Professional or Amateur?

There is no doubt that the very best photos that I have ever seen are by a select band of professionals such as Man Ray, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Martin Parr, Elliot Erwitt and Charlie Waite. Beyond this top tier of truly great photographers, the majority of the most compelling images that I have seen have been created by amateurs. I am not talking about the kind of person who picks up a camera at Christmas and during their annual holiday. I am taking about people who don't earn their living from photography, but for whom photography is their real passion. These are the people who exist to make images on their own terms.

In many ways these true amateurs have an advantage over professionals. They are not working to deadlines. They can choose what to shoot. They can take time to develop their own personal vision and it does not matter if no-one else likes what they are doing. In short, they can afford to take risks because they will still eat if they produce rubbish. Because of this freedom they can be truly creative and make original and exciting photos

Of course there are professionals who also create stunning pictures. But often professionals are forced by their clients to produce technically excellent images that are very mundane or even boring. For every National Geographic photographer there must be dozens of pros doing pack shots for catalogues.

The division between professional and amateur is an artificial divide that does not do anyone any good. If someone cares about the images he is making, he is a photographer. That's it, pure and simple. 
Copyright © Greg Wright 2005-8 Photography from Frome - All rights reserved
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