Originally Posted by Gooshin
That was a good post. I think it's sad how little we actually think about the context of our words. Anyway, I think most people assume a pro makes their living from photography, works for a well known employer, or regularly publishes their work. While I may not agree with you fully Gooshin, I do believe that we should not call photographers professional. The work and reputation of a photographer should speak for itself.
I worked at a camera shop not long ago, and I was always surprised at how little the "pro's" knew about their cameras or the craft. On one occasion, a local newspaper photographer, who was interviewing our manager, couldn't figure out how to work his camera. I think that's unacceptable (I'm still slightly upset about the way I was treated when I tried to apply for a job at the newspaper). There were also the numerous "pro" wedding photographers who relied on our kiosks to auto enhance and crop every single picture on their memory cards. I'm not proposing that we should all have an extensive knowledge of the circuitry in our cameras. However, I do think that if you label yourself as a professional, you should at least understand white balance and know that all lenses don't zoom...