What's in a word, the measure of a man?

Sit Down and Shut Up, read the Blog
It has been a week of pondering for this photog. Not only was there a lunar eclipse and the nettie goal on Wednesday I have been part of a discussion on another website regarding the distinction of what makes a professional photographer verses "just a hobbyist". In these times of citizen journalism the line between media and the public has become so blurred that they have almost become one and the same. The person standing on the corner next to you may very well be packing a camera to record an image of the traffic accident that is holding up your commute. Give that journalist fifteen minutes and the editor has the photo running front page on an internet news website. I'm such a photo journalist, my camera is always with me and I have used it to record life around me as I see it. If the public may find it interesting whether it is a traffic accident,election day action or a snow storm it is all fair game. If you are in public a public place photographers have the legal right to photograph you provided we do not sell it for advertising purposes. No, you will not end up in the next I-Pod add but you image may grace the cover of the Chitowndailynews.org. or another publication. Possibly, if you are cheering at a hockey game look for your smiling face on mine or another website. I only mention this as it is key to the nature of what a citizen photo journalist does everyday.

What makes a professional? Several decades ago I asked my Father a chemical engineer and cabinet maker what made one man a "professional: and another "blue collar" . His answer was simple, "all work done with passion and pride, paid or unpaid was professional". It was not the type of work that gave it the professional label but the quality. I would add a few things as secondary to his simple explanation.

-Professionals constantly strive to improve what they do, standing still in ones art is not an option, photographers constantly seek out critique from others to progress.
- Networking, professionals rarely live on ivory towers, contacts are everything.
-Never compromise, although you do everything in your power to satisfy the customer the only standards you truly must never breech your own. The day you put a piece of trash out with your name on it you diminish yourself.
-Lastly, art is communal, no artist grows alone. In the relatively short time I have been at this insanity there have been more experienced photographers at every arena who have helped me. Some have given me frank survival advice ,"ditch the heels, your going to hurt yourself", to letting me look through their lenses so as not make mistakes when upgrading mine. Generous men and women too numerous to mention for fear of leaving someone out. Yes, it is competitive but there is camaraderie for those of us standing inch deep in ice water next to the glass. In short, generosity in a photographer is professional.

You might notice I have avoided the issue of money. Yes, sometimes we get paid, very well. But in the end I'll side with my Dad, it is the passion and pride that I bring to my work that makes me a professional rather than the stack of press passes and the occasional check. Professionalism like confidence and self esteem comes from the inside. Once you truly have the goods no one can take it away, even when an unenlightened organization calls you "just a blogger"to deny you as an artist and a journalist. The world of journalism and information is changing rapidly however, the standards of professionalism are timeless. Whether my shutter is clicking for one of the oldest print dailies in the US, internet daily or website the standards of pride and passion are a journalists equal opportunity employers .