imo, a professional is a person who undertakes certain level of education which qualifies him to talk n practice photography, and is governed legally by a certain 'lembaga' or board , n personally, i dont think we have that in malaysia....

but most of the cases in malaysia are 'experienced' photographers whereas u have the skills, u may not even have went thru any special classes or degrees in photography, n u r good at getting clients, thats more than enough

(i voted opt 6)

This post has been edited by aka_kepep: Jan 2 2009, 02:35 PM

great photo is a must for pro photographer but equipment is also very important. if there's no good equipment, the photographer can't produce great photo... so i would say both are equally important

The topic question actually asks what defines a "good" photographer, not a professional.
Anyway, a professional doesn't have to be governed by any board or body. A professional photographer is a photographer who makes a living out of photography.

eh, i thought wat i read is 'pro' photographer.... well, no big deal... if u r in professional line, u noe wats defines a professional... like im an architect, its a professional career, needs a board to govern it, or else ull just be sum kid doing house designs without guidelines..

This post has been edited by aka_kepep: Jan 2 2009, 10:26 PM

IMHO, a pro or good photographer is someone that is willing to sacrifice time to capture the images. He/she might not be making a living from photography

so many differing opinions, not bad, for my 2cents, i would say a pro is someone who is confident in taking great pics no matter what gear he/she is using, lighting conditions, situations........, whether he/she wants to make money out of it, its up to that person

i meet 2 professional photographers, and this is the way they introduce themselves...

1. saya XXX, seorang tukang ambil gambar - Oct 2008
2. 嗨！我是拍照的…… (hi, i snap photograph one...) - Jan 2009

they not even called themselves a photographer, very humble...

This post has been edited by ah ming: Jan 11 2009, 12:45 AM

Pro = making living with it....no exception....

Pro skater, Pro baller, Pro Golfer, etc....all make livin with it.......not just good at it.~!

Option 5 for me

A pro photographer (to me) is someone who takes great photo using ANY camera (LOL)...

generally those who understand the term would vote Option #1 or Option #2.

IMO Option #2 may not necessarily be correct because if the photographer does other business as well, his income from photography could be less than 75% of his total income but still a professional.



yes. one who understands the term.

for skills, the word used is expert. those who are new, novice.

one can be an amatuer photographer, that doesn't mean their not an expert.

Pro photographer is the person can produce good photo and have big DSLR + bundle of lens.

Not pro is the person cant' make good photo but own big DSLR.

for me, i choose opt 5

I voted for number 1.
Isnt PRO a short for PROFESSIONAL ? Someone who makes X a profession ? And there are PROs who are very good and there are who suck big time. Nevertheless, they are PROs and they get paid for what they do, any amount of payment.

Saya hanya dua posen

making money & have good skill in very different thing.
many did mixed-up the word PRO=skillful.

ya i agreed...no matter wat camera..no matter where..
watever he/she snap results with a great/nice pic..

Yups. Stricly speaking in English terms, a "Professional" would do something for a living. An "amatuer" does something out of passion (like a hobbyist). The % of total income, well that depends I suppose.

The thread discusses more about "professionalism", what traits a "professional" should have. Eg, delivering pictures as promised in a timely manner. Buggers who are out to make a quick buck, well thats "unprofessional' I would say "professionalism" is more about how you deal with your clients, how you interact with people (at a client's event for example). Photography is a service business. Most people don't demand extreme creativity, original concepts on high quality A3 prints. You can take excellent pictures, but if you offend the client's guest at their wedding reception, or turn up in shorts and slippers at a formal function.. well, that's not too "professional" right?

a profesional photgrapher is to me someone who captures the essence of life till when someone looks at it,it can make them FEEL the picture too...

mine would be Someone who shares the world and makes them look at the world differently..

willing to commit and sacrifice for photography.
able to take nice pictures..with any camera...

humble