So - what makes someone a photographer?
Discussion
It depends if you are talking in the respects of a professional. I would say a professional is someone who has photography as a main income.
Then again someone could say they was a cyclist without being a professional so I would say that it is someone that has a good understanding of what goes in to making a decent photo such as light, composition and shutter speeds, apature and ISO.
Then again someone could say they was a cyclist without being a professional so I would say that it is someone that has a good understanding of what goes in to making a decent photo such as light, composition and shutter speeds, apature and ISO.
TomN1994 said:
Ah, the thread gfw didnt have the balls to create, i think a photographer is a person who can take a damn good photo without needing fancy equipment, flashes, photoshop etc and have it straight out of the camera and it be almost spot on.
Agreed. They also need to have an "eye" for what makes a great picture.TomN1994 said:
Ah, the thread gfw didnt have the balls to create, i think a photographer is a person who can take a damn good photo without needing fancy equipment, flashes, photoshop etc and have it straight out of the camera and it be almost spot on.
By your definition Ansel Adams isnt a photographer....
...
Nobody could acuse Mick Hucknall of being a musician, but I bet that's what it says on his passport.
My point is that If you give up your day job, take photos for a living, put 'Photography' after your name and give your photos a watermark does indeed make you a photographer. You may still be crap of course (see above).
If you do it in your spare time, you are an amateur photographer.
...and 'getting photos straight out of the camera' is generally, in my opinion, a very poor idea. (It was impossible until digital came along - I spent many years developing photos, and they HAVE to be manipulated).
ETA: I spend 50% of my time being a *photographer* but it earns me about 1% of my income. I call myself a photographer because it enables me to claim all my kit against tax and get the VAT back!
My point is that If you give up your day job, take photos for a living, put 'Photography' after your name and give your photos a watermark does indeed make you a photographer. You may still be crap of course (see above).
If you do it in your spare time, you are an amateur photographer.
...and 'getting photos straight out of the camera' is generally, in my opinion, a very poor idea. (It was impossible until digital came along - I spent many years developing photos, and they HAVE to be manipulated).
ETA: I spend 50% of my time being a *photographer* but it earns me about 1% of my income. I call myself a photographer because it enables me to claim all my kit against tax and get the VAT back!
Edited by GetCarter on Tuesday 29th November 09:07
Nick Grant said:
GetCarter said:
If you do it in your spare time, you are an amateur photographer.
You could still be getting paid for it though which I would class as "semi-professional" 
Amature
Semi-professional
Professional
Freelance
...all still followed by the word photographer though
I think you become a 'photographer' when you set out with the specific purpose of getting good photographs - i.e. you think about light and composition and maybe move to a different viewpoint or use a different setting or lens to improve the image. You are not a photographer if you just take photos as a record of events and don't bother to make any conscious effort to get a 'good' picture: Then you are just a man/woman with a camera (and it doesn't make any difference if it is £10,000 worth of the latest Nikon gear, or a camera-phone.
Just like any other hobby, you can still be bad or good, amateur or professional, or anywhere in-between.
I am a Professional Photographer - it's not my main job, or main income, but I do sell photographs and I do take on commercial photography assignments, so, by definition I am a 'Professional'
'Professional' (in this context) is not a measurement of quality or experience!
Just like any other hobby, you can still be bad or good, amateur or professional, or anywhere in-between.
I am a Professional Photographer - it's not my main job, or main income, but I do sell photographs and I do take on commercial photography assignments, so, by definition I am a 'Professional'
'Professional' (in this context) is not a measurement of quality or experience!
This is how my insurance classifies it:
- Professional: earns a full-time living from photography.
- Semi-pro: has two incomes, one of which is photography.
- Amateur: doesn't generate income from photography.
Personally, I don't use the word professional. To me, everyone that enjoys photography is a photographer. If someone asks me what I do for a living I tell them I'm a photographer. If I talk to a guest at a wedding that's clearly keen on photography, to me, they are a photographer.
No terminology determines whether anyone is any good.
- Professional: earns a full-time living from photography.
- Semi-pro: has two incomes, one of which is photography.
- Amateur: doesn't generate income from photography.
Personally, I don't use the word professional. To me, everyone that enjoys photography is a photographer. If someone asks me what I do for a living I tell them I'm a photographer. If I talk to a guest at a wedding that's clearly keen on photography, to me, they are a photographer.
No terminology determines whether anyone is any good.
I guess if you are talking professional, then you've got to be able to sell, this means you have to have some marketing credentials. You can take the best photos in the world but I suppose thats only half the business.
Seems that many spend there redundancy packages on some nice kit and thats it....... they are a "photographer". I suppose it will only be then that reality kicks in.
Seems that many spend there redundancy packages on some nice kit and thats it....... they are a "photographer". I suppose it will only be then that reality kicks in.
mikee boy said:
Q: What makes someone a photographer?
A: Somebody who takes photos.
Am I missing something here? Taking a pic my mobile phone makes me a photographer. There's nothing magical about it.
Quite, but as I mentioned above, Mick Huckmall calls himself a musician, but he obviously isn't.A: Somebody who takes photos.
Am I missing something here? Taking a pic my mobile phone makes me a photographer. There's nothing magical about it.
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