Re: [Leica] Definition of a Professional

[RBedw51767@aol.com]

Mark:

Good points!

If a family moves from the east coast to the west coast and has a need for a
professional photographer.  How do they know how to select one.  Do they ask
their neighbor, take a dart and throw it at the yellow pages,  or what?    If
this family moved to Portland, how can they be sure that they are going to
select Mark Rabiner?   They might get hold of Tom Schmelovitz that decided
last night to become a PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER.  How do they know the
difference.  Mark Rabiner, Professional Photographer.  Tom Schmelovitz,
Professional Photographer.

The point that I would like to make is that it is an insult to you for someone
else to able to use your title when they haven't earned it.  How do you
separate yourself from this pseudo professional?

Bob Bedwell

P.S.  You don't have to ever worry about me becoming a professional
photographer.  It still takes me 10 minutes to load a roll of film in my
M6....duh!


<< > 
 > 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.
  >>