HappySnapper90 wrote in post #9745679
I consider "pro" means you do whatever job as your
profession and hence are a professional "blank". (fill in the blank). Just showing your work does not make one a professional photographer. And others have rules that if you make 51% or more of your income from photography, then you are considered in the "professional" category.
Of course, most governments that tax income aren't concerned about the percentage, just the money. Generally, if you're doing business taking pictures to make a profit, the entities that really count--i.e. the ones who can make your life truly miserable--will consider you "professional" and then judge whether you're a "good professional" or a "bad professional."
The industry itself will tend not to have categories of "good professional" or "bad professional," but will attempt to define "professional" in a way to exclude completely the "bad professional" category. They will say, "Unless he meets these standards, he's not a professional at all." However, it's seldom that anyone outside the industry cares, unless the government (which is the entity that matters) colludes with the industry to require a licensing standard maintained by that industry. In that case, it's still really the government's opinion that matters.
This "professional" debate can get even sillier in some areas other than photography. In the military, a brand new 2nd lieutenant right out of the academy is considered a "professional soldier" while a 30-year command master sergeant who has been through numerous wars and campaigns is not considered a "professional soldier." That is truly bizarre thinking.
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