1. a person who engages in a study, sport, or other activity for pleasure rather than for financial benefit or professional reasons.
Yup. That's me. Ingrained in my Year Two, I've learned a lot more and am getting better as time goes by. The fun, it's there .... that's the draw. 'Doing it' is the satisfying fuel .....
definitely amateur, and i don't ever intend to turn my hobby into work. i think it is important to find a passion you love that is purely for the satisfaction it brings and the smiles on your own face (like the ones i get both during and after taking a photo). this site is fun because it is nice sharing that hobby/passion with others, but i have enough jobs in my life. photography and running are where i find "me-time", pure joy with no financial or other strings attached. :)
I'm an amateur for sure and like Lindsey, I don't want to be a pro either. Taking photos are pure hobby and i like it this way. I do learned a lot from 365 and made lots of new friends, that's as good as it gets, I'm happy :))
Amateur... totally. I have no desire to go pro. All I want to do is learn how to take some better shots and have fun. Photography has allowed me to see things differently than I used to, and for that I am glad :)
I am an amateur but I have sold some gift cards with my images. So far I've made enough to buy the family a meal a McDonald's, so I'm definitely not thinking I could make a living this way! I've had quite a few people ask me to do portraits for them but I haven't been bold enough to ask for money. If I can improve my talents and/or someone offers me money, I might be able to move up to buying fish & chips at the pier!
i am an armature working to make my good better and my better best. i am currently taking a small town photography class, and i seems to be helping. There is just so much to learn!
Definitely will always be an amateur. I want to have a job I enjoy doing, and I doubt I'd be able to be a professional photographer long before I grow sick of it.
As an aside, an amateur photographer won the Pulitzer prize a while back! Not too shabby!
This is one of the few things in my life that is JUST FOR FUN...no pressure. As a result, it allows me to be creative and have fun. SO...the answer is AMATEUR.
Amateur, but I have an opportunity to do some advertising campaign photography... my first "pro" gig. No idea what I'm getting myself into, but the idea of going pro is exciting. If only my hobby could pay the bills - the ultimate "do what you love" job.
Amateur, what I do is mine, wiling to share, but not ripped off. I wouldn't want to try to go pro, was doing Christmas Shows years back, tried to sell photos, went into the lab and made 12 copies of the same print. Couldn't go back into the lab to do prints for a month after wards, took all the fun out of it.
Photos at your wedding, sure, but get someonelse for the format pictures, I'll get all the rest of the pictures, because I enjoy doing it.
Total amateur. Have always enjoyed taking photos and digital photography has made it so much easier. I never had a dark room even though I learned to develop my own photos, and it's been eons since I did. I love learning from everyone and everything -- it's a great hobby.
I've had a camera in my hand since I was 8, but my photos have always been for my own pleasure. My father was an excellent, but amater photographer who had a dark room and taught me developing, so seeing life through a lens has been a part of all my life. A favorite photo of myself that Dad shot when I was about 18 mo old, is me sitting with a roll of Kodak film in my grip. Maybe that was to be a metaphor of my life... ...it's an avocation.
I'm aspiring to be an amateur, right now I'm a beginner just starting out. Have done nothing other that quick snapshots until the beginning of this year.
I am most definently an amateur. There is so much I have to learn and would love any and all suggestions, comments, advice on how to make my photos better.
Along with everyone else here so far, amateur. I have seen a number of people here who consistently make professional quality photos--photos that I would buy in a heartbeat. If we got to live many lives, I wouldn't mind trying one as a professional photographer. But even more than a lot of professions, it would take a total immersion of your life to make it work.
i guess you could say im an amateur but i usually try to make my pics look pro dont always work but i do have alot of good pics at least in my opinion.
100% amateur.
I really just started getting really interested into photography this past October. Before that it was just snapshots of my kids. I was using a point and shoot up until two weeks ago. My husband surprised me with a dslr.
It's weird, exciting, and a wee bit scary, to me that I finally found something I may actually be good at.
I am so definately an amateur! And I'm loving every minute of it. I have learned so much during the last 36 days that I never had a clue about. This is fun for me and I am enjoying seeing all there is here to see.
