No matter what your level of photography, it can be easy to get hung up on the idea of being a "pro" photographer and all the meaning and weight that term carries with it. Here's why you really shouldn't worry about it.
Coming to you from Mark Denney, this interesting video essay talks about the idea of being a "professional" photographer and how it factors into self-assessment and confidence. I know that personally, when I was first starting out, I had a bit of mystique about the idea of the professional photographer, that surely, if they had a studio or were taking high-level clients, I couldn't dream of aspiring to be of that level. But I was confusing business acumen with photographic ability. Sure, a lot of professional photographers are very talented, knowledgeable people, but as I spent more time in the industry, the more I realized that there are equally talented amateurs, and that automatically relegating myself to a lesser status was a silly thing to do and was detrimental to my confidence and development. Lee Morris wrote a great article on this topic that I highly recommend you read in addition to watching the video above.
Lead image by Andre Furtado, used under Creative Commons.
Love. Love. Love.
So much this.
Good listen and one of the things I struggled with as I got more work. Before I retired and moved I was making about $30K a year, shooting nights and weekends. I did get sucked into shooting things I don't enjoy in order to keep my clients.
I also agree with most of the comments on cameras. Though I have seen some amazing shots from a composition standpoint that were just awful because they were shot on a phone in demanding lighting conditions. But, he is right, most people can't tell and don't care what kind of camera you used. It's either an inspiring shot to them, or it's not.
maybe, some of this has to do with paying your dues; there's this song i like... "and if you're tryin' to ride for free, it'd be the same i do to you..."
personally, it's a lot of thought given to such a simple topic. if joe asked me, i'd answer "nope" and move on, next. haha!
Message well conveyed. Thanks
Love. Management. Discipline. knowledge and Time. and of course Money.
A lot of people assume that all you need to make money off photography is to be good at taking pictures. So, if people are paying you for photography (ie you're a "professional") then you must be good at photography.
And if you're not a "pro" then you mustn't be very good at photography, because if you were good then of course you'd be selling your work.
In the real world, running a business is a lot of work, so the thinking is of course based on a false premise. But asking "are you a pro?" is, as the video says, often the only way many people (mistakenly) feel they can determine how good we are at photography.
This link sums up the 'pro' bit perfectly
https://www.facebook.com/TakingPhotographsIsNotACrime/photos/a.391151617...
Very thought provoking. If we were to categorize, I would say the main difference between hobbyists, amateurs, and professionals is the amount of time, dedication and commitment you've put in. However the label or "status" should not matter, what does matter is ability to do whatever you're setting out to do whether it be a gig or for fun.