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Thanks to Jack and Guy and Pro vs Amateur

How serious are you in Photography?

  • Full Time Professional Photographer

    Votes: 7 25.9%
  • Part Time Professional Photographer

    Votes: 6 22.2%
  • Serious Amateur Photographer

    Votes: 11 40.7%
  • Casual Amateur Photographer

    Votes: 1 3.7%
  • Not a Photographer

    Votes: 2 7.4%

  • Total voters
    27
  • Poll closed .

gogopix

Subscriber
I was wondering what to do with the 1,000th post. Nice time to express some thanks to Guy, Jack and the team for providing a useful, sometimes profitable (sold my first 2 lenses here!) and often amusing, frustrating annoying exasperating and exhilarating enlightening and hillarious community!

It struck me that photography is a little like driving; pros are a minority. Taxi's, truck and sedan drivers are a tiny minority of drivers. The populous by one count bought 100 million cameras and I bet there are 30-50 million regular "amateur photographers"

Pro? 150,000.... that's it!

You can't be an amateur doctor or lawyer, plumber or electrician (in the latter case I fear the Home Depot crowd) but you can be a photographer.

SOOOooooo how many here are. Just five categories. But remember, unlike the 300-400,000 practicing docs, the 150,000 pro photogs need to lift themselves above tens of millions of us amateurs.

Please be honest; if you mortgage payment does not depend on clicks, you aint a full timer!

best regards
Victor
 

Ben Rubinstein

Active member
Pro wedding photographer, full time.

I'm not sure that your last statement is correct. A pro does not necessarily have to be better than the amatuer, a pro has to get the job done, to the satisfaction of their client and at a level high enough to garuantee further work. Each and every time. An amatuer may have a portfolio superior to that of the pro, but can they do that day in, day out, under pressure, when they're having a bad day, when the kid just got sent home with a bad report and all hell is erupting, when they have a stinking headache, etc.

My friend, the man who I apprenticed with, has been a PJ for the past 20 years. You look at his work and you won't be wowed. He isn't Bresson. His work however graces the pages of the Guardian and Independant newspaper every work. Consistency is more important to a pro than eratic wowness. The pro who wow's with every shoot is a rare creature and you yourself can probably name a few, they are known for their talent.

I know just how important the maxim 'you're only as good as your last job' is with my work. I'm only ever as good as my last job and each and every wedding I do will be seen as an advert of 'the best I can do' by people who won't see my other wedding that week which was so much better.

I've got a friend who is an up and coming photographer in Jerusalem. He took a mindblowing image at a recent wedding. Never seen a better bridal portrait in my life. Point is though that potential brides will see it and be wowed. Then they will ask to see the rest of the wedding which was very mediocre at best. Consistency, throughout a job and from job to job is more important than occasional flashes of brilliance.

A brilliant portfolio is only ever as brilliant as the conditions and timescale in which it was taken and how repeatable it can be on a day to day basis IMO.
 
Last edited:

kevinparis

Member
Agree a lot with Ben

not sure where to tick the box on the poll... definately not a professional photographer, either full or part time - definately not a serious amateur - nothing i do is that serious :)

but then again I am not a casual amateur - i have too much experience and money invested to to say its a casual thing

maybe its best i tick 'not a photographer' and just keep thinking of myself who takes photographs for my own gratification


:)

K
 

Ben Rubinstein

Active member
I've got a far better idea for a poll more suited to this forum:

What level of a gear slut are you?

a)Guy Mancuso
b)Jack Flesher
c)Marc Williams (fotografz)

:ROTFL::ROTFL:
 

rayyan

Well-known member
I do not consider myself a photographer. Instead of recording in my diary
I let my camera do the work. Everyday things, everyday people. Things I did
and they did. Interests me..click. else move on.
 

gogopix

Subscriber
Interesting distribution; I would have expected more serious amateurs. Well, it's early in the poll....
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
I've got a far better idea for a poll more suited to this forum:

What level of a gear slut are you?

a)Guy Mancuso
b)Jack Flesher
c)Marc Williams (fotografz)

:ROTFL::ROTFL:
Hmmm tough call but I would put Jack and Marc tied for first. Oh and i should talk just installed a Epson 7900 printer. Man this sucker is HUGE. Freaking gorgeous though.
 
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