whats makes the photographer?

TLTownsend · Sep 30, 2007

I think if you own a camera and you take pictures then your photographer. Now before anyone start firing on me. I feel this because on every site and other areas you always see spots for Beginners, Advanced and up to Pros.

Being able to call yourself a Photographer does not mean your good or bad. It is a title. Your status in that title depends on your knowledge, experience and ability.

Though I do feel one must have a love for taking pictures to be a photographer. I do it strictly to relax and I love it. The title means nothing to me. What it means to others is their choice.

This just my opinion and nothing more.

Don Simon · Sep 30, 2007

craig said:
With all due respect; you could not be further from the truth. Pros are really good at what they do.

Love & Bass

Sorry but I have to disagree; Mike is sadly quite close to the truth... good pros are really good at what they do. Bad pros can and do survive and sell to people who don't know any better, to people who want the lowest price, or where there is inadequate competition.

Essence Of Perception · Sep 30, 2007

I think having a great imagination is a big key in the role.

chris_arnet · Sep 30, 2007

Garbz said:
I think it would be the mindset. A non-photographer buys an expensive digital camera for his holidays. A photographer is someone who will get up at sunrise, or hike up the mountain for the sunset, or walk somewhere and wait for the perfect moment. If you can say that you truly enjoy taking photos and make an effort to do so, I think only then can you call yourself a photographer.

Icon72 said:
Very well said. Whether you make money or not, whether you have formal training or not are of little consequence in my opinion. I would say a real "photographer" is someone with a passion for the art and a strong visual sense of what makes a photograph a photograph instead of just another random snap shot. Your level of photographic knowledge is important as well. All in all a tough question really.

craig said:
A photographer and or artist has a creative mind. When you can make the lamest subject look interesting then you know you are on the right track.

Love & Bass

Essence Of Perception said:
I think having a great imagination is a big key in the role.

all this put together would be my exact answer.

JimmyJaceyMom · Sep 30, 2007

Garbz said:
Just because I am an amature doesn't mean I'm not a photographer. I also don't think there's a requirement to be good.

I think it would be the mindset. A non-photographer buys an expensive digital camera for his holidays. A photographer is someone who will get up at sunrise, or hike up the mountain for the sunset, or walk somewhere and wait for the perfect moment. If you can say that you truly enjoy taking photos and make an effort to do so, I think only then can you call yourself a photographer.

What a good way to put it.

Mesoam · Oct 1, 2007

being able to see things people normally don't...

Chris of Arabia · Oct 1, 2007

Mesoam said:
being able to see things people normally don't...

Like a proctologist you mean? :lmao:

Alex_B · Oct 1, 2007

The photorapher with respect to an image is the one who operated the camera to take the image, full stop.
Simple as that.

Whenever Aunt Annie uses her mobil phone to take an image, then she is a photographer. Not neccessarily a good one, but still a photographer.

A pro photographer is someone who earns money on a more or less regular basis by taking images. In that case images do not need to be artistic, but they have to serve the purpose. For some purposes, art is involved though.

An amateur photographer is someone who does not
regularly sell images or is not regularly hired to take images.

Alex_B · Oct 1, 2007

Garbz said:
If you can say that you truly enjoy taking photos and make an effort to do so, I think only then can you call yourself a photographer.

I totally disagree here ... There many people who clean windows for a living, but some of them do not enjoy it at all, they are not even good at it! Still they are window cleaners and can call themselves that. And this holds also true for all other things, teachers, football players who do not enjoy it but do it only for the girls .... and whatever.

It is not the effort, or the love or the degree of quality you do operate your camera with which makes you a photograper. These things do make you a dedicated, enthusiast and good photograper in the end.

sabbath999 · Oct 1, 2007

I have thought about this for a while, and the only answer I can come up with is "a photographer is somebody who takes pictures".

Whether pictures are good or bad is entirely subjective, so passing value judgments (to me) seems simply expressing one's opinion. There is nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't make the person with the opinion right or wrong.

Far more important of a question (to me) is when one asks his/her self "what will make ME a BETTER photographer".

Alex_B · Oct 1, 2007

sabbath999 said:
Far more important of a question (to me) is when one asks his/her self "what will make ME a BETTER photographer".

Exactly!

elsaspet · Oct 1, 2007

There's photographer at heart, and I love Hertz example here.
Then there is photography by trade. I think to be a good one, you have to be a photographer at heart, and then be able to capture the hearts of others.

hammerhead_05 · Oct 1, 2007

In my opinion - a good photographer should not only be able to take good pictures and capture lifes most memorable moments, but be able to do it on the spot. Quick decisions must be made when you press that shutter button. Not only the composition, color, and subject...but you should also know what you are going to do with the file after it is uploaded to your PC. If you can do this - and do it quickly without stopping and thinking about it for moments at a time...then you are, in my book, a skilled photographer on one level.
The second part to be labeled a good photographer would be able to master the human-to-human interaction. Psychology can play a huge role in this business. I'm not talking about tricking people in to buying something that they dont want - but being able to put a true smile on someones face, giving the suject comfort and making them feel at home and not rushed. There are many aspects - and for some, this could be a hard hurdle to jump! Some people interact with people better than others. You want to be able to give your clients a great experience when you are shooting them. When they leave - you want them to think 'wow, now that was fun' !
The combination of those two factors create excellent work and happy clients.:hug: :lol:

wav:

|Brock|

Alex_B · Oct 2, 2007

hammerhead_05 said:
In my opinion - a good photographer should not only be able to take good pictures and capture lifes most memorable moments, but be able to do it on the spot. Quick decisions must be made when you press that shutter button. Not only the composition, color, and subject...but you should also know what you are going to do with the file after it is uploaded to your PC. If you can do this - and do it quickly without stopping and thinking about it for moments at a time...then you are, in my book, a skilled photographer on one level.
The second part to be labeled a good photographer would be able to master the human-to-human interaction. Psychology can play a huge role in this business. I'm not talking about tricking people in to buying something that they dont want - but being able to put a true smile on someones face, giving the suject comfort and making them feel at home and not rushed. There are many aspects - and for some, this could be a hard hurdle to jump! Some people interact with people better than others. You want to be able to give your clients a great experience when you are shooting them. When they leave - you want them to think 'wow, now that was fun' !
The combination of those two factors create excellent work and happy clients.:hug:wav:

|Brock|

What you say is certainly true for some kinds of photographers, but it is all concerned with people. There are many photographers out there who never ever take images of humans

Some of them are very good though although not by your definition