After writing my rant on photography I realized I needed to clarify some things. My intention was not to say you shouldn’t consider yourself a photographer unless that’s how you make a living. My hope was to express the importance of patience and practice. I am frustrated by the sense of entitlement surrounding our generation. I love the fact that people everywhere now have the ability to capture their everyday lives on camera. The technology today makes it possible for friends and families to stay connected whether they’re across town or across the world. Websites like flickr and vimeo and tumblr have made it really easy to stay connected with people. This is the upside to all our technology.
Which brings me to my point. What is the difference between the enthusiasts and the professionals? An enthusiasts is someone who does it for fun but without any real knowledge of what they’re doing. They may be learning, which is good, but they haven’t reached that level of professionalism yet. A professional is someone who does it for fun but has the knowledge and experience to know when to break the rules.
It’s really hard to be so black and white with an issue that has so many grey areas. I believe we are all learning day-to-day about how to be better at what we love to do. At least I can speak for myself. For someone just starting out the feeling will be totally different than someone who’s been in the game for 10-20 years.
Wherever you on your professional journey please know that there will always be those ahead of you and those behind you. Just be humble and gracious to accept any amount of recognition you get in this life. No one likes a douche.