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01/16/2010 06:00:54 PM · #1
What do you focus on the most, photography or business?

01/16/2010 06:21:11 PM · #2
Up till now, photography, just starting to get into more of the business aspect.
01/16/2010 08:20:39 PM · #3
Business, but that's because photography is mostly a hobby for me :)
01/16/2010 09:09:40 PM · #4
Revised:
Eh, never mind...

Message edited by author 2010-06-05 09:22:58.
01/16/2010 09:36:12 PM · #5
I focus on spiritual attainment. Dirty, filthy, spiritual attainment through websites such as this.

Message edited by author 2010-01-16 21:37:03.
01/16/2010 10:02:34 PM · #6
Originally posted by jjsterling:

What do you focus on the most, photography or business?

Why do you ask?

Perhaps something more than obtuse and cryptic questions may help you attain what it is you seek.
01/17/2010 09:47:47 AM · #7
Quite the snarky posts in this thread.

Especially from a bunch of people that are hobbyists and not business owners!!! (or at least not full time)

I started with the photography and now i'm focusing on the business (while not foresaking the photo side)

One of the speakers I saw said something like "if you focus just on the photography, you are a hobbyist, until you focus on the business side, then you are a photographer" - or something to that extent.
01/17/2010 09:58:45 AM · #8
Originally posted by AJSullivan:

Quite the snarky posts in this thread.

Especially from a bunch of people that are hobbyists and not business owners!!!


I would say that the level of snarkyness was in direct proportion to the incredibly lame opening post and the fact that, as ErikV pointed out, the original poster has started numerous similar threads without engaging in any conversation.

Originally posted by AJSullivan:

One of the speakers I saw said something like "if you focus just on the photography, you are a hobbyist, until you focus on the business side, then you are a photographer" - or something to that extent.


Total nonsense i'd say but maybe predictable if the speaker was talking about the business side of photography. I wonder how much it cost to listen to that piece of gibberish.

Message edited by author 2010-01-17 10:51:56.
01/17/2010 10:52:34 AM · #9
There is a common, quite repugnant, notion that something has to have monetary value if it is to have worth. So, someone who takes photographs for love and art is not a 'photographer', they are quite patronisingly reduced to the horrible term 'hobbyist' whilst someone who manages to sell some boring unimaginative portraits to some high school students for a couple of hundred dollars is a proper 'photographer'. I'd say that someone who makes a living from selling images can gain a prefix of 'professional' but in no way can they co opt the term photographer solely for their own use.
01/17/2010 11:39:27 AM · #10
Originally posted by clive_patric_nolan:

There is a common, quite repugnant, notion that something has to have monetary value if it is to have worth. So, someone who takes photographs for love and art is not a 'photographer', they are quite patronisingly reduced to the horrible term 'hobbyist' whilst someone who manages to sell some boring unimaginative portraits to some high school students for a couple of hundred dollars is a proper 'photographer'. I'd say that someone who makes a living from selling images can gain a prefix of 'professional' but in no way can they co opt the term photographer solely for their own use.

I have gotten to the point where if I am asked if I'm a professional, I reply, "No, I'm a photographer, I have no interest in running a business.".

It generally confuses them, which is just fine by me.......8>)
01/17/2010 12:23:22 PM · #11
As it was a PPA event - PROFESSIONAL Photographers Association, his point was quite valid.

Also it was a point that was reiterated by a couple of speakers, all in reference to business related things, as part of being a PROFESSIONAL photographer is the business end of the situation.

What do you call your friend who can fix your broken sink for free or install a new toilet for you, but doesn't have a plumbing business, nor does he charge anyone. Do you call him a plumber or a guy that is good with a wrench?

It makes perfect sense. I wouldn't call myself a photographer if I just liked taking pictures of things. I would say that im into photography.

Its semantics, but don't discount a guy whos 29 photographer studio is shooting 1000 wedding a year by calling his opinion gibberish.
01/17/2010 12:41:33 PM · #12
Originally posted by AJSullivan:

As it was a PPA event - PROFESSIONAL Photographers Association, his point was quite valid.

