What is a professional photographer?

squareballoon · 30-10-2009 5:57pm #1

a. someone who has studied photography and gained qualifications
b. someone who takes consistantly good quality photographs
c. someone who can get away with charging for the photographs they produce?

Just wondering what the word 'professional' means in terms of photography

sineadw · 30-10-2009 6:04pm

Isn't it something to do with getting over 60% of your income from photography? Or did my brain just make that up?*

* been up since before 4am the last two days, so this is quite plausible..

Covey · 30-10-2009 6:08pm

Are we there yet :rolleyes:;)

kensutz · 30-10-2009 6:08pm

Someone who makes and earns a living through photography

squareballoon · 30-10-2009 6:15pm

ah ok. that makes sense. photography as your profession rather than any implied greatness.

sineadw · 30-10-2009 6:25pm

Ah, the G word...

I think the P word is more to do with the taxman than anything.

KarmaGarda · 30-10-2009 6:33pm

Aye, the professional bit just means it's your main source of income. And, if you look at any industry, the word "professional" most definitely does not mean you're excellent at the subject in question.

kensutz · 30-10-2009 6:37pm

I also know of some people who went to college to study courses etc and the stuff they churn out is pure ****e!

Fionn · 30-10-2009 8:09pm

I'd prefer to call them full-time or working photographers, the word professional seems to bestow upon them a skill or expertise above that which could be considered proficient and/or capable, which may not always be justified.
If its someone who has gained academic qualifications i dont know if there are many, say architects that are not professional. Can the same be said of a photographer with some courses done?
I'd look at full-time photography as an occupation rather than a profession.

dazftw · 30-10-2009 8:23pm

Someone asks you what your job is: Im a photographer!

I think alot of people would rather say im a professional photographer..

ThOnda · 30-10-2009 10:49pm

I think that the term is used in economical measures, when you make majority of your income from such doing. Like sports. There are sportsmen (and women) who do sport on the highest level and dedicate their lives to that. And there are also paid players, who call themselves professional sportsmen (and women, of course), who make money from showing off in front of the cameras and on grocery products.

kumate_champ07 · 30-10-2009 11:15pm

its the same as any other job or sport, to be a pro it has to be your job that you make a living on.

its why gaelic footballers arent classed as professional but in terms of fitness and skill they are pros.

squareballoon · 30-10-2009 11:20pm

I spend so much time on finetuning and organising the photos I would call myself a professional photoshopper. I think I'm the professional photographer that real photographers hate.

Slidinginfinity · 30-10-2009 11:21pm

2 categories in my humble opinion:

1. Professional Photographer who makes money taking photos.

2. Professional Photographer who makes money taking photos, behaves in a professional manner while doing so and produces high level photographs.

Eirebear · 30-10-2009 11:28pm

This is something ive noticed a lot recently on this forum, everyone is awfully preoccupied with status.

ThOnda · 30-10-2009 11:36pm

My status is "why bother" for quite some time now :pac:

Eirebear · 30-10-2009 11:43pm

Best way to be if you ask me dude.

AnCatDubh · 31-10-2009 12:14am

I think it reasonable for a professional photographer to be someone who makes a living out of photography. By this degree, someone who's principal occupation is something other than photography can never be professional. Right? So what does it really say as to their abilities?

I think unfortunately the term professional has implied g...g...g..... ok, i'll say it, greatness associated with it. I recounted two personal real world experiences on the wedding thread recently of professionals who were anything but great - one for technical reasons and the other who may have had significant technical abilities, but the big fail whale on follow through.

I guess you may have an expectation no matter how ill founded it may be that a professional will produce great results. I mean we've seen the IPPA displays which are technically very good but not really very interesting stuff imho. So in addition, I have a lowish opinion of memberships of professional associations being used as 'badge' unless that badge has an identifiable merit based system behind it - although in fairness to those that use them, there is an expectation from the uneducated marketplace as to having the badge.

