Re: [Leica] Definition of a Professional

[Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net>]

RBedw51767@aol.com wrote:
> 
> I would suggest that the group decide the true definition of a PROFESSIONAL..
> 
> Is it one that earns their livlihood with their photographic skills?
> Is is one that acts like a professional, whatever that means?
> Is it one that has earned the respect of the community through the quality os
> his/her work?
> Is it one that has learned the skills of the trade and can fit those skills
> into any or most assignments?
> Is it one that can work with a client to establish needs and be able to
> deliver?
> Is it one that has the highest business ethics?
> Is it one that has taken his/her knowledge beyond that of peers?
> Does the profession require advance education/journalist skills to qualify as
> professional?
> Is the title "Professional" something that is only as good as the job that you
> have just completed?
> Is the title "Professional" something determined by the client?
> Is it all of these things, or what?
snip
snip

I can picture a brain surgeon coming out still in his scrubs to tell the
patients family the update and the family all pulls out their own little
more expensive custom made surgery tools and photos of their latest
hobby surgery projects. 
That would get them back! 
Not a likely scenario but when the photographer is shooting the surgeons
family the surgeon is going to pull out how own more expensive that the
photographers camera and imply that he could have shot the whole thing
himself but they called the photographer in so they could spend more
time counting the candy kisses in the ashtrays or whatever.
Now I come from a medical family and I'm not attacking Doctors I'm
attacking people who are not photographers; amateurs. But not really.
It's the situation; the hobby syndrome.
Its a hard thing to being a professional in a field that is everyones
favorite hobby.
My other thought on Bob's conundrum is that even without the hobby
syndrome there is in photography a particular history which comes out of
Stiglitzes pushing the concept of the amateur ethic in photography; of
amateurs having the upper hand morally or esthetically and every other
way. The biggest insult being to call someone a professional! 
His influence is still out there to further confond the issue! It's
interesting. I don't know what to make of it.
Mark Rabiner	The Dilettantes among us.