How many pro's do we have in these forums?

Are you paid to take photos

  • Im a full time photographer, paid, no other job

    Votes: 19 13.1%

  • I'm a part time photographer, paid with regularity, with an unrelated full time job

    Votes: 11 7.6%

  • I'm a part time photographer, paid with regularity, with no other job

    Votes: 7 4.8%

  • I'm a part time occasional photographer, paid whenever I make a bit of money

    Votes: 31 21.4%

  • I'm never paid to take photos, purely hobby.

    Votes: 77 53.1%
  • Total voters
    145
I suppose there are some problems defining what is paid photography, but it depends how picky you want to get.

My bread and butter income comes from self-published postcards and calendar - but they're all my photographs and I do all the selling myself.

I consider myself a full-time pro. Would anyone take issue with that?

You need to have all sorts of tools in your toolkit to make a living, it seems to me.
 
c'mon fellas, this isnt a wedding tog thread..

My own opinion, i have been paid to do some photos before, and asked to do more since, but i dont consider myself Pro by any stretch as it isnt my source of income. Its beer money.
 
Marcel said:
Out of the 3000 posts a day we get on the forum.....it's funny how most of the bickering is in the business forum......:suspect:

This was one of the reasons we didn't create one ages ago...we didn't want it to separate the members and become elitist and 'us and them'.
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Please keep the "business" forum. I've found it helpful at times and I've been able to help (I hope) people less experienced than myself.

There is such a huge grey area between "full-time pro" and "complete amateur" that it will never be an "us and them" situation. Many people wanting to progress towards pro status will be able to get valuable advice from the business forum. It's invaluable!

I thought it was HDR that started most of the bickering, anyway!
 
We all know the problems here and it's the same two that always muddy the water.

Unlike many professions, all that you need to be a pro snapper is to decide to call yourself one. And for some reason, people seem to think that being pro should hold some elevated status.

Well, it doesn't. Simple as that.

The original question was actually a pretty interesting one and I'd be as interested as anyone elseto know what percentage of users here shoot as a job and what percentage shoot mainly for pleasure.

I like to think that photography will always be more art that craft or science and as such, a peeing contest will never hold water.

Threads like this one dohave a good value though, they never tell much about photograpers or photography but the do say lots about the people here doing it. :D
 
petemc said:
Does it have to be so damn hard? What do you do? Well I'm a full time dentist. I work as a dentist each day and I get paid to do denistry. Thats my job.
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What if I do weddings at the weekend and get paid. Does that make me not a dentist? By your definition it makes me professionless...
 
I'm a part time photographer, paid with regularity, with no other job
Im a full time photographer, paid, no other job

Sorry for being thick - but what's the difference between these two from the poll???

I think someone, Pete even :thinking:, suggested a Pro is someone with no income other than from photography - don't both of these say that ???

And I don't quite fit your poll either - I work a full week & weekends as a Pro photographer, but also retain a small income from my previous years as a specialist lawyer

What should I tick?

:shrug:

DD
 
DiddyDave said:
I'm a part time photographer, paid with regularity, with no other job
Im a full time photographer, paid, no other job

Sorry for being thick - but what's the difference between these two from the poll???

I think someone, Pete even :thinking:, suggested a Pro is someone with no income other than from photography - don't both of these say that ???

And I don't quite fit your poll either - I work a full week & weekends as a Pro photographer, but also retain a small income from my previous years as a specialist lawyer

What should I tick?

:shrug:

DD
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You need the "Smarmy Git" box :D



/joke!
 
Thanks Dave. Kind of my point. Which is why I think the "majority of income" definition fits better. Lots of people have a "main job" and a "sideline". If that main job is photography, you're a pro.

Pete - I'm a corporate journeyman by profession
 
So if we had a poll saying "Are you a professional journeyman or not" would you tick the yes box or spend hours debating the semantics of the question?
 
Yes, because it is my sole source of income. And it's not hours, it's about 10 minutes!

But, I would also vote yes if I also earned a few hundred quick a year doing photography as it would be my primary income.

I presume you just wouldn't be able to vote in that scenario and your head would explode in a puff of smoke?
 
I wouldn't vote yes because I'm not a corporate journeyman. I'd vote no. See, its really really not as hard as it should be.
 
I can't be arsed reading another "pro versus non pro" debate. Its quite simple, the word is ambiguous AT BEST and WILL mean different things to different people.

I have my rose tinted specs on today. My definition is simple. If you take photos, on a consistent basis, that are good enough to be published / hung in a gallery / make the whole world go Ooooh and Ahhh....then you are a PRO. End of story. Even if you sell nothing, display nothing, choose to keep all your work to yourself. If it is at the standard of expert craftmanship, and an absolute godlike understanding of your art form, then you are a pro.

I wan't to be a pro.

Gary.
 
EdinburghGary said:
I can't be arsed reading another "pro versus non pro" debate. Its quite simple, the word is ambiguous AT BEST and WILL mean different things to different people.

