I had an interesting experience recently, as all home owners do. I had to hire someone to do some repairs on the house. I also took the opportunity to do some upgrades as well. The specifics don’t matter, but the quality of work does. The company I hired boldly advertised their services as delivered by highly trained, professional technicians. I hear that phrasing a lot, especially from those selling services, including photography, with the latter usually accompanied by the words “award-winning” as well. Of course it started me thinking of a blog topic, What does “professional” actually mean? Read on.
An easy definition of “professional” is someone who undertakes an activity full-time. An equally useful definition is someone who makes their living from that activity. But neither of those is qualitative. Both define quantity – of time and/or of money. I am a full-time retiree. All of my income comes from my retirement. I guess that makes me a professional retiree, based on my two stated definitions of professional. It is certainly my favourite job ever. But I digress.
There are also professional designations like engineer, teacher, doctor, etc. These require years of specialized prescribed training, and you get an official credential at the end. That is the epitome of qualitative labelling, and indisputable, yes? But most of us can point to engineers, teachers, even doctors who maybe were less qualified than their credential suggested. The system certainly isn’t perfect.
What about other “professions” that are not generally credential-based, like photographer? There is formal training available, even some apprenticeships, but for the most part, practitioners make their own way in the world. Can they be truly professionals too?
There was a recent YouTube video from a professional landscape photographer who has decided that his career has come to an end. He defined professional in both of the quantitative ways I mention above. But he had come to the conclusion that this life was no longer sustainable. It had been a second career after being a policeman. But he also defined his career by the acceptance and attention he received from his customers and audience. And that had diminished significantly. So it was time for a change.
If you do depend on a specific set of activities to earn an income, then I will concede that, if successful, you can label yourself a professional. Successfully earning an income from those activities can be an indirect qualitative verification that you are what you say, since people are willing to pay you for practicing your craft. Most photographers, however, do not earn a “living wage” from their work, like the gent above. Not today. There are lots of reasons why, including the advent of AI. So earning a living, in my view, is not any longer a really good benchmark for professionalism in photography.
In fact, the opposite can be true. There are financially successful photographers that, again in my view, are only in it for the money and yes, they have a formula for that form of success. I don’t pick up from them any degree of “professional pride” in their work, especially when every other sentence they speak is an ad for a product they are trying to sell. But they hustle and do work hard and are good at what they offer.
So what is that mass of talent out there, if not professionals in a quantitative sense or through acceptance and attention? Can they still be labelled as professionals? What then defines that?
Over the years, I’ve settled on a definition of professionalism that works for me. To me, a professional, in any sphere including photography, is someone who has invested in learning their craft, has developed a personal style and approach, is meticulous in delivering quality results, learns from and evolves from their experiences and does not in any way seek or expect recognition – they do it for themselves. In fact, on the latter point, they can often be surprised by the praise that comes to them repeatedly for something they do because they are passionate about it and have to do it.
That latter point especially is key. I have known both money-earning artists and true hobbyists who exemplify this trait. Nowhere on their website or social media accounts appear the words “award-winning”. Some may list the specific recognition events (articles, shows, contests) from which they have benefitted, but only as a statement of fact, not as a judgment of their skills. In fact, if I see the words “award-winning” in the byline of an artist, I will likely steer clear of them.
One other trait common to my cadre of professionals is their willingness to share their passion for their work. They often volunteer their time, sometimes at a financial detriment to themselves, to help others who have the same interests. They teach, counsel and encourage, in ways that make their interactions thoroughly enjoyable and fun, even if to them, the session could be delivered in their sleep. They take true joy in seeing others have an ah-ha moment that they helped get them to.
I follow several professional photographers specifically for these reasons. I’ve never been disappointed. Interestingly, some of these have declared a pull-back on their professional activities, not because they are less popular or passionate, but because as is the case with all of us, age and stamina are catching up with them. For me, it will make their online and in-person activities all that much more precious.
Bottom line: find that cohort of professional folks for you that you can admire, and take as much enjoyment of their activities as they do themselves. You won’t regret it. And say thank you every so often, although they will likely wonder why you are doing so.
Oh, and about those home repairs. Sadly, the company I hired did not live up to its advertising, although the work itself was completed after several complaints from me and repeated visits. I’ve found several true professionals over the course of my lengthy home ownership, and I go back to them again and again. Too bad this company won’t be one of them.
oldgirlphotography.ca 