Comments on: What makes a photographer a ‘professional’?

By: cloud

cloud — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:22:54 +0000

To me, a professional photographer (obviously good at photography) shall have the ability to see things others can only dream of, but can’t do it…
It’s not about saturating or add-in some vintage looks etc and make it so complicated that people got no choice but to say “WoW… Nice colors”…
And yes… People loves the colors, not the photo…
The photo only shows beauty, but mute…

It’s about a photo that can convey a story when you look at it… A picture that can stir up your emotions…
It doesn’t really matter if it’s photoshopped or HDRed…
A photo that can magically bring you there, and the story told by it, is amazingly stunning just by looking at it…

That is how I define the capability of a professional photographer…

By: Gerard Murphy

Gerard Murphy — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:58:20 +0000

I believe that being a professional photographer is about the conversion rate of great pictures to snapshots. Anyone with a camera (or even a phone) could take a great photo every 1000 shots but a professional takes a good shot once out of every 5. I wrote about this on my blog:

http://www.mosaicarchive.com/2011/09/19/what-do-professional-golfers-have-in-common-with-professional-photographers/

By: Danie

Danie — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:13:00 +0000

Everyone is waffling on about percentages of income, time spent and so on, when it should be really obvious that a vertical battery grip is what makes you a professional photographer, I thought everyone knew that.

Seriously though, I think the first comment sums it up perfectly. A professional photographer knows he/she is a professional photographer. ‘Professional’ isn’t a seal of approval or a prize like an Oscar or something. You can be a professional photographer and still suck at what you do, just like any other profession.

By: Lee

Lee — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 09:10:00 +0000

Being classed as a professional photographer is about committment and dedication. To be a professional you need to be 100% committed to your photography and that means doing it full time. If someone calls you to speak with you about a Wedding, if you cant take the call because your at work, or cant meet up with them the next day because you would need to take a day off work, then your not a professional. 100% committment through the quiet times and the busy times – thats being a professional.

By: Sam Rambo

Sam Rambo — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 08:32:17 +0000

It’s not about money, I have seen plenty of bad photographers get paid, and it’s not about if this is your main income, because some of the best in the business do photography as a second job, to me it’s about a level of professionalism, and a standard of quality.

By: Ian McMillan

Ian McMillan — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 08:13:14 +0000

Some one who can stand by there work with confidence. know how to use your camera of automatic and can produce work constantly at the highest standard from taking to image to handing over the final package. There are so many factors that make a professional photographer truly professional. But an education and certification by a good collage, university or institution is important. But I do agree with the above statement by Goldie Green

By: Goldie Green

Goldie Green — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:16:51 +0000

For anyone asking this very question I recommend reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. He basically says that once you decide to BE a professional you will be. But whether you succeed or fail you still get up and go to work the next day and put your all into everything you do for you business. That in itself makes you a professional. Of course he says it better than I and it goes much deeper than this, but read it, you won’t regret it.

By: Reginald W. Brown

Reginald W. Brown — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 14:50:12 +0000

When asked whether I am a professional photographer, I tell people I am a serious amateur who enjoys taking good pictures with good equipment with patience and a growing technical knowledge of digital still photography, .

By: Bhavesh_from_Maryland

Bhavesh_from_Maryland — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:53:24 +0000

According to me –

Qualities of a pro

1) Sincere
2) Punctual
3) Patience
4) Good equipment – camera, lenses, filters, flashes etc
5) Technical knowledge to make a best shot in a given situation (envrionment, lighting, people) and given equipment
6) Honesty to do more (take more pics) if necessary…
7) As you said, no ego, but yes to confidence and clarity in communication… and ability to be a kid with kids and direct the crowds (say in a marriage hall) clearly if you have to..

By: Bhavesh_from_Maryland

Bhavesh_from_Maryland — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:53:05 +0000

According to me -

Qualities of a pro