I'm an amateur... as in, I don't get paid for my photography. That being said, I do take it very seriously and try to do my best at it. I would love to someday be paid for it, albeit in the freelance realm, not as a staff photographer anywhere (I'm tired of having a boss!).
I am definitely an amateur. As many said, I'm love taking photos and am excited to learn more about photography, but this is just a hobby...Now, regarding pros. perhaps some of you do not consider yourself a pro b/c you do not try to make a living off your photography, but I think some of you are being modest as many of you are way too good to be considered amateur...so wondering what to call those who are much more than amateurs but who don't consider themselves pros just b/c they consider it a hobby (even though they are waaay better than any of us real amateurs.)
this is a weird one for me. I consider myself amateur because I have only even had a manuel SLR type camera for about 2 years and I am still learning. However, after posting some pictures of my own children on my moms group message board, people started asking if I would do pictures for them. Then they start refering their friends and family and before you know it, I have a website just so I don't have to keep answering emails and phone calls about open days and prices and my weekends are booked. However, I feel FAR from pro. I do it for for money, yes, but the only reason is because it takes time away from my family and personal life. I still have so so so much to learn though!
Was showing someone my photos the other day and another bystander glanced over and said "Oh...you're a "picture-taker". We all had a good laugh. That about sums it up... (amateur).
Professional. I don't mean to sound conceited or anything, but definitely well over 80% of my income comes from photography.
Doesn't mean that I don't REALLY love my job. For all you guys that claim "amateur" status, no matter what or how far you go with it, don't forget why you do it!
I'm a total amateur! I don't earn any money with photography. And, even though I own a SLR, I'm only using a point-and-shoot for this project. Not much time to think about pictures or to prepare them nowadays...
Lol Ruprecht! Also an amateur! I just LOVE taking pictures and I am a bit of a perfectionist. I really like to finish things, to make them the best I can, you know? It's entertaining =) But that might just mean I spend a lot of time going around in circles cos I don't have the tools (nor the camera or training) to make my pictures better, hee!
I'm a total amateur... But I would LOVE to go pro. I've been working freelance making a little money (very little) covering concert performances for publications in Chicago, it always amazes me when when I get paid because I know that I have so much to learn about photography. I wish my photos were much more artistic... someday..
Was a pro for about 15 years; weddings, proms, Bar Mitzvahs, etc. Gave it up when I got tired with the hassle I got from Mother's of the Bride before the wedding and brides after the wedding. Wasn't worth the grief. Now I shoot what I want, when I feel like picking up the camera.
complete amateur. i used to keep a journal and write about the day. i don't make time for that very well but i always have my camera. so my photos are meant as a journal for me.
I am an amateur and plan to stay that way. Going professional, I feel, would make me lose my love for it. I know numerous professional photographers who never take pictures for fun anymore. It's all about the money and to me, that's just sad.
Amateur with small baby steps towards pro-ish. I have had a couple of my photos sell and have been encouraged to try and take it further. I have a site set up ( http://photographybyautumneden.shutterfly.com) and Photography by Autumn Eden on Facebook. That being said, I have no expectations that I will ever be pro enough to pay my bills. I love photography. I love getting outside and playing. Anything extra that comes from it is a total bonus! =)
I am an amateur so far just took pictures while on vacations and at family gathering. Since I joined the 365project I became more aware of what people are taking pictures of and learned a some by reading their comments. I would like to learn more and hope to be able to buy a better camera but for now my little digital one has to do.
Yep, total amateur. My grandfather was a professional photographer during the early 1900's (he passed away a few months after my father was born in 1915) and I've always imagined that through some "genetic memory" factor, his fascination with recording life on film was passed on to me. :-)
How about a beginner aspiring to be an amateur? : )
It would be nice if one day I could make enough at this to help buy new lenses and stuff but really I never see this being something that I could support myself with. ( Wow... that was a long sentence.. LOL)
Amateur, and a slack amateur at that. My job does require me to pick up a camera from time to time for photos to use in publications, but they don't pay me extra for that. :)
i feel like i'm on the mid point of this teeter totter, heading towards pro.
i'm currently going to school for photography, and the "prize" my eye is set on would be photographing weddings for a living.
