wlgoode Loc: Globe, AZ

Ask any pro photographer how they got started, it was a hobby!

Gotta crawl before you walk, gotta walk before you run.

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

And, it really helped me working at Nikon for those years in support. I found out that I knew as much about photography as many of the NPS members that I supported. Also, I have "friends" there to call, lol. But mainly, it taught me that the difference between Amateur and Professional, was where the money came from, not how much you knew or how good your photos are.

wlgoode Loc: Globe, AZ

So true :thumbup: :thumbup:

Coyote9269 Loc: USA

This goes on in every field. I tore my acl and pcl. The hospital called it a bad sprain. I went to my doctor who gave me a physical exam and called it dead on. So I went to a specialist who sided with the hospital . The specialist further went on to say that my doctor was not a real doctor because he was a D.O. and not and M.D. so I demanded an MRI. Guess what the D.O. was right.

I look at life this way. Just because you can afford to own a 50 zillion dollar sports car does not make you a good driver. The million dollar shot can be taken by anyone of us or non of us. Being something is has nothing to do with the price of your education or your equipment. It has to do with you and how you achieve your goals.

Part of being a Professional means acting in a professional manner. Perhaps not by the actual definition but by my standards. One could be the greatest photographer in the world but might not get very much work if he or she showed up to a black tie event and was only wearing a loin cloth.

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

I agree completely. I was in a computer store one day and the guy ahead of me was giving the computer guy a hard time because he had purchased a processor and taken It back to his home to install it. He claimed that the processor was bad and the store needed to return it. The computer associate explained and pointed to a sign that said that "all memory and processors NOT installed by our service are WITHOUT warranty and done do at the owners risk". The customer said, "Well I am an MD and I can certainly do something as simple as install my own processor!"" I looked at the processor and the center was blown out by static charge. I asked the Doctor if the processor was like that when he bought it. He said, "Of course not, that's why it is defective." I laid a pocket knife on the counter and said, "I have a degree in Electrical Engineering Computer Design, Let me operate on your knee!" The doctor grabbed his processor and left.. lol

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Yep.

wings42 Loc: San Diego, CA

There are all kind of snobs, such as the equipment snobs who drip superiority because they have the latest gazillion mm f1.4 lens on a multi thousand dollar body. :thumbdown: :thumbdown: :thumbdown:

Then there are the wonderful folks here who help in a non-condescending way people who are trying to learn and improve as photographers. To them I say "I appreciate the time and effort you give us sharing your hard earned skill and knowledge. You make the world a better place and make me want to be a better person." :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

What some people don't realize is that while they may be an expert at certain parts of an endeavor, be it Portrait work, landscape, Computer building, Brain surgeon, or heart surgeon, garbage collector, we don't know all of the aspects we may run into or everything about everyone else's issue. Often times it is the group as a whole that solves the problem and not any one member but each of us provides a piece of the puzzle and move the issue along.

billybob40

If you enjoy what you do, do it for you. to many people go to work every day and heat it others love it.
You enjoy what you do, people DO NOT make your living or p--- in your beer. DO IT YOUR WAY. PO is bull.
You do a job the best you can and make the person happy your doing it for that's a PO. Money has nothing to do with it.

Marionsho Loc: Kansas

:thumbup: :thumbup:

Dadu10 Loc: Atlanta, GA

If you love photography why should you bother about somebody else's comment about your photography skill especially since you persue your passion for your own pleassure.

Dick Z. Loc: Downers Grove IL

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

wingclui44 Loc: CT USA

Right on!
:thumbup: :thumbup:

PhotosBySteve

After having read all the comments on this thread, I would like to chime in with my own experience or pending experience regarding professional photography.
I am nearing retirement, four months and counting. As I told my wife the other night, I am planning to make photography my new profession after retirement. Even if it's only making enough money to support my habit/hobby. I have always loved photography and have been told by countless people over the past fifty years that I should pursue photography as a career. Until recently I could never afford the proper equipment to learn the skill of photography. I have sold many pieces and done several weddings over the years, usually with borrowed or rented equipment. I now own some fairly good equipment and I myself am finally starting to admire my own work almost as much as others do.
I am still afraid to call myself a PRO despite the fact that hundreds of people over the decades have referred to me as a pro, which I usually reply, "No, just an amateur"
I would like to thank everyone on this site for helping me to learn more about the fine art of photography. It confirms the fact that I still and always will have a lot to learn and will never learn it all. I believe that is one thing I love about photography, is that it is a constant learning process, which brings joy to what I do.

waterbug49307 Loc: All over, currently Big Rapids Michigan

I have no regrets because I did what I loved. I now shot for me and me alone because I do what I love. Photography is more than a job and if you can't see that - you are in the wrong profession and you have my sincere sympathy for you know not what you have missed and you never will.