To you?

For me, it has many, many meanings. I think first and foremost, a professional photographer is one who should know the basics of photography. This is a person who should be able to shoot both indoors and out. With a wide range of skills. This person should take an interest in the direction their profession is heading by making their position known.

This person should make a size-able amount of their income from photography. Depending on the decade, that number changes from 100% to 70% to 50%. I feel it should be more than 50% of your income. Look at all the other professions of the world, the professions that require you to get higher learning, they make all their income from their profession. It takes more than buying a DSLR, to be a professional.

The biggest problem we have with photography is simple, currently there isn’t a governing body to make sure everyone who claims to be a professional, is a professional.

PPA has tried with their different degrees, but the problem is, outside of PPA, their degrees don’t really mean much. I know a M.Photog of PPA, who hides this fact, only by searching and searching will you find out he’s one.

Schools give you a basic over view of photography, but none from what I’ve seen, gives you more than the basic knowledge to go out and do it.

What do you believe, the traits a professional photographer should possess?