Amateur mostly, but a few of my photos got into my latest maths textbooks (maybe my editor was just humouring me) and I've sold a smattering of photos on a website - earned $23.50 US so far in 5 years :-)
I don't think I could be bothered going pro. I just love taking photos and improving my skills for my own interest. Recently bought a DSLR after using a point and shoot camera for years, and will gradually learn how the manual settings work. This site is great for motivation and information.
someone told me when i was really young to do what makes me happy. what i lose track of time doing. what keeps me up at night with ideas spinning through my head. what ignites a passion inside of me. for a long time i anxiously awaited knowing what that would be. i studied a lot of different things in college and i tried out a few jobs. i've always loved taking pictures and editing pictures, and printing and designing albums - but i never put it all together. when i had my daughter i started taking more and more pictures, then people started offering to pay me, referring me, etc. i built my business from there. when people ask me if i photograph professionally i say yes, but i will always consider myself an amateur because there is always more to learn - another reason i love photography so much. a main fear of mine from turning my passion into my work was that i'd lose the passion and love for it, i can truly say it's only grown. when you go into business for yourself you have the ability to attract the kind of clients you want and your brand and style can expand, i make sure that my clients and i are a good fit before i proceed, so for me it never really feels like work. i couldn't be happier. so, in a nutshell, i'm a pramateur. :)
I'm a little of both. I mostly do it for the love, but every now and then I shoot a wedding or something. I love shooting weddings, more because I feel honored to be capturing something so special than for the money. But the money is nice!
Amateur...my photos will always need work and there's ton more for me to learn and always will be! My best photos are of things or people I'm passionate about.. isn't that how life works?
Definitely just an amateur trying new things and enjoying myself. It's a skill that I am trying to develop, not only for my enjoyment, but as a compliment to my day job (graphic designer).
Ha! Can't you tell? amateur, in case it wasn't obvious. I am thankful for digital that lets me take many many pictures and then delete all but the one or two that are worth keeping!
Very much amateur. My main goal is to become a better photographer so I can take better pictures of my children, mainly. I want to develop a better eye for composition too.
I'm a pro-active amateur! I have some great friends who are pros, and looking at their pics makes me feel not even worthy of picking up a camera. Just in a different class! But i have fun playing and thats all that matters.
Aside from the definition, some people might start out as paid amateurs so where would that put them? I think a lot of us would like to say we're pro at some point. However, with the digital age everything became so easy and it would be really hard to stand out. To each his own, but those that stand out in front of a larger pool of people and photographers would become known pros. I've received a lot of compliments for my work (as many of you have foro sure) but whats next?
Been a photojourno for 12 years and it almost destroyed any love for photography (newspapers can do that I fear!) and other than music gigs, I've not enjoyed it for a very long time. This place is fabulous tho, and hopefully will recapture my love, esp as I am shortly giving up my job to try something else entirely! I think I will enjoy photographing for pure pleasure once again.
Some of the pics here tho are seriously fabulous, they are pure professional level, miles better than my images, lol. There are photo library agencies out there who can take your pics onto a library and then occasionally they get published in magazines and newspapers if anyone's interested. It doesnt earn loads, but it can be a great sideline for a little bit of pocket money, plus its nice to see stuff in print for all to share? Just a thought....
Amateur.
But I used to work for Proex. That is one of those one hour portrait places. The managers set up all the lights, my job was to get the kids into position, in focus, and looking good. I did babies through large family portraits - all in studio. I also worked as a studio photographer for a dating service. Since the studio set up and equipment was provided, I really didn't consider myself professional. But it sure was fun.
Doing weddings would terrify me. If I screwed up in the studio, we could do re-takes. One-time events are a WHOLE different ball game.
I have had my prairie flower pictures on display in a few local galleries, but have never sold one.
Only Amateur here....why ruin a perfectly good hobby. ;-) Some times when you take a fun pastime and turn it into a business the fun slowly drains away...unless it's what your heart and soul are meant to do. IMHO...
I worked as a pro photographer for several years. Most of the stuff I shot was boring...verging on soul-sucking. Product cut-outs for catalogues, grip and grins at events etc. So, I recently decided to find another way to pay the bills. Now, I just shoot because I love to. It's actually allowed me to follow my fine art aspirations and I've got my first group show coming up. Something I'd let fall by the wayside when it was my sole source of income.