I have my rose tinted specs on today. My definition is simple. If you take photos, on a consistent basis, that are good enough to be published / hung in a gallery / make the whole world go Ooooh and Ahhh....then you are a PRO. End of story. Even if you sell nothing, display nothing, choose to keep all your work to yourself. If it is at the standard of expert craftmanship, and an absolute godlike understanding of your art form, then you are a pro.

I wan't to be a pro.

Gary.
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:eek:

Isn't that definition #23 you've just thrown in there EG :(

DD
 
By definition I am neither an amateur or a pro. I have had many pictures bought and published and have be employed to do photographic work, still does not make me a pro as it is not my main source of income. A professional way of working (compitance and understanding of the craft) does this make me a pro?? I would agree that the PRO word is ambiguous and if it gives comfort then use it...
 
petemc said:
I wouldn't vote yes because I'm not a corporate journeyman. I'd vote no. See, its really really not as hard as it should be.
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OK, what if you still maintained a single website for someone for money? That excludes you from being a pro photographer by your definition.
 
  • engaged in a profession or engaging in as a profession or means of livelihood; "the professional man or woman possesses distinctive qualifications ...
  • a person engaged in one of the learned professions
  • an athlete who plays for pay
  • master: an authority qualified to teach apprentices
  • profession - the body of people in a learned occupation; "the news spread rapidly through the medical profession"; "they formed a community of scientists"
  • profession - an occupation requiring special education (especially in the liberal arts or sciences)
 
No. My first post was do we really have to keep redefining what a pro is every single time its mentioned?
 
DiddyDave said:
I'm a part time photographer, paid with regularity, with no other job
Im a full time photographer, paid, no other job

I work a full week & weekends as a Pro photographer, but also retain a small income from my previous years as a specialist lawyer

What should I tick?

:shrug:

DD
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Weeeeeeeeeeeeell if a lawyer can't figure it out what chance do the rest of us have :shrug: :D


BTW please don't scrap the business forum I am a amature by all the definitions you want to consider
but there is still information to be had in here for the like of me :thumbs:
 
petemc said:
No. My first post was do we really have to keep redefining what a pro is every single time its mentioned?
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No I don't but whilst you stick to your specific, narrow definition then I can't agree with it.

I don't care as I am not a photographic pro and never want to be. But, I read your definition as "like petemc" and wonder if it will change if photography revenues dry up for you and you have to do something else as well to make ends meet?
 
Why don't we just have a Pro Forum? The pros can submit a copy of their tax returns to Admin to gain entry. :lol:
 
Hasn't yet. Its not my definition either. Its the definition from Red Eye which is a photography network in the north west aimed at helping photographers. Its just so stupid for everyone to constantly go on and on and on and on about what is or isn't the defintion of a professional photographer.

CT said:
Why don't we just have a Pro Forum? The pros can submit a copy of their tax returns to Admin to gain entry. :lol:
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If it stops stupid discussions like this then yes please.
 
CT said:
Why don't we just have a Pro Forum? The pros can submit a copy of their tax returns to Admin to gain entry. :lol:
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:lol: Mine would turn you hair white! The Finnish tax man is oiling up the whammy stick with me this year I think :eek:
 
CT said:
Why don't we just have a Pro Forum? The pros can submit a copy of their tax returns to Admin to gain entry. :lol:
Click to expand...

That's back to income then... anyone who makes £10 from a single print sale, but has the honesty to inform HMRC would be a Pro

;)

DD
 
Pro

adverb, noun, plural pros.
–adverb
1. in favor of a proposition, opinion, etc.
–noun
2. a proponent of an issue; a person who upholds the affirmative in a debate.
3. an argument, consideration, vote, etc., for something.

Pro. in this context isn't a word, it's an abbreviation of professional!

Professional

–adjective
1. following an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain: a professional builder.
2. of, pertaining to, or connected with a profession: professional studies.
3. appropriate to a profession: professional objectivity.
4. engaged in one of the learned professions: A lawyer is a professional person.
5. following as a business an occupation ordinarily engaged in as a pastime: a professional golfer.
6. making a business or constant practice of something not properly to be regarded as a business: “A salesman,” he said, “is a professional optimist.”
7. undertaken or engaged in as a means of livelihood or for gain: professional baseball.
8. of or for a professional person or his or her place of business or work: a professional apartment; professional equipment.
9. done by a professional; expert: professional car repairs.
–noun
10. a person who belongs to one of the professions, esp. one of the learned professions.
11. a person who earns a living in a sport or other occupation frequently engaged in by amateurs: a golf professional.
12. an expert player, as of golf or tennis, serving as a teacher, consultant, performer, or contestant; pro.
13. a person who is expert at his or her work: You can tell by her comments that this editor is a real professional.

You are all right and all wrong! Pick a definition and deal with it. Then we can all STFU!
 
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