|
Because I don't belive it is that cut and dry. After a conversation with a few Professional photographers on Thursday it would seem a little more complex than that, Diane who is my friend and private photography instructor does not consider herself a PRO even though she has her masters degree (shooting 8X10 no less) in photography, however when we went to Providence the other day for one of my lessons she proved she is a real Pro not only by the way she approched people on the streets and asked permission to take their pictures but by the amount of respect she recieved when meeting up with people she used to work with and teach at the AS220. I believe just about every person that we met made roughly the same comment "you couldn't have a better teacher, she's the best" but yet she does not think she is Pro and to her it is not a job. Now Scott who oversees the photography part of the school is a Pro and does private work, but his day to day Job is working at AS220 so does that not make him Pro? John was the last person I met that evening after an afternoon of shooting and processing in a darkroom, he used to also teach at the school but had to step back from it do to his real Job in the advertising world however his Passion is photography but more artisticly inclined instead of commercial and he has had shows and been published but is he Pro? We talked about what I am trying to do with my photography (youth sports and events), he said to me there is plenty of room and money to be made but there are a few large companies out there doing it and I agreed then he said most of them however are not photographers but "camera opperators" hired by the company told how to shoot, what to set the camera at and what kind of shots to take, does that make them Pro? They get paid to do it, it is a job.
One last thing, I'm a professional mechanic that is my job and has been for 25+ years but times change intrests change and I no longer want to keep challenging myself in that field, does that make me any less Pro? I have displayed, selfpublised, and sold my photographs and have a passion for photography and am trying to learn and practice as much as possible to make a go of it, so now I ask does this make me a Pro?
Sorry this was so long but I don't believe the answer is quite as easy as it seems.
Thank you for your time,
Pro in Training
Bob
| 
Originally posted by straightshooter 
Give that man a prize!
Similar Threads 
