What makes a photographer a professional?
I work in a camera shop. I am lucky to be in an environment where the bulk of my customers are long term locals and many confess to being semi or fully professional.
I often wonder what the real or honest definition of professional is.
Is a professional someone who has a lot of gear and is obsessed by stats and performance figures?
Is a professional someone who carries more gear than they need everywhere “just in case”?
Is a professional someone who is an expert in one field, but unaware of all others?
Is a professional a refined crafts person, who goes unnoticed and earns nothing from their photography?
Is a professional an expert self promoter, maybe even paying more attention to their business model than their skill?
Is a professional simply someone who turns up to a job with more than one camera?
I suspect the best fall somewhere in the best parts of all of these.
To me the mark of a professional photographer (in the more philosophical sense) is someone who takes the results they produce more seriously than lesser considerations like branding, image or format. Unfortunately, these photographers are often poor self marketers. They go undiscovered or completely unnoticed by all but their closest friends or relatives, lost in their time, sometimes forever. One of the most professional photographers I have even met was a one time professional with all of the excesses and vices that came with, but later in life became a true master craftsman, working in semi retirement on commissions, custom modifying cameras and dark room equipment or teaching. To me he was a true professional. His care, attention to detail and desire to better his own work constantly, set a bar of excellence that all photographers should take note of.
Some of our customers regularly come in to the shop asking for tips and tricks to help them improve. They will profess to not being professional, but to me, their desires and attitudes are more professional than some who do make a living from the industry valuing trends, self promotion and self image over self awareness and growth.
The above images were taken by a fried on holiday with her compact camera. Her eye, intention to capture “better” images and desire to experiment netted her these and many more like them. She would never claim to be a professional, but I think she has the right eye, attitude and desire to be called one.
Are you a professional? Are you basing your answer only on your lack of photographic earnings or lack of a business name?