What makes a photographer a ‘professional’?

Professional Photographer

It is said that 10000 hours is the magic number of hours required to be an expert at anything

whether your chosen field is art, sports, business, or perhaps something else.

However, 10000 hours is no guarantee of world-class expertise.

Some are more gifted than others at certain talents, which may add or subtract some hours.

Many jobs require college degrees pertaining to that field, an investment which usually

sums up to a significant amount of time and money.

For photography in 21st century we live in, entry barrier that used to exist is… well. gone.

While photography has been around for near 200 years now, it has never been

easier to get a useable camera with industrialization and mass production.

Everyone can buy a camera. Click a shutter button.

Turn a few knobs. Maybe even some photoshop tasks.

Being a professional photographer is more than having decent camera gears.

It is not about clicking a shutter button.

It is knowing when to press the button.

It is not about having a big expensive camera.

It is knowing where to point that big expensive camera.

It is not about doing a favor for a few people you know.

It is knowing how to run a business.

You have to earn it.

It takes determination.

It takes time.

It takes talent.

It takes work.

It is about taking a risk.

It is about following your passion.

It is about living in pursuit of happiness.

There was an engineer who had an exceptional gift for fixing all things mechanical. After serving his company loyally for over 30 years, he happily retired. Several years later his company contacted him regarding a seemingly impossible problem they were having with one of their multi-million dollar machines. They had tried everything and everyone else to get the machine fixed, but to no avail. In desperation, they called on the retired engineer who had solved so many of their problems in the past.

The engineer reluctantly took the challenge. He spent a day studying the huge machine. At the end of the day he marked a small “x” in chalk on a particular component of the machine and proudly stated, “This is where your problem is.” The part was replaced and the machine worked perfectly again.

The company received a bill for $50,000 from the engineer for his service. They demanded an itemized accounting of his charges. The engineer responded briefly:

One chalk mark………………….$1

Knowing where to put it……..$49,999

It was paid in full and the engineer retired in peace