MicrostockGroup
Microstock Photography Forum - General => General Stock Discussion => Topic started by: melastmohican on June 05, 2008, 14:12
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I just wonder how many of you are really art professionals?
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Define professional..
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I do adding up and other sums during the day, art and photography at night and weekends.
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I work full time as a graphic artist. :)
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full time photographer here
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Your daytime job is art. If you are medical doctor who shoot for stock part-time I would not consider this person professional.
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Must be option to check several buttons.
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Officially I am a student, but 95% of my income is from photography, am I a professional?
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Check the option which gives you more that 50% if your income. I guess this is how revenue agencies define full time job, right?
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@Freezingpictures, it's would be judgment call. Are you full time pro and part time student?
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I am a full time student and fulltime photographer :-) well I do not spent full time on either of these professions..
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@Freezingpictures are u an art student ? In this case I would put you in the pro case, otherwise not .. does it make sense ?
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Does photography pay for your tuition? If yes, then you are full time photographer :-) Like in case of a doctor, his daytime job pays bills and hobby,
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No I am not an art student...
I do not feel as a professional photographer, but somewhere I read if you make your living from something you are a professional in this area. It pays tuition, rent and food. However it is not so important for me if I am or not.., I was just curious..
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In such case your a person who does two full time jobs at the same time...
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Your daytime job is art. If you are medical doctor who shoot for stock part-time I would not consider this person professional.
well, that's not true. the definition of a professional as opposed to an amateur is one who is paid . it really does not matter whether you work 10% of the time, or 99% of the time.
if you're paid to shoot, you ARE a professional.
working part-time is irrelevant.
a temporary administrative clerk who "works" part-time is still a professional, even if that person earns 2 dollars or 2,000 or even 20,000
time and income have nothing to define a professional.
you cannot define a profesional based on his income or the amount of hours devoted to the job.
if so, thousands of working ppl will be defined "amateurs".
;)
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And do you declare your earnings to the goverment of your country? if not you are not a profesional ;)
only if you are an "art" freelance or part of a company can call yourself a professional
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I am not paid to shoot. I am trying to sell photos like other goods on eBay or similar website. My occupation is totally different than art. So far I got maybe 1% of income from photography (far less than I am spending on it). I am truly not professional. If somebody pays me to babysit once a year would be this make me professional caregiver cause I was paid?
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From the WIKI : A photographer is a person who takes a photograph using a camera. A professional photographer uses photography to make a living.
Me I am an IT finance consultant (Freelance Professional) and a part time Freelance Photographer, now if I add these together ;)
Nah I am one of the dreaded noobs that are wrecking the lives of the professionals, but I have no fears and you are welcome to come and learn my day job ;D
David
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I remember a Nikon contest a while back and they qualified a pro as someone who earned more than 50% of their income through photography. So this year I am a pro because I've been shooting lots of schools and leagues with little time for my other ventures. Who knows what I'll be next year... I have a lot of things on the go. ::)
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I've never been sure what I was.
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If somebody pays me to babysit once a year would be this make me professional caregiver cause I was paid?
technically speaking , yes! :)
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If somebody pays me to babysit once a year would be this make me professional caregiver cause I was paid?
technically speaking , yes! :)
If you dont pay taxes for doing that activity. Technically, no :P
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Before this is read, this is NOT a slam against the author of the thread. Just MHO.
What's it matter anyway? This debate has been raging for years.
I have a day job (not photography).
I shoot pix 'for hire'.
I shoot pix for sale in gallery.
I shoot pix for sale in microstock.
I shoot pix for sale in macrostock.
I have an accountant that handles my photo business.
I have a business bank account for my photo sales.
I have a business credit card for my photo business.
I am published on a regular basis.
My business is registered with Uncle Sam and I have my Fed I.D. to pay taxes on my photo biz.
and....... My wife and I are turning down photo work, just ain't got the time.
now... because I have 'another job' and I don't shoot 40 hours a week.... I understand I am not to consider myself a 'professional' photographer?
Guess I'm missing something.. but you know... I don't really give a rat's butt what I'm called... Pro, Loser, Flunky, Amatuer, Snap-shotter, big fat bald guy... whatever....
