New word needed II

[Uncle Dick]

Sorry about that - pressed the worng button and sent an incmoplete message. To continue....I cannot say I am a professional photographer. But I am not an amateur or neophyte. I work hard at my images and do succeed more times than fail. People want what I do and I am happy to do the pictures. I need a new word to desctibe myself when asked - somewhere between professional and amateur. Any ideas for a dignified title? sSOme thing that will engender respect and understanding without involving commerce.

Uncle Dick

[SuzanneR]

Photographer

[Uncle Dick]

Oh Dear Heavens. It looks like the first part of the post disappeared in to the aether and left the second part rather vague. This never happened when I wrote with a fountain pen....Briefly I mentioned that I finally realised that while I am a worker in the photo trade I am not a professional photographer - I do not earn my food, clothing, and shelter money from my images. But I do pursue the making of them assiduously. That's why I wanted a better qualifier than amateur. Of course if someone would offer me money for the pictures that would be a different matter....

Uncle Dick

[PhotoJim]

If it's your profession: professional photographer
If you generate income from it (in more than an incidental way) but it isn't your main source of income: semi-professional (or semi-pro) photographer
If you only do it for the love of doing it: amateur photographer
If it's just a hobby: hobbyist photographer

Does it matter if you engender respect? Unless you're generating income from it, respect isn't required.

[Bruce Osgood]

Hay Unk,
Really glad to see you here at APUG. We can always use your brand of humor and insight.
Best wishes

[Jim Jones]

There's nothing wrong with the label of amateur. While it sometimes suggests a lack of proficiency, it also implies doing something for the love of it. In that sense, Schubert was an amateur composer. He couldn't make a decent living at it (or at anything else). Leonardo da Vinci might be considered an amateur painter and engineer. Michelangelo dabbled in so many endeavers that it's difficult to imagine him as a master of any. It's better to be a competant amateur than an inferior professional. It's the photographs that matter, not any labels applied to the photographer.

[phenix]

If you produce photos for other people, not only for yourself and your family: “professional” if you earn money, “artist” if you don’t.

[Andy K]

Artisan?

[Gene_Laughter]

Photographist

[Thomas Bertilsson]

I like Suzanne's response - we're all photographers. Why does everything have to have a label?

Thomas Bertilsson - Photographer
Yep, that's me all right.

Film User?

- Thomas