on a photo vest (or even an old fishing vest, if you’re on a budget), get a hat, hang a plastic credential holder around your neck and Bingo! ya look like a pro. And I know from personal experience that it’s not even that hard to get a photo published. The first roll of 35mm film I ever shot produced photos that were used on the front page of a small weekly newspaper. For a lot of people, just being there and pointing a camera at the action is enough to be a photographer. "Being there" is even a quick step towards "How to be a Photographer - or Just Look Like One!" There’s an old catch phrase credited to street photographer Weegee that says the key to good photos is "F/8 and Be there." You can always tell a "look like one" photographer by the number these phrases tossed about. Especially if they start to ramble about all of the pain and suffering they’ve seen and how they’ve "watched a man die."

Roy Scheider looks the part while filming the HBO movie "Somebody Has to Shoot the Picture" in Orlando. © Tom Burton/The Orlando Sentinel

But the best photographers are more than "be there." They are storytellers. They have a knowledge and a passion for the medium, understanding the methods of composition and lighting and timing andthe visual language that is used to make good photos. They know that the subject is the most important element. They are diplomats. They can make good photos from the quiet stories and great photos from the dramatic events. They work hard. The true measure is the quality of their photos.

The pretenders are more interested in living a dramatic life. They could choose to be a cowboy or a fireman but choose photojournalism instead. The most important thing is how THEY are on the front row - not the story. The create a ruckus over their presence, fighting for their right to "be there." They create bland images that are nothing more than snapshots of their travels. It’s the vacation slide show taken to another level. Their measure is where they’ve been.

Now for the really interesting thing in this equation; many of the pretenders can do quite well financially as photographers. They can get assignments, sometimes even a staff job. And there are even a few real photographers - very good ones - who never fall into that kind of financial success. There are a number of factors (including editors who wouldn’t know a good photo if it bit them). It is a mysterious formula that makes the difference between being a good photographer - or just looking like one.

Tom Burton

August 4, 1998

Tom Burton

< twburton@aol.com > Senior Staff Photographer The Orlando (FL.) Sentinel Other journals by Tom Burton 347 February 18, 2000 Love 341 January 6, 2000 Baby, Baby Baby 333 Is Photojournalism Dead? Tom Burton My comments today will reflect both my love for photojournalism and my respect for its basic tenets. 327 November 8, 1999 Roller Coaster 319 September 19, 1999 The headline on Tuesday’s newspaper was direct. PREPARE YOURSELF 301 July 15, 1999 Burton Rosevear 280 May 10, 1999 I am a certified platypus. It's time to confess. 262 April 16, 1999 "Thank Mr. Burton" 258 March 30, 1999 A "Typical" Day?   238 February 27, 1999 Time 227 February 14, 1999 And by the way; the subject - Zora Neal Hurston - has been dead for almost 40 years. 209 January 29, 1999 Ok, I’ll answer the most-asked questions first: 200 January 9, 1999 Could there be a photo-columnist? 186 December 12, 1998 The Nutcracker 167 October 29, 1998 The launch of Discovery and STS-95 166 October 28, 1998 Huber is one of a handful of photographers who has been setting remotes since the very first shuttle launch in 1981. 156 October 9, 1998 The waiting is the hardest part 147 September 15, 1998 When we edited the film, this last photo kept jumping up at us. It was far less planned than any cover we’ve done - in fact, it was probably the least calculated photo of the entire shoot - but it had that certain "ooomph" we wanted. 139 August 28, 1998 A firefighter returns 128 August 4, 1998 How to be a Model - or Just Look Like One! 124 July 30, 1998 I recently did something I’ve never done before. I went to a press conference without my cameras. 123 July 29, 1998 Some of the newest members of our staff were surprised at the persistence of the British press. They just won’t stop and they want everything. It is quite the clash in cultures when this kind of story goes global. 108 July 6, 1998 For more than a month, it hasn't rained much more than a spit in Central Florida 106 June 30, 1998 Yesterday I was part of the pack, looking for the celebrity of the moment and facing Armageddon. 105 June 27, 1998 At my newspaper, we run photography-based illustrations to illustrate stories that don't lend themselves to documentary styled photojournalism. 94 June 14, 1998 "I'm on vacation..." 81 May 29, 1998 When I decided to shoot a figure drawing class, I knew that I’d be up against some newspaper taboos. 75 May 22, 1998 An open letter to Joe Jaszewski 69 April 30, 1998 The Last Word 61 April 16, 1998 Femme Fatale 55 April 5, 1998 Finding "life" in photojournalism 38 March 15, 1998 Spring Fashion - The Printed Page March 6 , 1998 Spring Fashion - a final editWhich photo do you think would make the best cover? February 27, 1998 Spring Fashion - the fifth day As a photographer, I try to anticipate anything that can go wrong. February 26, 1998 Spring Fashion - the fourth day The shoot went very well and there may be one or two more contenders for the cover February 25, 1998Spring Fashion - the third day...the most debated, discussed and sometimes over-thought decision is which photo will be on the cover. February 24, 1998Spring Fashion - the second dayBut during a fashion shoot like today, I shoot Polaroids proofs on everything February 23, 1998Spring Fashion - the first dayThe phone rang at 6:30 a.m...The obvious question was, "what's going on?" 20 February 19, 1998 While photojournalists seek to document the reality of their world, fashion photographers conspire with beautiful models and clever stylists to create a fantasy. 10 February 1, 1998 Last night, I had a dream 8 January 28, 1998 I’ve found that my best work happens when I surprise myself

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