"professional photographer"---no you're not

[RL...]

Nowadays everyone has some type of entry level DSLR and that has seemed to influence everyone to believe that they are a professional photographer. How do I know this? Because I work in a photo center.

I do brake jobs and other small jobs for my friends/coworkers here and there for extra cash, but does that make me a professional mechanic? Or a mechanic at all? Hell no! If I called myself a mechanic just because I do the occasional job here and there I should get slapped. And I feel that photography is no different. There are only a handful of real photographers I know....people who take photos as their main job. Like Chad. He's a pro photog, cool. But to call any person a photographer who picks up an slr I feel demeans the art form, honestly. I'm not saying that these people aren't good or can't produce nice images(even though most produce junk), but it doesn't mean you're a photographer. It means you like taking photos as a hobby.

What do you think? Am I wrong, is everyone with an slr a photog?

[Nerdsrock22]

Nowadays everyone has some type of entry level DSLR and that has seemed to influence everyone to believe that they are a professional photographer. How do I know this? Because I work in a photo center.

I do brake jobs and other small jobs for my friends/coworkers here and there for extra cash, but does that make me a professional mechanic? Or a mechanic at all? Hell no! If I called myself a mechanic just because I do the occasional job here and there I should get slapped. And I feel that photography is no different. There are only a handful of real photographers I know....people who take photos as their main job. Like Chad. He's a pro photog, cool. But to call any person a photographer who picks up an slr I feel demeans the art form, honestly. I'm not saying that these people aren't good or can't produce nice images(even though most produce junk), but it doesn't mean you're a photographer. It means you like taking photos as a hobby.

What do you think? Am I wrong, is everyone with an slr a photog?

People can call themselves whatever they want. At the end of the day, your work speaks for itself. No one is fooled by a title.

[David88vert]

I look at it this way, in the simplest definitions:

Professionals get paid for their work - it is their business, their profession.

Amateurs may receive payment for their work sometimes, but do it really as a hobby, and do not rely on it as their business.

A professional photographer may not have the same skill as a skilled amateur, but they are still doing it for a living, whereas the amateur is not relying on it for his livelihood. Skill is not the definition of professional. The amateur is always the amateur, no matter how good they are.

The camera does not take the photo - the photographer does. A SLR is just one of the many tools that a photographer uses to convey an image to a viewer. You can give a D4 to anyone, but that does not make them a professional photographer.

You will probably enjoy this: http://fstoppers.com/video-become-a-professional-photographer-in-one-week-or-not

[Kamikaze]

Getting paid doesn't necessarily make you a pro. I've seen countless people getting paid for terrible photos.

[CHADbee]

Professional Photographer = 51% or more of your income comes from taking photos. That is it. Doesn't mean your photos are good.....as a matter of a fact the vast majority of the best photographers that I know of aren't "professional photographers"

[Kamikaze]

I've never agreed with that definition of professional that people apply to photography. To me, a professional is someone who's mastered a craft. It implies you're skilled at whatever it is you're doing. Otherwise, you wouldn't be getting paid for it. It's just with photography, the general consumer thinks anything that comes out of a DSLR is a good photo based on the IQ alone. Hence why you have these CL ads posted by "professional" photographers getting paid for mediocre work.

[RL...]

Professional Photographer = 51% or more of your income comes from taking photos. That is it. Doesn't mean your photos are good.....as a matter of a fact the vast majority of the best photographers that I know of aren't "professional photographers"

That's the way I feel.

[RL...]

I've never agreed with that definition of professional that people apply to photography. To me, a professional is someone who's mastered a craft. It implies you're skilled at whatever it is you're doing. Otherwise, you wouldn't be getting paid for it. It's just with photography, the general consumer thinks anything that comes out of a DSLR is a good photo based on the IQ alone. Hence why you have these CL ads posted by "professional" photographers getting paid for mediocre work.

This goes back to my example of being a mechanic. So if I read a book and learn to program computers does it make me a professional computer programmer? Nope. If I learn to play the piano does it make me a professional piano player? If I learn how to cook badass foods does it make a a professional cook? The list goes on... So learning how to take a decent pic doesn't make one a professional photographer.

[RBS]

isnt a "photographer" a person who takes pictures? it doesnt matter if they are a "professional" or not, if they shooting pictures then apparently they are a photographer... SLR or Lego camera.

[Kamikaze]

This goes back to my example of being a mechanic. So if I read a book and learn to program computers does it make me a professional computer programmer? Nope. If I learn to play the piano does it make me a professional piano player? If I learn how to cook badass foods does it make a a professional cook? The list goes on... So learning how to take a decent pic doesn't make one a professional photographer.

But just because the majority of one's income is from whatever it is they're doing shouldn't be the sole factor in deeming one a professional. They can be under-qualified and still make money from it.

Would you go to a doctor just because he/she is making money? I would hope the fact they know what they're doing would be a consideration.

[David88vert]

But just because the majority of one's income is from whatever it is they're doing shouldn't be the sole factor in deeming one a professional. They can be under-qualified and still make money from it.

Would you go to a doctor just because he/she is making money? I would hope the fact they know what they're doing would be a consideration.

From the dictionary:
Professional - a person who earns a living in a sport or other occupation frequently engaged in by amateurs
Amateur - a person who engages in a study, sport, or other activity for pleasure rather than for financial benefit or professional reasons

I would hope that people research the background of anyone that they might hire, and choose appropriately. Target photographers are professionals, as in that is their source of income, but it is unlikely that they would know how to properly photograph a wedding event. Different skills are needed in different areas.