what makes you a photographer

I've seen uninteresting shots on thousand-dollar gear and ones that have sucked me right in... taken on iPhones, no less.

Expensive gear makes the job easier, nothing else. If quality's your thing, it's either entry-level DSLR or large-format.
 
theres technical shooters
theres pro shooters
there gifted shooters
theres amitures
in the end they're all photographers
 
there are also japanese photographers and tall photographers.

even if you just want to take pictures at friends birthdays, you are a photographer.

Ive seen weddings where they leave disposables at each table. making each guest a photographer. since photos capture moments, candid moments at special events can be more valuable, and/or personal than the professional wedding pics.
 
Ice_Cubit said:
there are also japanese photographers and tall photographers.

even if you just want to take pictures at friends birthdays, you are a photographer.

Ive seen weddings where they leave disposables at each table. making each guest a photographer. since photos capture moments, candid moments at special events can be more valuable, and/or personal than the professional wedding pics.
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While you CAN define "photographer" this simple way, I think the point of what most people have posted is that it's not a very useful definition. If you ask someone "is that person a photographer," they aren't going to answer yes just because they saw the person taking snapshots. Similarly, most non-enthusiasts would not describe themselves as a photographer.
 
im trying to inspire people to think more like a photographer, no matter, skill level, experience, or interest. if you take a picture, you want it to be a good one.
 
Does playing a few chords on a guitar make you a "musician"?
Does singing off key make that person a "singer"?
Does shaking your booty make you a "dancer"?
Does making scrambled eggs and burnt toast make you a "chef"?

I think you know where I'm going with this....:)
 
LittleNaples said:
Does playing a few chords on a guitar make you a "musician"?
Does singing off key make that person a "singer"?
Does shaking your booty make you a "dancer"?
Does making scrambled eggs and burnt toast make you a "chef"?

I think you know where I'm going with this....:)
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No, but playing a few chords while singing off key and shaking your booty while eating scrambled eggs and burnt toast MIGHT earn you a spot on American Midol ...
 
OK im hijacking my own thread here.

Now the emphasis is on YOU.
the question is:

What makes YOU a photographer, no one else, just you. What is your main subject matter? Who is your target audience?

for me, I live in such a beautiful part of the country I wanted to capture it and share.
You may label me as "one of a million people with a DSLR and a website, who now claims to be a professional." sure, but I dont really do anything but what I want to, which means im following my passion.
Now I do sell my prints, but I am starting another project with the funds I make through photography.
 
I'm a photographer. Or probably more accurately, I have been a photographer. Now I mostly carry a camera and capture quick images with a point and shoot. Very little composition beyond trying to capture a vague sense of the scene I see and the colors that caught my attention. The intent is to gather a collection of images that may or may not end up on one of my canvases.

What makes a photographer?

Some say it is producing photographs that someone will buy. I know a few shitty photographers that own their own studios and sell work on a regular basis. Some will say owning a camera. I wouldn't even argue that. But if you want to separate 'photograph' from 'snapshot' I'd have to say composition. Seeing something that someone else may not have seen and finding a way to capture it so that they can.

I have a buddy that takes pictures of rocks with an iPhone. His work is better than 90% of the stuff I've shot with my DSLR rig. And I've paid for my rig 10 times over selling my work.
 
OK everybody ... you got the word. The subject is now ME ... just ME!! The target audience is ME ... just ME !!! :bigok:

Right now, my primary "subject" is my happy little acres ...

fall-color-001.jpg


fall-color-porch.jpg


So shoot me for not being original already. Do I get bonus points for creating the landscape in the first place?

** If you're all lucky, I may be able to come up with a pic of ME playing a few chords while singing off key and shaking my booty while eating scrambled eggs and burnt toast ... or not.
 
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Ice_Cubit said:
What makes YOU a photographer, no one else, just you. What is your main subject matter? Who is your target audience?
Click to expand...

When I was working, I excelled at live bands. I've done a few corporate gigs, mainly shooting images of their products and facilities for websites.

Before I moved from IL to MA, I set up a small studio space and did a bit of model work. Some of which was pretty good but I had a lot to learn.
 
Hi all,
I've been using lately a Canon 5d on auto and I still watch the f stop and shutter speed
but it's more like a point and shoot camera. Now I just got a Nikon S2 Rangefinder camera
it's all manual, no auto focus, no meter, no nutting. When you get one of those camera's, you
have to know something about the photo experience to make great photos with those, you
have to be something of a photographer.

Tube
 
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