In this day and age, anyone with an DSLR can claim to be a professional. But really, at what point does an amateur photographer becomes a professional? Years of experience? The number of seminars attended? Finishing an apprenticeship program? Recognition of the community?
I've been asked several times to shoot for a fee but I'm the one who begs off. I feel that my work is not good enough. That's why my shoots are all free. At least for now. =P
There's many different schools of thought on this... some say you're not professional until 100% of your livelihood comes from photography. Others don't judge it quite this way.
When I was working for a magazine, only at events on media passes, and making money is when I decided I was a professional, at least when it comes to motorsports. I rarely rarely rarely touch photography for other people for free nowadays. I still struggle with the professional title, I use it kind of sporadically.
@nathantologyTHIS WOULD BE ME YELLING AS LOUDLY AS THIS TEXT WILL LET ME! DON'T SHOOT FOR FREE!
OK...now for a more civilized response to your question. Oh yeah...thanks for tagging me @shadesofgrey cause I've got nothing else to do on a Saturday night...oh, wait, in about fifteen minutes I do bwahahaha.
I completely agree with @bkbinthecity on this one. In my own opinion, the definition of a professional photographer is someone whose primary source of income is photography.
Now, I'm not talking about weekend moms-with-cameras shooting portraits of little leaguers. I'm talking about someone whose primary source, I'd say at least 70%, comes from the world of photography.
That's it. Seriously. It has nothing to do with equipment, nothing to do with education, and nothing to do with peer recognition.
Sure...my ego is large. Has to be for someone as awesome as me. But...I'm gonna tell you about myself for a minute. I don't much like talking about myself all that much, but I will for a moment.
When I first become a "professional" photographer I was earning about $1,200 a month shooting portraits, freelance newspaper assignments, selling prints online, and shooting high school sports portraits. I was using a Nikon D80 and D200, which are pretty old cameras at this point. I had a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens and the 18-55mm f/3.5-4.5 kit lens I got for free from a friend cause he knew it was a piece of shit to begin with. I've only ever taken one college class in photography and that was "Intro to the Principles of Photography", a six-week summer course. That's it. That's all there was to it.
Today, if you do a Google search for "South Carolina travel photographer" I'm usually #1, 2, and 3 on the first result page. From two aging camera bodies, a cheap lens, and a kit lens to where I am today.
The biggest difference between an amateur and a pro: the professional believes in himself, believes in the quality of his work, and knows that his work is worth more than free.
@hmgphotos@jasonbarnette Thank guys. I really appreciate it. If that's how you define being a professional photographer, then I have to do a lot of serious thinking if it is worth quitting my day job. It's a leap of faith. =>
@nathantology Two years ago I graduated from UNC Wilmington with a degree in Film. Sure, I'll never use that degree now, but at least I'm grad.
I had already found a passion for photography, but I wasn't making any money yet. I had been saving money for 8 years so I could buy a house, and suddenly I had to make a decision.
Get a "day job", keep my savings, and forever treat photography as an expensive hobby.
Or blow all the money on new equipment, market myself like crazy, and hopefully earn a career before I was completely broke.
I spent $10,000 on new equipment in three months. And I made it as a pro photographer. It doesn't always work out like that.
I can tell you this: it takes on average two years for a new photographer to get fully up and running. And a LOT of work. If you're willing, then do it.
@jasonbarnette obviously, you responded so swiftly...by the way, you should close your blinds...no one wants to see that. Go take some amazing photos that will get picked up by a national magazine, cause you deserve it (totally honest btw)
I think that you need to earn money from it, and pay tax for that money. That's a big thing, from my point of view - the paying of tax. Too many people think that because they own a camera and someone paid them $200 to shoot a wedding, they're suddenly a pro. Or they have a Facebook page and a price list. But if they don't have a registered business, and pay income tax, they're kidding themselves and are just destroying the entire industry. That may sound harsh, but look at it from my point of view - I have to pay business registration, tax, accountant fees, insurance (equipment, and public liability of $20 million), professional organisation fees (AIPP) and a small legion of other incidentals, and have to then try to make a profit. Some idiot buys a camera, and then undercuts everyone by ridiculous margins (because they have none of those overheads), and it reduces the public expectation of what they should pay for photography! I'm not saying I'm competing with those people, but I am saying that my own work is devalued as a result. It affects the bottom line of the real pro photogs.
@ronphotography Haha! I'm not sure if you chose those words on purpose, but it made me laugh. :)
I've been running my business for about three years now. It isn't my sole source of income, but I am still a professional photographer. I can say this because my other source of income is as a Crime Scene Investigator, and my primary role is as Police Photographer. I shoot dead people. Other stuff too. But, essentially, 100% of my earnings are from photography. My business is at a point where it is difficult for me to grow it further without quitting my government job. I simply don't have time. I am knocking back work because of it. I turn over maybe $25-$30k each year, which is nowhere near enough to live on, but if I went full-time tomorrow I would need six months or so to get it to a point where it could sustain my family. Catch-22.