Speaking of badges - Not sure what others may think but I think badges based on merit are worthy of putting it after your name for photographic purposes. I like what i'm seeing of the IPF's Licentiate, Associate & Fellow awards. Worthy imho. But the IPF are somewhat different and I quote "serving both the Amateur and Professional". ie. their interest appears broad enough to encompass greatness as measured by an awards system. That system I believe is not a trivial matter and entry is not guaranteed which is all the more reason I would credit it.

stcstc · 31-10-2009 11:55am

my understanding is the IPPA distinction process is not a certain entry either

Pacha · 31-10-2009 12:13pm

dazftw wrote: »

Someone asks you what your job is: Im a photographer!

I think alot of people would rather say im a professional photographer..

I always tell people I'm a photographer although in the 30 years I've been taking pictures I've only made about 100 quid from it.

But.... I once read that if you really want to become something first you have to believe it yourself and start telling everyone that's what you are.
Fake it before you make it basically.

I don't need to sell photographs to love taking them though.

squareballoon · 31-10-2009 12:35pm

Generally if someone asks me what I do I say 'family photographer' The family part indicates that I do it as a profession without saying 'I think I'm great at it';)

Paulw · 31-10-2009 12:40pm

sineadw wrote: »

Isn't it something to do with getting over 60% of your income from photography? Or did my brain just make that up?*

That's the requirement to join the NUJ. Nothing to do with being professional.

There are many views, obviously, on what a professional photographer is.

Personally, I'm a sports photographer. Professional?? Well, I do earn some money from it. It's not my main revenue generator at all. I've a very good day job.

Do I act professionally in my photography? I hope so. Do I have qualifications, well, I do have LSISLP distinction.

I guess it's up to each person to consider if they are a professional photographer or not.

Blazer · 31-10-2009 12:58pm

I don't think it's anything to do with getting for a job.
I think it's more to do with your skill.

eg Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden...he's a professsional singer in that it's his job...singing for the band and it brings in a pile of cash.

however he's also a professional fencing champion..in that he's participated in the olympics. He doesn't get paid for this.. it's just his love of the game and his skill at it.
There are tonnes of other guys/girls like that out there.

KarmaGarda · 31-10-2009 2:07pm

Realistically this is a question that no one will agree on. English being the stupid language that it is has several meanings to the word professional. Therefore people can use it vaguely enough to infer different meanings. So a professional photographer could mean:

Main source of income is from photography
Having an acedemic qualification in photography
Have the ability to produce excellent photographs. I.e. being an "expert"
Being exceptionally "appropriate" in your approach to photography. i.e. being polite, fair, or "professional" in your work

So basically, saying your a professional photographer could really mean sod all. Being an "expert" is kinda what we all really strive to be in my opinion.

Pacha · 31-10-2009 3:20pm

KarmaGarda wrote: »

Being an "expert" is kinda what we all really strive to be in my opinion.

Not sure anyone could ever claim to be an expert photographer though

KarmaGarda · 31-10-2009 3:25pm

Pacha wrote: »

Not sure anyone could ever claim to be an expert photographer though

Aye. I certainly don't consider myself one either! And I'll disagree with my own post now. I think I was wrong when I said we all strive to be "experts". I think we actually all strive to be interesting. Well, I do anyway. Haven't achieved it yet but I'm working on it

Pacha · 31-10-2009 3:30pm

KarmaGarda wrote: »

Aye. I certainly don't consider myself one either! And I'll disagree with my own post now. I think I was wrong when I said we all strive to be "experts". I think we actually all strive to be interesting. Well, I do anyway. Haven't achieved it yet but I'm working on it

I strive to take the best pictures I possibly can but there's always something else I want to try. I think that's why I like photography so much.

Valentia · 31-10-2009 3:35pm

I think all this distinction and "professional" stuff has all to do with the kind of person you are and zero to do with photography. Some people need that others don't.

EDIT: Actually the word "need" might be misinterpreted. "In to" might be a better way of putting it.

just thinking about my own job as a Community Development Worker. It would be the weirdist thing to refer to myself a a professional CDW. I am employed by a voluntary board who all work in community development. To draw any kind of distinction by using the word professional because I get paid for it and they don't seems daft.

I was a member of the IPPA a long time ago and couldn't get over the number of photographers who took themselves so seriously. Some of them were seriously crap at what they did too. For some reason Photography ( and a few other creative passtimes) seem to be more prone to that kind of thing.

What is a professional photographer?

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