If not a pro what am I ?

[Donkey1137]

I work in real estate...
I get paid as a real estate agent to sell houses...
I take my own photos... ( for my own listings )
I also take photos for other agents in our offices and get paid for it.
My photos are very good and I have been told this by many people,
also other real estate agents in other companies ask me who I use to take my photos as they think they are professionally done.

I would like to put in my selling / prospecting adverts "Free Professional Photography" but as I dont do it full time can I call it that?.. If you think I can't what can I call it?

[onurrus]

I think the title is not very important but if you feel good by hearing,you sound like a pro to me,if you can make your life only by photography thats even better and I call you pro then..

[gravy graffix]

Please dont do FREE... and Professional in the same sentence.
not just for us, but for yourself... charge something even if its small.

some define pro as>25% of your income is directly from your camera.

[Dennis_Hammer]

Say "Professional Quality Photography included"

[Park Street]

Your a real estate agent who makes a little money shooting real estate.

I don't know whether they still use this but ASMP used 50% of earned income as their criteria for professional status.

I would find another term to use in your marketing. Dennis's idea was not bad.

[Moppie]

Please dont do FREE... and Professional in the same sentence.
not just for us, but for yourself... charge something even if its small.

some define pro as>25% of your income is directly from your camera.


Why not?

He's including it as part of his real estate services.


To the best of my knowledge there is no where in the world that puts any kind of restrictions or requirments on calling yourself a proffesional photographer.

[amfoto1]

I work in real estate...
I get paid as a real estate agent to sell houses...
I take my own photos... ( for my own listings )
I also take photos for other agents in our offices and get paid for it.
My photos are very good and I have been told this by many people,
also other real estate agents in other companies ask me who I use to take my photos as they think they are professionally done.

I would like to put in my selling / prospecting adverts "Free Professional Photography" but as I dont do it full time can I call it that?.. If you think I can't what can I call it?

I highlighted the releveant statements.

You are a professional.

It's part of your services to your clients, that you personally take the photos used to market their homes and you also do it for pay, for other agents.

"Good" doesn't really come into it... There are many truly excellent amateur photographers who simply don't receive any sort of payment.

As soon as you do receive payment, even if it's buried in the commission you make on one of your own listings, then I'd call you a professional.

ASMP's definitions are criteria established for their own purposes, as pertains to their membership.

In fact, there might even be some cases where I'd call someone who isn't charging a professional. I had a run in with someone who was "just getting started in the business" and showed up shooting over my shoulder at an event. She was taking all the same shots of all the participants that I was. I charge for prints, fair prices that net me some profit. She told me she was just giving them away to anyone who requested them, until she established herself, so therefore didn't consider herself a professional. (It's a long story, but she apparantely had permission from the business owner to shoot. I had permission from the same business owner, who didn't tell me another photographer was going to be there when I asked, as well as permission from the actual organizer of the event. I was there at their invitation, in fact.)

If we were not photographers, but instead were, say, manufacturing cars or computer chips, what she was doing might end with us going to court. With me suing her for predatory pricing and unfair business practices. Her intent, to eventually charge for her services, once she had "established herself" (i.e., put me out of business), would make her a professional, I believe.

Same can be said for any "Craigslist" photographers, doing work for their portfolio or at little or no cost, "just getting started". They are acting as a professional, even if they aren't acting in a professional manner.

What I mean by that is that their "business model" is completely unsustainable and they won't survive long (only long enough to do a lot of damage), and so they are really not being very professional in their actions, but they are providing professional services and products to a hiring party, none-the-less.

I would not do as you suggest and include "Free Professional Photography" as a benefit point in your marketing materials.

Instead, use the phrase "Very high quality, professional photography at no cost to you" or similar.

See the difference? If you tell them it's "free", that's exactly how much worth your clients will give it. If instead you tell them that you provide this at your expense, not theirs, then they may be more impressed with your commitment to them, as your customer.

It doesn't always pay to "do it yourself", even when you are capable. A broker friend of mine had a tough listing client who hit the ceiling when she saw his photos online. Now, the photos weren't really bad. He got all the important features of the home and did a good job with his point and shoot... Certainly good enough for small images on the Internet. It just wasn't enough to satisfy this particular customer.

He called me. I went and reshot it using two cameras, Tilt-Shift lenses, a hand full of flashes, spent a couple hours there and had opportunity to sing his praises to the customer a few times during casual conversation. My photos really weren't much different by the time they were sized down for the Internet... But the customer was happy with the extra attention she got from both the broker and me.

Oh, and the house sold and closed within 30 days in a pretty horrible market, in the middle of Winter. I thought it was thanks to the photos, personally. My broker friend thought it was due to his 30+ years worth of skills and knowledge.

[Dennis_Hammer]

If you earn money with your photography go ahead and call yourself, hell if you don't call yourself it everyone else is. I understand the repulsion to the word free. I think the way people act these days, just see some of the recent posts about weddings, using free may just start people looking for more 'free'. I find saying included puts more value into something and free detracts value from the 'free thing'. After all if it is worth something why wouldn't you charge for it.

[MJPhotos24]

Personally I think there's a lot more to being a professional than just getting paid. There's a lot of bad photographers out there that get money and are far from professional in quality/behavior/etc., and them calling themselves pro are lying to the consumer in my opinion.

As for your original question I would also not use FREE in there because people associate free with lesser quality (you get what you pay for is a well known and old saying). Would much rather word it to have "included" or something along those lines.

[kenwood33]

i believe there is such thing called part time professional

[zelseman]

i believe there is such thing called part time professional
It's what I am.

[Donkey1137]

Thanks for all your Comments I will post some photos on here when I get 5 mins to spare, working flat out at the moment

Please dont do FREE... and Professional in the same sentence.
not just for us, but for yourself... charge something even if its small.

some define pro as>25% of your income is directly from your camera.

very ture and FREE will not be used again

I like this Say "Professional Quality Photography included"
thanks Dennis

Any more Ideas how I could word it

[musicmaster]

I think you can be pro in different aspects. Such as....

When shooting sports, I would call myself professional as I've had a ton of experience with it.

Shooting band promos... not so much.