I question myself often as to exactly what criteria qualifies a person as a professional. Each profession has different standards. Some have requirements for schooling and testing procedures, including internship durations. Some bestow acronyms of letters following their name upon the completion of a degree or a test or series of tests. Some people feel a certain amount of time practicing in a field renders a person a professional of that particular discipline. I find that photography is one of the most ambiguous careers as far as what renders somebody a professional, and many professional photographers tend to be very competitive and can be somewhat hostile towards what they consider to be sub par photography tools and techniques by others rather than just enjoying it as an art form. Of course, there is also the thought that, similar to in sports and the Olympics, professional status is achieved once money is earned in association with the subject.

I have grappled with whether to promote myself as a professional or an amateur photographer. I fear promoting myself as a professional photographer because I do not want to let anybody down. I sometimes wonder, do I have enough skill to take on the responsibility to provide my client with the type of product and/or memory he/she desires? I do not want to give the impression that I have gone to school and studied photography.  Except, I did. I may not have majored in photography, but I did take a college level courses in the subject. Prior to that I had already studied under the tutelage of a professional photographer. This professional hadn’t gone to school to become a photographer either. However, he has a degree from the College of Photographic Arts and Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology and was a combat photographer for the Marines. He also works for the U.S. Government designing satellite imaging systems. I call him Dad. So many people ask for my credentials as though I need to present a resume in order to prove my worth as a photographer. In retrospect, those who ask are other photographers. I’m more and more surprised at the competitive and overbearing nature of so many other photographers in a field where there IS actually room for competition to exist side-by-side. Others don’t even seem to care and will label me however they please regardless of any factors whatsoever. I’ve read far too many blog posts by photographers seemingly trying to scare new photographers, or to wow their clients as to how difficult their profession is. When in actuality, the client is the main concern.

My concern is letting my client down. Most people have an ideal in mind when they come to a photographer in the first place. Some want just a photographic documentation of events and/or objects including people, pets, real estate, collections, etc. Some people have particular standards in mind in which they want the subject of the photo to appear absolutely amazing (which is obvious, but subjective based on a person’s particular taste as well as ability), comparable to the quality of another photographer they have seen elsewhere, or to other objects and people they have seen. Some people’s desired results are realistic, and some are unrealistic. If I do my job, as the qualified professional that I am, and the client’s desires are realistic, then everybody will be happy.

I fear that, for some reason, my results won’t be on par with my standard level of results, or that my client might have unrealistic desires in the first place. My biggest fear would be to let somebody down. However, reasonable suppositions would lend themselves to show that if I show my work, which will be of a consistent level and quality, and a client hires me based on that portfolio of work, then I shouldn’t fear a client with unrealistic expectations.

There are actually so-called photographers who post work of other real photographers and claim that work to be their own.  (http://stopstealingphotos.tumblr.com/post/55692379330/sassy-snapz-photography-design) and they post images and text from other photographers who are decidedly better than they are on their website to draw business. I am proud enough of my own work to show it, and when I am lacking in an area, i.e. I haven’t shot many weddings or newborn portraits, then I simply don’t display that on my website.

I am here, humble before you, always striving to give you the best of me that I can. But I don’t stand here claiming to be the greatest photographer who ever walked the earth. And I will always have more to learn and I hope that I shall never cease to stop improving, lest my love of photography will dwindle as it loses it’s luster of challenge and accomplishment.