I'm an professional novice

That sort of person wont get far... and will crash and burn sooner or later

Advertising for a service that a photographer can provide competently and are well aware they are capable of isnt the issue here, substandard work at a charge is

advertising to do something that they have never done before and charging is risky and unprofessional


some people think they are capable of but are not.

if you have a portfolio showing what you can do and the client is happy thats cool.

if no portfolio then your in trouble

Not if said photographer is proved in other areas The proof is in the pudding!

sorry we have to agree to differ.

if a tog was excellent at wildlife they might be awful at weddings

or the other way around

If a photographer can use a camera proficiently and has good knowledge of lighting, they should have no problems expanding into all areas of expertise

Actually I have to disagree here I know several excellent wildlife photographers who have refused to shoot weddings as it encompasses a whole different area of photography, one they are not comfortable shooting. I do not believe that a good photographer is excellent in all areas - most have specialisms and work hard at honing thier skills in those areas

If someone is advertising a service, I would expect them to have experience in that area.

with practise yes i agree.

but to charge without practise is unprofessional.

people will want to see a portfolio if paying someone to provide certain type of pics.

I think if you know the rules of photography, and can use your camera you should be able to take technically good shots of whatever your paid to take shots of... But i agree people have specialities... and this is where their best shots will come from.