Quote Originally Posted by Kamikaze View Post
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.