Do you consider people who do portrait work at Walmart, Sears etc to be professionals

[skieur]

At the Wal-Mart near me, the camera and lighting in the portrait studio are pre-set. The 'photographer' cannot make any camera/lens/lighting adjustments and only presses the shutter release button once the subjects have arranged themselves for the shot.

I disagree that paid=professional.

Actually the term for what you describe is "technician". I used to supervise technicians in photography and television camera work.

skieur

 

[blackrose89]

At the Wal-Mart near me, the camera and lighting in the portrait studio are pre-set. The 'photographer' cannot make any camera/lens/lighting adjustments and only presses the shutter release button once the subjects have arranged themselves for the shot.

I disagree that paid=professional.

Actually the term for what you describe is "technician". I used to supervise technicians in photography and television camera work.

skieur

I think "photography technician" is a very accurrate way to define it.

 

[o hey tyler]

At the Wal-Mart near me, the camera and lighting in the portrait studio are pre-set. The 'photographer' cannot make any camera/lens/lighting adjustments and only presses the shutter release button once the subjects have arranged themselves for the shot.

I disagree that paid=professional.

Actually the term for what you describe is "technician". I used to supervise technicians in photography and television camera work.

skieur

I think "photography technician" is a very accurrate way to define it.

I thought "Actuator of shutters" to be most fitting.

 

[Ron Evers]

Here, even teachers want to be called professionals.

 

[Buckster]

Whoa! What was that?! I'm experiencing a very strong sense of deja vu! I think there must be a glitch in the matrix!

 

[DiskoJoe]

I had a friend that did this at jcpenny's. They got her a d3 to work with.

 

[kundalini]

Do you consider people who do portrait work at Walmart, Sears etc to be professionals

I call them employeed and that can't be a bad thing.

and since we're using dictionary definitions........

to the previous replies, I'm not asking if it makes them good, I'm asking if it makes them technically a "professional photographer" weather or not you care for the photos.

weath·er


 /ˈwɛð

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-er] Show IPA
noun
1. the state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, cloudiness, moisture, pressure, etc.

2. a strong wind or storm or strong winds and storms collectively: We've had some real weather this spring.

3. a weathercast: The radio announcer will read the weather right after the commercial.

4. Usually, weathers. changes or vicissitudes in one's lot or fortunes: She remained a good friend in all weathers.


verb (used with object)
5. to expose to the weather; dry, season, or otherwise affect by exposure to the air or atmosphere: to weather lumber before marketing it.

6. to discolor, disintegrate, or affect injuriously, as by the effects of weather: These crumbling stones have been weathered by the centuries.

7. to bear up against and come safely through (a storm, danger, trouble, etc.): to weather a severe illness.

8. Nautical . (of a ship, mariner, etc.) to pass or sail to the windward of: to weather a cape.

9. Architecture . to cause to slope, so as to shed water.







Just sayin'

 

[skieur]

Here, even teachers want to be called professionals.

Where have you been? They have been called professionals for 50 years or so.

skieur

 

[Ron Evers]

Here, even teachers want to be called professionals.

Where have you been? They have been called professionals for 50 years or so.

skieur

Laf!

My dad & younger sister retired from teaching. Dad told of a bunch of teachers lamenting in the staff room that they were not treated like professionals & he quipped they may be, if they acted like pros. He was not one to mince words. Dad & my sister entered into teaching the same year, he obviousy had real world experience before going into teaching, she did not.

I think that the OP would have been better asking if we thought the Walmart etc. photographers were competent. That has been adequately covered above.

 

[blackrose89]

This doesn't make sense why would I ask that when this was not my question as I already specified here

to the previous replies, I'm not asking if it makes them good, I'm asking if it makes them technically a "professional photographer" weather or not you care for the photos.

The question is not are they competant, good photographers, it simply means "are they technically professionals"

 

[Derrel]

"If a bear chits in the woods, but nobody is there to smell it, does the chit still stink?" No, wait,wait,wait, I've got my stories mixed up...

...hmm....lemmee see, lemmmeee see, oh yeah!!! : "If a WalMart photographer presses the shutter button when nobody is in front of the camera, is a portrait still made?"

 

[cgipson1]

If you took one of these people.. gave them lights, stands, backgrounds and a camera, and they had to set it up and take portraits..... 99% of them would not be able to do so. They don't have any of the needed knowledge (Professional Knowledge). They might be professional retail employees... but I wouldn't call them professional photographers.

Most of them are just retail employees.. using a preset and locked into place configuration.... that sometimes delivers decent quality, but seldom (if ever) excellent quality. Usually the quality is less than decent.. but the consumers that use them typically don't know any better.

 

[Patrice]

I'm going to be a pedant for bit just because I want to.

In a strict legal sense of the word, in Canada anyway, a 'profession' exist through a specific act of the legislative assembly of a province. A person becomes a professional in a chosen field after passing a set of qualifying exams and completing a specified period of specialized and professional education and supervised work. Only other members of a profession are empowered to admit new members and the professional governing committee has the power to sanction members. The professions are self governing with a set of self imposed rules and methods of practice and are guided by a strict and well defined code of ethics. The classical professions in Canada are medicine, engineering, law and land surveying.

By this definition no photographer of any sort is a 'professional' since anybody at all can set up a shingle and start taking pictures, whereas there are real and severe legal repercussions to someone starting a legal, medical, engineering or land surveying practice without the proper accreditation from the governing body of those professions.

 

[Overread19 7]

Which is why we typically default to the "if you get paid you're a professional" definition, since we don't have any sort of standard set of tests to pass to be photographers of any capacity. So we fall back on the idea that the client is what matters and this if clients pay for your work you're working in a professional capacity.

Of course the problem is that people like to think of the idea that a professional is somehow better than average; or is at least competent in their field. Those that are professionals don't want to be lumped with the "bad" professionals whilst those who aspire to be professional (or at least find them to be inspiring) don't wish to have the idea of people of lesser skill than them having the title.

And then we get english teachers that get all bent out of shape about the little words.

In the end its a quagmire of opinions of various random people, each one generally as valid as the next because no one person or group has stood up and taken (for right or wrong) charge of things.

 

[Ron Evers]

Patrice, you forgot architects.