Watch the birdie, Mongolia, September 2006When, in photography, does one move past being someone who takes/makes photos to becoming a photographer?
I'm definitely an Engineer - my qualifications and business card say so - and I'm pretty sure I'm a cyclist by fact of the quantity, variety and locations that define my bike riding.
But what about photography? I've certainly no qualifications and don't sell or show anything. I'm pretty sure it's got nothing to do with equipment. I'd certainly like to think I've moved beyond the snapshot and into more creative/artistic endeavours. Does intent make one a photographer? Is merely being active in photography enough to make one a photographer?
Not that I'm getting worked up about it - I don't really care as long as I'm enjoying the process of turing vision into print.
Just a question that intrigued me, really.
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I've been thinking along similar lines lately. The position I've settled on is you are a 'true' photographer when you begin to look beyond simply 'getting' the picture. Instead you start to consider things like:
ReplyDeleteWhy was I attacted to this scene? What made me stop to make a picture?
What does this picture mean?
What part of me do I see reflected in this picture?
And so on. So it becomes more than just a hobby where you snap pretty shots but starts you thinking a little deeper.
But that's just my opinion of course ...