I know what's going in the bank, what I'm paying income tax on and how many magazines and books, advertisements and websites, private person's den and livingroom walls, professional and business offices... have my photos in and on them . All PAID for.
so... ..... i'm not a pro. boo-hoo so what? :D
In a few months, when I'm sitting on my fat backside shooting bison in Yellowstone, having my accountant writing the entire trip off, ....I'll shed that tear.... thinking, gee, they won't call me a professional. sure, I will. :D
Yeah... Like Adeptris said... I am also one of those $#%@(&s that is ticking off those old timers from Getty and where ever. I'm a demon with a 5D. 8)=tom
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Before this is read, this is NOT a slam against the author of the thread. Just MHO.
What's it matter anyway? This debate has been raging for years.
... because I have 'another job' and I don't shoot 40 hours a week.... I understand I am not to consider myself a 'professional' photographer?
Guess I'm missing something.. but you know... I don't really give a rat's butt what I'm called... Pro, Loser, Flunky, Amatuer, Snap-shotter, big fat bald guy... whatever....
so... ..... i'm not a pro. boo-hoo so what? 8)=tom
In a few months, when I'm sitting on my fat backside shooting bison in Yellowstone, having my accountant writing the entire trip off, ....I'll shed that tear.... thinking, gee, they won't call me a professional. sure, I will. :D
my point precisely. originally,
the idea behind NOT a professional is to avoid being taxed.
to say if you do not pay taxes makes you an amateur, is even more of a misconception.
if you're a real estate salesperson, and for this year, you went on holidays, and you did not pay taxes due to not having earned enough to be taxable.
this makes you a NON-professional ?
i said technically speaking, because as once again, the definition of a professional is "ONE WHO IS EARNING OR BEING PAID".
you play football and it's the only game you play. but you're not paid.
you're an AMATEUR.
the moment you get paid or is earning money playing football,
you are a PRO.
but it's true, i don't give a rat's ass if someone calls me an amateur.
i have two professions, and have been at it in literally every single
field of photography. .. from sales, seminars, creative work, repair,management.
if i am not a pro because my other job takes out 50% of the time, sometimes even 70% depending on the year's contracts...
well, call me an amateur.
that's a grand misnomer, but like tom says, who gives a rat's ass.
my bank manager calls me a pro. ;D ;D ;D
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Come on the question is easy:
He asked fulltime
so if you do anything else for earning money besides your "art" you only qualify for the last option non-art.
It's just a poll don't get it personal, i personally find it quite interesting how many "art" fulltimer we have.
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Engineer.
I don't make a living out of photography, so I don't consider myself a pro.
Regards,
Adelaide
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I've never been sure what I was.
:)
I'm a graphic designer who also does photography for the company I work for. And then I do photography for myself, of which I make money at. No, I don't do it full time, but I would still say I am a professional as I also go by the definition: professional = gets paid to do it. amateur = does it for fun and doesn't take any money.
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as for me, I don't take it personal. I thought my comment made it perfectly clear. I couldn't care less. I take pictures because I love to do it. I enjoy it, I spend many hours playing with my work in post production.... and there are those that will buy my product.
I really don't care if I am considered a professional or not. What I am labeled has nothing to do and does not affect how much money I am making doing something I love. I have no doubt that I make as much or more than many who do this fulltime as their first and only job and who call themselves "professional photographers"
It ain't no biggie to me. Please don't take it that, I take it.. personal. I don't.
:)=tom
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as for me, I don't take it personal. I thought my comment made it perfectly clear. I couldn't care less. I take pictures because I love to do it. I enjoy it, I spend many hours playing with my work in post production.... and there are those that will buy my product.
I really don't care if I am considered a professional or not. What I am labeled has nothing to do and does not affect how much money I am making doing something I love. I have no doubt that I make as much or more than many who do this fulltime as their first and only job and who call themselves "professional photographers"
It ain't no biggie to me. Please don't take it that, I take it.. personal. I don't.
:)=tom
Well said, Tom! I'll be writing off a trip to Australia this year because I have my little photography business on the side. I couldn't care less about the title of professional either! At my "day" job this year they gave me a new title of "senior programmer." Big deal. All I care about is how much they add to my paycheck. They can call me anything they like as long as my paycheck is never late! :D
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They can call me anything they like as long as my paycheck is never late!
Right on.
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graphic artist / designer sort of the same thing. My last full time job was "graphic artist" but I always referred to myself as a "graphic designer". Now, on the other hand, "illustrators" could be considered sort of different for your average run of the mill graphic designers. I'd consider myself less of an illustrator, more of a designer. If I had a wacom tablet, and more time on my hands....then maybe I could say different :)
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You did' t put an option for unemployed. :-).
I left my old job a couple of months ago, and I've been on 'holiday', just started looking last week...
(It's a tough life, but someone's gotta do it...