BigDaddy Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

To me being a professional generally refers to earning a living at something. It does not mean you are really good at something, just good enough, or a good enough salesman to earn a living at it. It does suggest you're good at whatever it is people are willing to support you to do it for them. Plenty of amateur photographers are good enough to be professional, but choose not to for a variety of reasons.

Some professions require a license and/or a degree to earn a living at it. Earning a living as a Doctor or Lawyer requires being licensed. Far as I know you can earn a living as a photographer just by earning a living doing it. You may be a better salesman than a photographer, but you're still a professional photographer. You may be a lousy doctor, lawyer or photographer, but if enough people are willing to pay you enough to support you, your still a professional.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Comparing professional photographs to health, legal, and financial professionals and certain licused trades, specific affiliations, and licensing as a matter of health, safety, and public protection. If a photoghrpaer produces sub-standard work nobody gets sicker and dies, goes to prison, goes bankrupt, or has their house burned down due to shoddy workmanship. Of course, pro photograhers, all retailers, and all commercial entities are subject to consumer protection laws,
and civil lawsuits.

There are professional photographers' associations that have codes of ethics, and standards, and issue degrees a various levels of competence and performance, however, membership is voluntary and NOT mandatory.

In today's market environment, it is doubtful that a truly inferior photographer can sustain their business for a very long time. Neighborhood brick and morter walk-in studios are disappearing and pro photoghaers are depending on good word of mouth and referrals for business longevity. The hacks and charlatans will fall by the wayside in this environment. In the retail sector." buyer beware" still applies. If folks opt for an unknown quantity rather than a reputable professional they may be subject to disappointment. In the commercial sector, publishers, art directors, and ad agency account executives are more discerning and people producing poorly crafted work will not survive in this market.

Even if a photographer is artistically and technically talented, there is no guarantee they can be successful without business acumen. The concept, however, that a "lousey" or mediocre photoghaer can prosper if that is a "good salesperson" is becoming more of a myth every day. Most folks are not sight-impaired or stupid- they are exposed to good images every day on TV, in movies, magazines, posters, advertising, packaging, art museums, and galleries.

My first employer and mentor in this business told me an important philosophy on day one. There are "photoghreers" who TALK a good job and photographers to DO a good job- they are seldom the same "photograher"!

Any of y'all can get into the entomology of the word "professional" all day long. For me, "gettg paid" is not the definition of true professionalism. Money is the reward for good work.

OldCADuser Loc: Irvine, CA

I'll go back to the idea that not only was I a 'licensed' professional engineer (with the document that I was required to display in my office certifying such), but I earned my living as a professional engineer for nearly 50-years, and the pensions I now enjoy, including what I'm receiving from Social Security, this continues to allow me to describe myself, even now after seven-years being retired, as an engineer, in the professional sense.

That being said, I've spent a much longer period of time taking pictures, and even though there were periods, while I was in school, that the money I earned free-lancing and working for the university as a photographer, including running one of their darkrooms, helped put food on the table, I never earned enough to actually live on so I never really referred to myself as a professional. Even today, after selling 57 images to a stock photo house, I still consider myself a serious amateur, since the money is very minimal and sporadic, although I do report it on my income tax.

So I guess you can put it this way; it's not what you do, it's what it allows you to do.

zarathu Loc: Bar Harbor, MDI, Maine

Professional is simply a measure of whether people will, given the opportunity and interest, purchase your product. If you are a professional counselor and you have clients who stay with you, you are professional.

In terms of photography, if you are accepted for gallery shows, and people buy your photographs when you show them, then you are a professional.

If no one wants your product, no matter how much education you have or training you have, then you cannot be considered a professional.

Professionalism is simply a measure of the acceptance by the marketplace.

BebuLamar

I must add if people do want your products and want to buy it but you don't sell you're not a professional either.

zarathu Loc: Bar Harbor, MDI, Maine

Yes....until recently I WAS IN THAT CATEGORY. People I know had been telling me for years that my work was worthy of being as good or better than the stuff that was in galleries and shows. But due to inferiority, I resisted. Suddenly I decided to participate in some shows after my Photo Club hired me to present the HOW of my making my photo work so unusual, at one of our club meetings. After a couple of sales, and a member who put one of my works in her house, and then had everyone who visited remark on it, I HAVE begun to show my work. And behold, people actually have asked to purchase---even when I said, "not for sale".

Recently I purchased a 13 x 19 printer with metal impregnated paper. MY SPOUSE was having a meeting, and after printing, i would bring the pieces out to show them. Every time, there were people in the group who said spontaneously(and in one case, two at the same time): “Oh Wow!” And so I changed the name of my photo company to “OH WOW! Photography”.