Marionsho Loc: Kansas

Welcome to the Hog, RAMundyFL.

Marion

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

The word "pro" can also be spelled "con", so there's that. 😜😜

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Professional means you do it for a living, or as one key, integral element of your work.

Unfortunately, despite the existence of a few professional photography schools and associations, ‘professional’ implies little about artistic and technical competency. I worked in a professional color lab for 33 years, in many roles. I met all different sorts of pros. The best photographers were some of the worst business people. The most successful were barely photographers! So I completely understand your statement about amateurs often being better at their photography.

Successful professional photographers are business people, first. Marketing and sales come before production.

anotherview Loc: California

A so-called professional photographer earns money doing photography. This distinction has little if anything to do with worthy photography. Primarily, it signifies that the photographer who earns money taking pictures knows how to market his photographic efforts.

We may account for the non-professional photographer producing better photographs by bearing in mind that not all photographers wish to go into business doing photography.
Yet, they produce worthy photographs anyhow.

In fact, the non-pro may spend more time gaining and practicing photographic and processing skills because he does not have to face the hurry-up pressure of submitting an invoice for his work. He may do photography without the distortion of economic gain in mind when he selects a subject before he presses the shutter button.
Thus, he will find himself free of the compulsion to find and take "the money shot." Instead, he can follow his eye and his bent when doing his photography.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Professional is defined as "a person engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as a pastime". I think that sums it up.

CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida

To me a professional takes photos that someone else wants and will pay to have. The client usually wants to document something and the pro takes photos that do that. Sometimes the subject is a wedding or some other family event and the photos may be artistic.
As a pro, over the years I've taken photos of the foundation of a motel washed out by a creek and wooded lots and other things that were "pro" photos but certainly not beautiful.

petercbrandt Loc: New York City, Manhattan

Interesting question; I've been a 'pro' for 50 years and now retired. But you probably know that those people who love to shoot, never retire. So now that I don't shoot for $$$$$$, Am I demoted to a hobbyist / amateur ?

russelray Loc: La Mesa CA

That definition assumes there is only one source of "income" in life. Thus, I would have to disagree with that definition for those people who are older and have had a successful business career and saved some money during that successful business career, for people who were born rich and still have some of that money they acquired by birth, for people who inherited wealth and still have some of that money, and for people who won the lottery and still have some of that money.

I would changed the definition of photographer to something like: "If your only "profession" is photography."

That way, if someone has over 51% of their income from investments but their only profession is as a photographer, then they are a professional photographer.

I'm in the first category as a 63-year-old. My "Photographic Art by Russel Ray Photos" is my only profession from which I currently am averaging a little over $10,000 a month in sales. That's a little over $120,000 annually, yet that is nowhere close to 50% of my gross annual income because of my investment income, rental income, and royalty income.

petercbrandt Loc: New York City, Manhattan

I wish, in America, it would be more like in Europe, in the sense that one needs to acquire a 'masters degree' before allowing to become a 'pro'. That would qualify you in your skill rather than money amount.

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

Now I don't know what I am. I don't make 100% of my money in photography but I don't make less than 50% as said above. I sell pictures to the public and also do work for a news paper. I have retired and get a pension and Social Security (a government hand out as some elected officials say- I worked till 72).
Now that I think about it ---I don't care what they call me - amateur or pro.

petercbrandt Loc: New York City, Manhattan

Good, just have fun !

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

NO, I strongly disagree. Your training and professionalism will follow you into retirement. You may not get $$$$$$$ anymore but you are still a PROFESSIONAL.

jackinkc Loc: Kansas City

I define a “Pro” as a competent person who supports him/herself with the photographic craft or art.

hookedupin2005 Loc: Northwestern New Mexico

[quote=lesdmd]Professional usually denotes a degree of competence and quality but mainly means that there is a sale of product.[

The question of "pro" vs. "amatuer" was brought up many years ago, when I took some firefighting classes. (I was a volunteer, and was never paid.) The instructor said basically the same thing lesdmd said, But also said that he felt you did not have to be paid to be a professional. The general consensus is that you DO have to be paid, but what if I sold one photo in all my years of photography? Does that make me a professional?

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Just add "with 50 years of professional experience" to the hobbyist/amateur description...