I did the usual thing I guess - was paid to shoot weddings for friends from when I was about 15 years old, studied photography whenever I had the time to attend courses (mostly darkroom stuff), and never really considered I could actually do it for a career. Then I got my government job, and got to know some pro wedding photogs, and the rest, as they say, is history - they mentored me and pointed me in the right direction, and now I run a business that is far more enjoyable (mostly) than my "day job". Not much of a story really, I guess. I just love creating art for people, and love seeing it hanging on their walls.
@jinximages Thank you for your unflinching honesty. I see your point. I just suddenly felt guilty since I settle for dinner as "payment" for a set of 10 pictures. I don't have any intentions of undercutting anyone or devaluing anyone's work. To me it's a means of honing my skills. I'm not yet confident that my body of work is worth anything quite frankly so if anyone inquires about my "services" I don't charge them. My thinking is that when I start charging the expectation will be so high that I fear I won't be able to deliver.
@nathantology I see no problem with that. There are always those situations where someone's skills will be requested because they have a talent. Those people (such as how you describe yourself) are not "pretenders", but rather people who enjoy doing something and are happy to do so for friends and family, and (almost always) in situations where a professional would never have been considered anyway. I know a number of people who are capable of being pro photogs, but they're not interested (or not confident) in "the business", but they still do odd-jobs for people they know, and they're not taking business away from anyone by doing so. The ones who make me mad are not those people, but rather the previously-mentioned Facebook page types, many of whom advertise openly that they are "way cheaper than all those overpriced professionals" and "we give you copyright on all your photos" (they don't even know what copyright is, clearly). These fauxtographers think that $200 for six hours of their time is somehow a profit, and they ignorantly damage the reputation of real photographers in the process because they devalue the whole profession in the eyes of the public. They get their 10c prints from the local department store, sell them for $1 each (or less), and cause clients to look at a pricelist like mine and scratch their heads as to how I charge $50 for "the same thing" (which of course it isn't). They sit there thinking that I'm making $49.90 profit, when in actual fact I'm making more like $15, and they have no idea how many of those I have to sell if I want to feed my family for the week.
@jinximages great point of view, and I agree with you. I have been shooting a few here and there family sets for "not very much," but I have not marketed myself as a pro. I am working on getting my LLC set up and I have a few "business of photography" classes in the near future (I'm in art school getting my BS in Photography), but I will not claim to be a pro unless and until I have a business that I have to pay taxes and insurance and all that jazz. It's nice to make a few extra bucks here and there, and I enjoy the work and the experience, but I know there's a lot more to being a pro than having a camera, some strobes, and a smugmug account and a facebook fan page.
Also - I am in total ENVY of your job. Can I ask how you got into police and crime-scene photography - did you go to school for investigation or criminal justice or something? (sorry if that sounds stupid, I would have no idea what path you would need to take) After a photojournalism class I took recently, that became one of my top 5 things on my photography profession list (#1 currently is sports) because I'm just a morbid person. I went to the morgue for my career day in high school - it's a long-time dream to be involved with criminal pathology and mortuary science.
@jinximages PERFECT definition. PERFECT. I can now say I'm officially a professional then, since 100% of my income is from photography. And I've got an appointment with that tax guy next week. (a little scared there on that one) LOL!
(and I too get so disappointed when a bride doesn't choose me because her friend has this camera and will take their pics for x amount, when I have to charge x amount. BAH.)
I used to think if you are getting paid, you are a professional. People are starting to ask if they can pay me for shoots. I am no where near a professional! I would say I am still just learning, or maybe 'portfolio building'. When/If I get a business license and everything that Jinx says, then I could call myself a professional.
@jinximages Thanks for humoring me. I chime in on most subjects because they are within the realm of my experience and I feel I can add my two cents (or pence for the english folk) but I fully realize that there are some subjects I have no frame of reference or knowledge on. However I do know you have current knowledge about this specific subject and I know you are almost always willing to help out.
@sdpace Cheers. :) I had to become an actual police officer first. A little unfortunate perhaps, but the experience as a criminal investigator means I understand what is needed by "the boys in blue" when I do my job now. Technically, I'm still a police officer - I have a badge and a gun and everything - but I don't actually do anything that resembles "policing". I'm a lab geek in blue overalls. I attend crime scenes, car/train/aircraft crashes, suicides, and post-mortem examinations, and then do some lab work to top it off. My study prior to it all was a mix of psychology, computer science, journalism, and English lit - nothing really to do with crime scene work, nor photography. But it was my photography experience that got me the job in Forensic Services Branch.
Most days I'd rather just be shooting portraits. ;)
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I've been asked several times to shoot for a fee but I'm the one who begs off. I feel that my work is not good enough. That's why my shoots are all free. At least for now. =P
When I was working for a magazine, only at events on media passes, and making money is when I decided I was a professional, at least when it comes to motorsports. I rarely rarely rarely touch photography for other people for free nowadays. I still struggle with the professional title, I use it kind of sporadically.
