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.
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.
posted by Shutter Bug at 10:42 PM
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