Also it was a point that was reiterated by a couple of speakers, all in reference to business related things, as part of being a PROFESSIONAL photographer is the business end of the situation.

What do you call your friend who can fix your broken sink for free or install a new toilet for you, but doesn't have a plumbing business, nor does he charge anyone. Do you call him a plumber or a guy that is good with a wrench?

It makes perfect sense. I wouldn't call myself a photographer if I just liked taking pictures of things. I would say that im into photography.

Its semantics, but don't discount a guy whos 29 photographer studio is shooting 1000 wedding a year by calling his opinion gibberish.


Even though it was a PPA event doesn't mean it's right. Jeez! Talk about getting all starry eyed! It's a certain point of view and of course it may be the prevalent point of view of that association. Thats understandable. But the PPA are not the be all and end all of all things photographic, only a small little corner. The plumber analogy doesn't really fly with me as there is a large difference between a trade and an art in my view. I can think of many artists who don't make a living off their work. They are still artists. I do agree that it's semantics.

I can certainly disagree with someone even if he does take 1000 weddings a year. Saying i can't is gibberish as well.

Message edited by author 2010-01-17 12:44:12.
01/17/2010 12:46:39 PM · #13
I've officially given up on this place.

Good luck everyone.
01/17/2010 12:49:45 PM · #14
Originally posted by AJSullivan:

I've officially given up on this place.

Good luck everyone.


Oh dear. I seem to have broken AJ with my opinion.
01/17/2010 12:54:50 PM · #15
Nah, I've just realized that i've outgrown this place and that it no longer can serve a purpose for me, as the direction I'm going isn't the same as this.

Is there a delete account option anywhere?
01/17/2010 12:57:07 PM · #16
Originally posted by AJSullivan:

Nah, I've just realized that i've outgrown this place and that it no longer can serve a purpose for me, as the direction I'm going isn't the same as this.


I think thats pretty natural with many websites. Good luck with it all though.
01/17/2010 01:01:19 PM · #17
Originally posted by AJSullivan:

Is there a delete account option anywhere?


I don't know. I haven't seen one anywhere. You've only got one photo though so i guess if you delete that it would be the same as deleting the account. I don't know if deleting an account would remove all past comments anyway.
01/17/2010 01:20:59 PM · #18
Originally posted by AJSullivan:

Nah, I've just realized that i've outgrown this place and that it no longer can serve a purpose for me, as the direction I'm going isn't the same as this.

Is there a delete account option anywhere?


You can send a ticket to Langdon (I don't think the SC can do it) to have your account deactivated.
01/17/2010 05:29:08 PM · #19
Never mind.....apparently, he's gone.

I actually hope the boy finds what it is he's looking for, but it's going to take some real growing up for him to realize that he doesn't know it all.
01/17/2010 05:37:36 PM · #20
Originally posted by AJSullivan:

What do you call your friend who can fix your broken sink for free or install a new toilet for you, but doesn't have a plumbing business, nor does he charge anyone. Do you call him a plumber or a guy that is good with a wrench?

I've always been amused by this mindset......I have quite a few friends that are extraordinary at various things, photography, woodworking, restoring cars, various sports, you name it, and expert at it to the level that people seek them out for help, yet to a man, or woman, they do it for the love of the craft, and don't let the mundane vagaries of making it into a business interfere with that.

