Let's get this clear.. Beginner Amateur or Professional
For Real People
I know I'm gonna spark a bit of fury when this post gets published, but I am seeing more and more misconceptions about levels of photography.
DSLR cameras have become more affordable and now that cell phones contain cameras just as good and sometimes even better than some DSLR cameras everyone labels themselves as a "Professional" photographer.
However, that is NOT what you are!
Let me begin by breaking this down so you can understand the difference.
Beginner
- You have a passion for photography
- Your skills include seeing something cool and just clicking the button
- You use your cell phone (9 out of 10x you don't even know there are extra settings and features
- You're wanting to learn but have yet to learn.
YOUR PHOTOS RESEMBLE SOMETHING LIKE THIS
Or
Which this one is old school Instagram style..
A beginner is just something you do as a light hobby. You have no real world photography experience.
Amateur - Hard Core Hobbyist
There is a fine line between Amature / hobbyist and Professional.
This is where you've learned a few tricks and maybe even took a photography class or two. This is where you've invested your money into a good camera.. You take your camera everywhere you go and you snap some AMAZING shots.
But ultimately you do this as a HOBBY. You don't display your photography in art shows and you don't sell your prints. You probably don't even realize in order to even get into a show or sell prints, there are standards on rules for prints and paper and series and limited editions and this run on sentence could continue forever!!!
MOST AMATEURS CALL THEMSELVES PROFESSIONAL
Might be a hard pill to swallow... But you are not!
Below are some examples!
This photo was actually taken on a Galaxy S6 in the ProMode settings and then ran thru an editing app. This displays my work when I was in the Amateur classifications. I was still learning techniques and how to master my editing skills.
PROFESSIONAL
The cloud of fog between the lines should fade away after reading this!
- Do you get paid for your work?
- Do you have an online presence such as a website to give examples?
- Do you attend art shows and showcase your photography (with or without sales)
- Clear knowledge of equipment and the understanding of lighting, color contrast, focal points and subject matter.
- Understanding of printing techniques which includes but not limited to certain paper qualities, how to label your photos, and most importantly how to matte them. (You can't just got to Walmart and print photos stick them in a frame and be like yeah it's for sale.)
Other people will list more criteria but that is like the majors. At this point people have paid you to take portraits or a magazine or other publication has contacted you about using a photo you've taken. You've set up shop in long and most likely grueling weather conditions for your work to be displayed. You've sold prints.
The biggest thing tho is... have you made money? Some define this as at least half your income is from photography, but I cut slack to this rule as some people just starting out in the professional field still have to find clientele and their income is not that great from it (starving artist terminology).
To be considered a professional in ANYTHING you must be paid. For example highschool/ college (even tho some college players are paid it hasn't yet become an actual career) football players verses a Professional football player playing for the Steelers.
The first photo was done for a farm.
The second photo was done on the basis of an Amateur shot that has been later editioned and prepped for resale.
The above photo is a collage of a few photos from a baby shower I had done their photography for. The client was so super respectful they told their guests to NOT take any photos for themselves!
And an example of matting below.
I am not too sure how many people I've pissed off at this point.
But... I have worked hard starting from my Instagram days back in 2011 to now... and I am seeing more and more beginners and amateurs calling themselves professional.
I REALLY NEEDED TO VOICE MY OPINION ON THIS TODAY! RANT OVER
All photos were taken by me on various cameras and various times in history
Thanks for Viewing... Have a GREAT FRIDAY EVERYONE!
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I'm somewhere between beginner and amateur. We'll say novice :P It's a growing-on-me-hobby and I do play with the settings in my phone. I'd like to have a badass camera, no lie. Be up on par with @tattoodjay and take pictures for national geographic like he does Bwahahahahaaa!
LMAO even though I sell a few prints a year and have been likened to a professional by some I am not I am a perhaps serious amateur but fir the most part photography is a hobby fir me and I have never even thought about calling myself a professional
But so many do I got asked last year to help someone who I was a contact with who had marketed themselves as a professional and been paid to shoot a wedding crazy thing was all they had was an iPhone and they asked me to be their second shooter
I declined for a few reasons one I have only done two weddings for free fir family who could not afford a professional and even though the family was very happy I really do not have all the year or experience where I would consider shooting one where the client is paying for it.
2 I would nit want to be seen as working with the idiot that asked me to be his second shooter when they see him turn up with just an iPhone
3 even though he started out asking me to help since I have a real camera and do good work he finished off saying he wouldn’t pay me as the contract was with him but I could gain experience being his second shooter
LMAO An idiot shooting his first wedding with only a cell phone things I would learn from him!!!!
And then he hassled me because the client refused to pay him and threatened to sue if he did not refund the deposit when he turned up at the wedding
Mind you the client should have done better review of him before signing him up to do the wedding
Ok rant over lol
Lmao! Some pro indeed. Glad you declined the offer, he should have been taking lessons from you!
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thats the funny thing he had been messaging me asking questions for a few weeks
Haha I asked you questions about lightroom about a year ago now lol...
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Ohh thats different, I suspect the person I am talking about if you mentioned lightroom, he would think you were talking about the room in the house that had the most windows :)
@tattoodjay haha I'm literally dying right now... 🤣🤣🤣🤣
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And I know I joke around a lot but that's true with that person, let me tell you how bad he was I still remember so clearly the first question he asked me and the story behind it
Someone asked to buy one of his photos and he was having trouble getting a good looking print of it and asked me for a tip, I asked where he was printing it, and his Answer
Wait for it, and dont have a drink of you may spit it out
are you ready
he was going to the library, opening the photo on his phone and using a photocopier
Now I know some people are not technically savvy, but!!!!!!!!
Whoa... lol... we have a lot of people in my local community who use cell phones and call themselves "professional".. but yeah I wouldn't want to show up as a second shooter with the original person using a cell phone. And for me even tho I had my camera for a bit now it wasn't until very recently that I have had people approach me asking me to photograph events. (I actually have the first birthday to photograph in sept to the people I did their baby shower) I do not charge a lot because I'm still building my portfolio.. and I do sell some of my prints from people who see my posts on Facebook and would like a copy of it.. and then this first Friday artwalk..
But it really irk'd me when I seen a few people classify their photos as something it was not... I felt extremely defeated as I has worked my way up the food chain to get to where I am now...
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That’s understandable feeling a bit defeated let’s face it some people have a seriously over inflated ego just don’t let them get to you
💕💕💕💕💕
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I think it's awesome you have turned a passionate hobby into a profession. Won't get bored that way. Most people never get that chance, so kudos on the ups!
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Thanks @enginewitty
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Good on ya! I agree entirely with what you have to say. A lot of us are serious hobbyists and might make a buck or two now and then, but simply having an expensive camera doesn't make one a photographer any more than having an expensive video camera makes one a film maker.
And at one point I was a serious hobbyist too and never went around saying I'm a professional.. it trips me up so much.. I honestly wish I was the type of person to just put people on blast but I'm quiet moddest... it wasn't til my hobbying actually turned into a million messages from people and people telling me to do this artwalk stuff and to come to their graduation and baby showers, and now since my daughter is a sr shes talking to all her friends about sr photos...
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But thank you!! 💕💕💕💕
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I was a beginner at an era that cell phones existed only in science-fiction movies.
I was an amateur with my own darkroom to develop and print my shots.
I was a student at a 4-years photography school.
And I have been a well-paid professional for 15 years.
But now I make my living with other ways and I often ask myself. What am I, regarding photography?
An ex-professional but not a retired one?
An amateur with professional work experience?
Or just a guy with a hasselblad and a bunch of dslr cameras?
Nice post, it got me thinking again :)