OK...now for a more civilized response to your question. Oh yeah...thanks for tagging me @shadesofgrey cause I've got nothing else to do on a Saturday night...oh, wait, in about fifteen minutes I do bwahahaha.
I completely agree with @bkbinthecity on this one. In my own opinion, the definition of a professional photographer is someone whose primary source of income is photography.
Now, I'm not talking about weekend moms-with-cameras shooting portraits of little leaguers. I'm talking about someone whose primary source, I'd say at least 70%, comes from the world of photography.
That's it. Seriously. It has nothing to do with equipment, nothing to do with education, and nothing to do with peer recognition.
Sure...my ego is large. Has to be for someone as awesome as me. But...I'm gonna tell you about myself for a minute. I don't much like talking about myself all that much, but I will for a moment.
When I first become a "professional" photographer I was earning about $1,200 a month shooting portraits, freelance newspaper assignments, selling prints online, and shooting high school sports portraits. I was using a Nikon D80 and D200, which are pretty old cameras at this point. I had a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens and the 18-55mm f/3.5-4.5 kit lens I got for free from a friend cause he knew it was a piece of shit to begin with. I've only ever taken one college class in photography and that was "Intro to the Principles of Photography", a six-week summer course. That's it. That's all there was to it.
Today, if you do a Google search for "South Carolina travel photographer" I'm usually #1, 2, and 3 on the first result page. From two aging camera bodies, a cheap lens, and a kit lens to where I am today.
The biggest difference between an amateur and a pro: the professional believes in himself, believes in the quality of his work, and knows that his work is worth more than free.
I had already found a passion for photography, but I wasn't making any money yet. I had been saving money for 8 years so I could buy a house, and suddenly I had to make a decision.
Get a "day job", keep my savings, and forever treat photography as an expensive hobby.
Or blow all the money on new equipment, market myself like crazy, and hopefully earn a career before I was completely broke.
I spent $10,000 on new equipment in three months. And I made it as a pro photographer. It doesn't always work out like that.
I can tell you this: it takes on average two years for a new photographer to get fully up and running. And a LOT of work. If you're willing, then do it.
@jinximages what's your story? Bet everyone's dying to hear it =)
I think that you need to earn money from it, and pay tax for that money. That's a big thing, from my point of view - the paying of tax. Too many people think that because they own a camera and someone paid them $200 to shoot a wedding, they're suddenly a pro. Or they have a Facebook page and a price list. But if they don't have a registered business, and pay income tax, they're kidding themselves and are just destroying the entire industry. That may sound harsh, but look at it from my point of view - I have to pay business registration, tax, accountant fees, insurance (equipment, and public liability of $20 million), professional organisation fees (AIPP) and a small legion of other incidentals, and have to then try to make a profit. Some idiot buys a camera, and then undercuts everyone by ridiculous margins (because they have none of those overheads), and it reduces the public expectation of what they should pay for photography! I'm not saying I'm competing with those people, but I am saying that my own work is devalued as a result. It affects the bottom line of the real pro photogs.
@ronphotography Haha! I'm not sure if you chose those words on purpose, but it made me laugh. :)
I've been running my business for about three years now. It isn't my sole source of income, but I am still a professional photographer. I can say this because my other source of income is as a Crime Scene Investigator, and my primary role is as Police Photographer. I shoot dead people. Other stuff too. But, essentially, 100% of my earnings are from photography. My business is at a point where it is difficult for me to grow it further without quitting my government job. I simply don't have time. I am knocking back work because of it. I turn over maybe $25-$30k each year, which is nowhere near enough to live on, but if I went full-time tomorrow I would need six months or so to get it to a point where it could sustain my family. Catch-22.
I did the usual thing I guess - was paid to shoot weddings for friends from when I was about 15 years old, studied photography whenever I had the time to attend courses (mostly darkroom stuff), and never really considered I could actually do it for a career. Then I got my government job, and got to know some pro wedding photogs, and the rest, as they say, is history - they mentored me and pointed me in the right direction, and now I run a business that is far more enjoyable (mostly) than my "day job". Not much of a story really, I guess. I just love creating art for people, and love seeing it hanging on their walls.
Ugh, I'd better stop ranting now. ;)
Also - I am in total ENVY of your job. Can I ask how you got into police and crime-scene photography - did you go to school for investigation or criminal justice or something? (sorry if that sounds stupid, I would have no idea what path you would need to take) After a photojournalism class I took recently, that became one of my top 5 things on my photography profession list (#1 currently is sports) because I'm just a morbid person. I went to the morgue for my career day in high school - it's a long-time dream to be involved with criminal pathology and mortuary science.
(and I too get so disappointed when a bride doesn't choose me because her friend has this camera and will take their pics for x amount, when I have to charge x amount. BAH.)
Most days I'd rather just be shooting portraits. ;)