It escapes me how making money doing something identifies you with being qualified to do anything other than market and run a business.
01/17/2010 05:50:38 PM · #21
It's quite a common viewpoint though. Some people see the term 'photographer' purely as a job title which is why the first analogy that springs to mind is often plumber or carpenter. I tend to equate it more with 'artist' or 'musician'. Tom Waits is a musician and if he stopped selling recordings and just spent the rest of his days playing music with his wife and friends he would still be a musician. Both viewpoints are valid to me and i get annoyed with people such as the APP speaker who only sees one view as valid. I find that quite elitist and patronising. I do admit to being a bit cranky in this thread though (blame the hangover) so i apologise about that.
01/17/2010 06:08:15 PM · #22
Originally posted by clive_patric_nolan:

It's quite a common viewpoint though. Some people see the term 'photographer' purely as a job title which is why the first analogy that springs to mind is often plumber or carpenter. I tend to equate it more with 'artist' or 'musician'. Tom Waits is a musician and if he stopped selling recordings and just spent the rest of his days playing music with his wife and friends he would still be a musician. Both viewpoints are valid to me and i get annoyed with people such as the APP speaker who only sees one view as valid. I find that quite elitist and patronising. I do admit to being a bit cranky in this thread though (blame the hangover) so i apologise about that.

I was a mailing list administrator on a Jaguar website for about two and a half years that got its roots from people who owned Jaguars who were disgusted at the quality of service competence they got from the professional sector, the dealers among them.

At the time, I owned a British car shop, and when I found the site, I realized that it was a veritable gold mine, free for the taking. There were something like 50,000 enthusiasts from all walks of life who shared a common love......Jaguar cars.

Well, I learned quite a bit, in a very short time, much like I have here at DPC, and the first thing that I learned was that without the constrictions of having to do something within any cost or time parameters, these enthusiasts often developed techniques and tricks that were invaluable to someone like me who ran a one man shop. The people on the site in turn were surprised that a "professional" such as myself, was willing to give of his time and knowledge as well. I never saw this sharing of information as anythin g but the exchange of ideas amongst enthusiasts, and truly felt that I got more than I gave from the experience.

I think this is very much the case here at DPC as well. Nobody's taking money from professionals, and there is certainly no delineation in my mind between some of the extraordinarily talented people here and "professional" out there in the......."real world". I base my feelings on the quality of the work done and I don't give a fig whether the person taking the shot is a "professional", an R.N., or a geologist. I just don't see boundaries when it comes down to talent, experience, and skill.


01/17/2010 06:11:09 PM · #23
this thread is a great example of just how whacked and entertaining this site can be.

you have the OP who starts a handful of threads just to start discussions that might be interesting, but gets called out for having no other participation in the site other than to try to start discussions...

you have somebody trying to participate in the discussion, but he starts off by calling names...

a cat-fight ensues...

people go round in circles about labels, as if they really matter...

somebody decides to quit the site...

and the name-calling and labeling continues...

all this because somebody asked a question about whether you focus on photography or business.

and in another thread, someone referred to dpc as a 'professional' site...

yep, we're really trending in that direction, as evidenced by this thread here...
01/17/2010 06:12:03 PM · #24
Quote by NikonJeb:I base my feelings on the quality of the work done and I don't give a fig whether the person taking the shot is a "professional", an R.N., or a geologist. I just don't see boundaries when it comes down to talent, experience, and skill.

--------------------------------------------

I is a Geologist... And can spell it too ;)

ETA: Although I work as a Systems person... (who knows what the heck I am... Actually, who cares? I'm freaking awesome no matter what label you want to apply...) :)

Message edited by author 2010-01-17 18:13:59.
01/17/2010 06:16:44 PM · #25
Originally posted by Skip:

this thread is a great example of just how whacked and entertaining this site can be.

you have the OP who starts a handful of threads just to start discussions that might be interesting, but gets called out for having no other participation in the site other than to try to start discussions...

you have somebody trying to participate in the discussion, but he starts off by calling names...

a cat-fight ensues...

people go round in circles about labels, as if they really matter...

somebody decides to quit the site...

and the name-calling and labeling continues...

all this because somebody asked a question about whether you focus on photography or business.

and in another thread, someone referred to dpc as a 'professional' site...

yep, we're really trending in that direction, as evidenced by this thread here...


It certainly has been fun. I don't like to think i've been name calling too much though. I have been quite cranky and contrary though as i say and again, apologies if anyone was offended.

Message edited by author 2010-01-17 18:23:43.
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