| Author | Thread |
|
|
03/20/2005 10:40:41 PM · #1 |
| I got a question I would love to hear eveyones imput. When does an amateur photographer become a professional? Where do we draw the line & say I am a professional photographer. Now I know I am not & I have a very very long way to go, but when does someone become a "professional". Any thoughts??? |
|
|
|
03/20/2005 10:43:33 PM · #2 |
When you make more than your expenses.
|
|
|
|
03/20/2005 10:43:48 PM · #3 |
When you earn a significant portion of your income from Photography.
|
|
|
|
03/21/2005 10:16:59 PM · #4 |
Staying with the true sense of the words, hopefully never.
|
|
|
|
03/21/2005 10:18:30 PM · #5 |
|
|
|
03/21/2005 10:21:38 PM · #6 |
| You become a professional when you open or initiate a market for your photographic work. |
|
|
|
03/21/2005 11:13:36 PM · #7 |
It is when you say that you take photos for a living.
|
|
|
|
03/21/2005 11:16:25 PM · #8 |
When your work is so highly sought after you'd never think to post any images to contest website for fear of infringement, unless under an assumed name just for personal entertainment.
Message edited by author 2005-03-21 23:16:54. |
|
|
|
03/22/2005 04:56:57 AM · #9 |
Originally posted by bledford:
When your work is so highly sought after you'd never think to post any images to contest website for fear of infringement, unless under an assumed name just for personal entertainment. |
I'd not thought of that angle Brad, or should I say, Ansel? :-).
To call yourself a pro all you have to do is take money for your photos... Making a profit, being sought after, making a living are all academic.
A professional gets paid to do something. If you get paid for taking photos, you're a pro. Simple really.
A pro dosn't necesarily have to be any good at it either, that is a misconception right across all facits of creative endevour.
Cheers, Me.
|
|
|
|
03/22/2005 08:17:32 AM · #10 |
Originally posted by LesleyNelson:
When does an amateur photographer become a professional? Where do we draw the line & say I am a professional photographer. |
When your camera is black and your lenses have a red ring.
|
|
|
|
03/22/2005 08:20:26 AM · #11 |
I hope I manage to retain a gleefully amateur approach to it, however much money comes out of it.
'Amateur' is a word derived, for those that don't know, from the Latin word for 'love'.
e |
|
|
|
03/22/2005 08:25:41 AM · #12 |
Originally posted by thatcloudthere:
Originally posted by LesleyNelson:
When does an amateur photographer become a professional? Where do we draw the line & say I am a professional photographer. |
When your camera is black and your lenses have a red ring. |
Awww shoot! I have a black camera but only black rings.... should I return all my income?? ;-)
|
|
|
|
03/22/2005 08:41:06 AM · #13 |
Originally posted by kosmikkreeper:
Awww shoot! I have a black camera but only black rings.... should I return all my income?? ;-) |
It's only proper, Yanik. Why don't you send me a check for your photography income over the past 3 years or so and I'll take care of it from there :) |
|
|
|
03/22/2005 09:14:03 AM · #14 |
Lesley - I would have thought your excellent work in Airplane! and Police Squad would have prevented the need to be a professional phoptgrapher, but hey, it's up to you.
Now - where's the number for the optician... |
|
|
|
03/22/2005 10:22:35 AM · #15 |
| I guess you can think of professional photographers as highly evolved photosynthetic plants: converting sunlight into material gain. Only plants don't pay taxes. (Except phototaxis [botany joke]). ben |
|
|
|
03/22/2005 10:28:29 AM · #16 |
when you sleep with people for money.
oh, I'm sorry thats a Prostitute.
TO become a professional you sell out in a different way.
remember, art has no pros or amatuers, the business of photography does- but not the art. |
|
|
|
03/22/2005 10:38:23 AM · #17 |
Good photographers are amateurs and always stay amateurs.
Money will spoil the art.
I know couple professionals and their photos suck. |
|
|
|
03/22/2005 10:42:14 AM · #18 |
Let me here call attention to one of the most universally popular mistakes that have to do with photography - that of classing supposedly excellent work as professional, and using the term amateur to convey the idea of immature productions and to excuse atrociously poor photographs. As a matter of fact nearly all the greatest work is being, and has always been done, by those who are following photography for the love of it, and not merely for financial reasons. As the name implies, an amateur is one who works for love; and viewed in this light the incorrectness of the popular classification is readily apparent. -Alfred Stieglitz, in 1899
|
|
|
|
03/22/2005 10:43:40 AM · #19 |
Originally posted by pitsaman:
Good photographers are amateurs and always stay amateurs.
Money will spoil the art.
I know couple professionals and their photos suck. |
I disagree, many of my favourite photojournalists are professionals or working hard to become so...but I've been told to quit calling photojournalists photographers.
Message edited by author 2005-03-22 10:44:12.
|
|
|
|
03/22/2005 10:45:26 AM · #20 |
In my opinion receiving a regular income from commissioned projects = Professional
Earning a money but not on a regular basis (from commissioned projects) = Semi-Professional
Anything else is amateur (or whatever label you choose).
Please note though that I only include 'commissioned projects' under the 'Professional' statuses, thus in essence, there is a big difference between uncompromised photography for the sake of art and taking photos to another's criteria.
|
|
|
|
03/22/2005 10:55:02 AM · #21 |
great posts by pitsaman and nsbca7.
don't mistake "commercially acceptable or marketable" for good.
every artform has a commercial component. Graphic design or crafts, as an offshoot of painting, studio musicianship as an offshoot of music, commercials on tv as an offshoot of film, stock photography and hotel art sunset shots/dog calendars as an offshoot of photography. Just because you are making money and selling your "goods" does not mean it is good or has artistic merit. Sometimes the two do coexist, but it is a tenuous and rare marriage. There are artistic people in all these mediums and thus the term "SELLING OUT"
if yoyo ma starts doing midas commercials, if Rodin sculpted the michelin man(of course, he's dead)but thats selling out.
David Spade is not selling out by doing Capital one commercials, thats survival. And so is hootie doing burger king spots. best song from him in ten years.
Message edited by author 2005-03-22 10:56:59. |
|
|
|
03/22/2005 03:43:03 PM · #22 |
| Get Paid! also striving to learn and enhancing your skills |
|
|
|
03/22/2005 03:54:41 PM · #23 |
The distinction between a "professional" and an "amateur" is a financial distinction, not a quality distinction. I think we're agreed on that.
When your "profession" is photography, you're a "professional photographer." If it's a part-time job, you're a "semi-pro." The people that work for minimum wage in shopping mall photo franchises are "professional photographers." It's not a distinction that's worth discussing in my mind, it's not a badge of honor or anything. I was a "professional photographer" for 25 years, and I'm not one any more. I still sell photography for money, but it is not my profession; I'm retired.
On the other hand, if you ask me "What do you do?" then I say "I'm a photographer and poet."
Robt.
|
|
|
|
03/22/2005 03:54:49 PM · #24 |
Originally posted by blindjustice:
David Spade is not selling out by doing Capital one commercials, thats survival. And so is hootie doing burger king spots. best song from him in ten years. |
Are we sure about this? Was he going bankrupt or something? 'Poverty' can be considered comparative, and I guess so can 'survival'.
E |
|
|
|
03/22/2005 04:05:46 PM · #25 |
"Making money is art, and working is art and good business is the best art." -Andy Warhol
There is nothing wrong with using your abilities to make money.
YoYo Ma appeared in an episode of The West Wing, and I'm sure he was paid handsomely for it. Is this selling out?
|
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Prints! -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2024 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 04/19/2024 09:19:33 PM EDT.
