At what point do you consider yourself a "Professional" photographer?

Hogloff wrote in post #18322947
Yeh, it is strange that photographers seem to search for this title more than just about any other profession.

My barber does not call himself a professional barber. My dentist does not call herself a professional dentist. My doctor is just my doctor. My burger flipper doesn't call himself anything. My mechanic is just a mechanic.

All professionals of course,. and even if the mechanic is developing a bad reputation, overcharging for poor work, he is still a professional.

Me mum is the best cook in the world,. yet she's only ever been an amateur at it,. meanwhile there are many many many professional cooks that are not very good at all. (Even though they have much better kitchen equipment )

Why do we photographers get so hung up on wanting to have the professional title? It's not like engineers that have to adhere to standards to bear the professional title...photography has zero regulations...even less than burger flipping.

It is odd.

No, unless literally done by Kincaid's own hand, that is a 'replica'

Hogloff wrote in post #18322947
Yeh, it is strange that photographers seem to search for this title more than just about any other profession.


Why do we photographers get so hung up on wanting to have the professional title?

The the best of my knowledge, photographers do not seek the professional title. It is the public at large that seems to want to categorize photographers into "amateurs" and "pros".

I have known a heck of a lot of photographers, many of whom worked at it full-time as their sole means of support.......and I don't know that any of them cared one whit whether anyone else considered them to be a "professional" or not.

Hogloff, why do you think that photographers want this title? Have you ever known even one photographer who wanted to be called a professional?

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I'm disappointed that we've ignored an important aspect of this debate.

SEMI-Professional

I saw a movie on the topic. Lots of crude language, and some humor to boot. I think it must be the definitive work on the subject, as I see no competing movies out there.

There is a common perception that 'professional' means one earns income from the work. And the inference is that if a person is feeding himself, he must have some skills in order to stay in that field. But as Jake has indicated, there can be professionals that are hacks. Perhaps the hacks survive by being excellent marketers rather than by being excellent at their profession. Either way, I agree that 'professional' refers to earning income from the activity.

I was a SEMI-professional from '74 to '83 when I drove a truck for a living.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #18322976
The the best of my knowledge, photographers do not seek the professional title. It is the public at large that seems to want to categorize photographers into "amateurs" and "pros".

I have known a heck of a lot of photographers, many of whom worked at it full-time as their sole means of support.......and I don't know that any of them cared one whit whether anyone else considered them to be a "professional" or not.

Hogloff, why do you think that photographers want this title? Have you ever known even one photographer who wanted to be called a professional?

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Interestingly, it hasn't been the public keeping this thread alive these 9 years...

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18323069
Interestingly, it hasn't been the public keeping this thread alive these 9 years...

Keeping the thread alive, or having an interest in discussing the issue, does not necessarily mean that anyone wants to be credited with being 'a professional'. I discuss many topics in which I have nothing at stake whatsoever. People simply like to debate things and discuss them, particularly when semantics are involved.

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I couldn't help reading that last sentence a little differently:

Tom Reichner wrote in post #18323131
People simply like to debate things and discuss them, particularly when some antics are involved.

Being a great photographer doesnt make one a professional, and being a professional doesnt mean one is a good photographer, so the differentiator has to be something other than skill, ie the money.

TeamSpeed summarized it pretty well. I think the more interesting question would be when are you an 'expert photographer' (the second inherit meaning of the prefix 'pro'). I know that the word expert has currently some bad press - but it actually means something. E.g. https://hbr.org …7/the-making-of-an-expert is an interesting read.

E.g. I would call an expert photographer somebody who can consistently produce great/pleasing results also under difficult situations. A second measure could be, that he is able to reliably reproduce a desired look requested by a customer (e.g. can you create the look of this example type of thing).

I have wondered about how much people bend the rules on who is a professional for Canon's Professional Services Program? It states it is for full time professionals. I myself, for example, am a full time amateur. I do not attempt to earn any money from photography. But, if you went by the gear qualifications, I have enough points to qualify for the programs except for the Cinema program..

Do all these photographers with a free Facebook Page and enough equipment to sign up for the CPS program sign up for this program even if they really are no better photographers than the average active amateur? Is it common for advanced amateurs (who sell a photo every now and then) to belong to this program or is it truly just for the people who genuinely are, full time professionals.

It is easy to join CPS even if you make no money doing photography but have all the gear, this despite Canon's definition of a professional which mirrors what has been stated.

1. Membership is available only for those individuals, (a) that are full time self-employed, or an employee of a professional imaging business, who plays a direct role in the creation of moving or still images for third parties on a professional basis.

I'll just drop it here:

— Christopher Anderson

All of yall are wrong.

We all know when one uses a FF body and has at least 3 shiny L-lenses, and has a backup crop sensor body, that's what a pro photog is.

Oh no, you've got it only partly right;