I am an amateur and that's the way it will stay. But it is fun! At the end of the year it will be interesting to see and remember all the things that happened.
I registered my business...and get paid for jobs...so I guess I have to say pro. I am like Jill....I just got into it in October and love love love it!! I think I have found something that I am good at!
Completely, 100% amateur. Still have a 35mm film SLR Nikon N2000 (1988), several point-and-shoot, a Canon Rebel 28-70mm, and a cell phone camera ... Most of the time I pull the cell phone and shoot.
The fun of being here it is a multiple choice for me: 1) discipline, 2) sharing, 3) writing a fun capture to the picture, 4) a life log
Amateur .... turned semi-not-so-"pro". I do portraits for family, friends and have started gotten enough interests and inquiries to start a small photography business. Customers call me the "pro" but I don't feel like it. I LOVE photography and learn more each day, but there is a world I still need to learn about it. I love to take pictures and would be doing it anyway --- but getting PAID to do something I love to do is a huge bonus!!
I'm an amateur... I use to make some profit from it sometimes (and buying more stuff with that income),but my main job is not related with photography.
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am·a·teur /ˈæməˌtʃʊər, -tʃər, -tər, ˌæməˈtɜr/ Show Spelled[am-uh-choor, -cher, -ter, am-uh-tur] –noun
1. a person who engages in a study, sport, or other activity for pleasure rather than for financial benefit or professional reasons.
Yup. That's me. Ingrained in my Year Two, I've learned a lot more and am getting better as time goes by. The fun, it's there .... that's the draw. 'Doing it' is the satisfying fuel .....
As an aside, an amateur photographer won the Pulitzer prize a while back! Not too shabby!
i'm a total amateur.
Photos at your wedding, sure, but get someonelse for the format pictures, I'll get all the rest of the pictures, because I enjoy doing it.
NOW where are or should I say, who are the PROs?
I really just started getting really interested into photography this past October. Before that it was just snapshots of my kids. I was using a point and shoot up until two weeks ago. My husband surprised me with a dslr.
It's weird, exciting, and a wee bit scary, to me that I finally found something I may actually be good at.
Doesn't mean that I don't REALLY love my job. For all you guys that claim "amateur" status, no matter what or how far you go with it, don't forget why you do it!
But pro or amateur, it doesn't matter as long as you enjoy what you're doing (at least that's my opinion)
by skill. what's below amateur?
;)
heh heh
It would be nice if one day I could make enough at this to help buy new lenses and stuff but really I never see this being something that I could support myself with. ( Wow... that was a long sentence.. LOL)
For my job (Graphic Designer) I take all the pics that we need for ads, billboards, product shoots, etc.
For fun...............what you see here (and it is nice when those sell too)
i'm currently going to school for photography, and the "prize" my eye is set on would be photographing weddings for a living.
I don't think I could be bothered going pro. I just love taking photos and improving my skills for my own interest. Recently bought a DSLR after using a point and shoot camera for years, and will gradually learn how the manual settings work. This site is great for motivation and information.
Just my 2 cents...
Some of the pics here tho are seriously fabulous, they are pure professional level, miles better than my images, lol. There are photo library agencies out there who can take your pics onto a library and then occasionally they get published in magazines and newspapers if anyone's interested. It doesnt earn loads, but it can be a great sideline for a little bit of pocket money, plus its nice to see stuff in print for all to share? Just a thought....
But I used to work for Proex. That is one of those one hour portrait places. The managers set up all the lights, my job was to get the kids into position, in focus, and looking good. I did babies through large family portraits - all in studio. I also worked as a studio photographer for a dating service. Since the studio set up and equipment was provided, I really didn't consider myself professional. But it sure was fun.
Doing weddings would terrify me. If I screwed up in the studio, we could do re-takes. One-time events are a WHOLE different ball game.
I have had my prairie flower pictures on display in a few local galleries, but have never sold one.
Thanks to all who have participated in this thread to it being as good as it has been.
Butterfly
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I've been getting a lot more paid shoots lately though.
But before, I would get a paid shoot once in a blue moon.
The fun of being here it is a multiple choice for me: 1) discipline, 2) sharing, 3) writing a fun capture to the picture, 4) a life log