My Mac Pro broke down!

Two days after I got my brand new smoking fast Mac Pro, I had to return it and exchange for another one because one of the fan was making this annoying humming clicking noise. You can't hear it unless you're in a quiet room. And I'm sure Apple's factory isn't that quiet. :-) So, I can't really blame them for not catching it.

Now, my Mac Pro is one month old. Guess what? The cutting-edge dual-layer DVD burner just died on me. To be fair, Apple didn't make that drive. Pioneer did. I just seem to have a streak of bad luck!!!

Despite all these problems, Apple is very good at handling them. I brought my Mac Pro back to one of the Apple store and got another brand new one. For the DVD drive, Apple order a replacement part for me and should recieve it in one to three days. The only hassle is bring this super heavy Mac Pro to the Apple Store.

The fan is as quiet as when it was brand new. Hard drive is quiet unless I'm cranking out work with it.

The only down-side of owning a Mac Pro now is the expensive RAM and DL DVD disc. I'm just using single-layer DVD disc.

Margaret Bourke-White - first American war journalist

Margaret is a great example of why I want to become a photographer. A great photographer needs to create a picture that's so powerful that there are simply no words to describe it.

Click here for one of my favorite picture of hers.

You may be a professional photographer

From a non-photographer's eyes, anyone holding a big camera will seem like a professional photographer. It's less so nowadays because affordable digital SLR is getting more and more popular. But what really makes a photographer professional. The answer may be shockingly simple.

You can look up the definition of "professional" in a dictionary, but it's really quite simple. If you get paid for taking a picture for some one, you're a professional photographer. Another equally valid definition is that if you are competent and skillfull, having and showing the skill appropriate to a professional, then you're a professional photographer. The latter is a recursive definition. :-) So, next time, when your grandma asks you to take a picture for her, ask for a buck or two for the job well-done and you'd become a professional photographer instantly.

By the above definition, I am a professional photographer. :-) Of course, it's not that simple. On one hand, I know of a lot of photographers who start charging for a job with lousy pictures to show the clients. The amazing thing is, their clients don't think the pictures are lousy. What's that famous saying? "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder!"

On the other hand, there are a lot of amazing professional photographers who do what they love in a firing passion and produce amazing photographs. They are all humble and respect each other's work. They push the frontier in photography. These are the kind of photographer I want to be one day. These are the true professional artists.

What makes a photographer a photographer?

What makes a photographer a photographer? This is as difficult to answer as asking what makes a pianist a pianist. Different pianist will have different definition. When you sit down in front of the piano and play note by note from a sheet, do you call yourself a pianist. When I pick up a point-and-shoot camera and snap away, do I become a photographer?

Hopefully, by writing out my thoughts in the next series of blogs, I'd be able to answer myself what it means to be a photographer.

First, I'd like to examine how most non-photographers tell if I am a photographer. I am looking at it from the non-photographers point of view based on my past interaction with non-photographers.

People get impressed easily if you shoot using a bigger camera than a point-and-shoot compact camera. Usually a SLR (single lens reflex) camera will get you a date. :-) No kidding! If you add a really big lens to your SLR, you'd get a hot date. :-) Don't believe me? I recently shoot at an event. I carried two camera bodies with huge long lens. I was in the same event with two other professional photographers, but I looked more "impressive." The two real pros carried the least amount of gears. Yet, all the girls swarmed toward me complimenting how professional I am. If I wasn't married already...

This is really not uncommon. Before this event, I got my fair share of inquiries, "Are you a professional?" when I carry my bluky SLR shooting on the street. Worst, when I used to be a landscape and nature photographer in National Park with my big tripod, people swarmed to my spot and try to get the same professional shot. Sometimes, people will even ask me to let them see what's in my camera's viewfinder.

If you're a non-photographer, it's easier just to assume people carrying large camera isn't a photographer. Most likely, that person can't even fully master his newly acquired high-tech toy. :-)

I used the word "professional" a lot in this blog, but what's a professional photographer? I think I'll address this in my next blog.