Career Vs Hobby

I think it becomes a career when you don't have to depend on another source of income.

I was a professional photographer for many years, taking pictures mostly for advertising, catalogs, promotion, etc. Eventually, I gave it up, mostly due to the ad agency people I was dealing with. I was being told how to shoot by people with little or no visual sense. It caused me to put my cameras away for ten years. When I began taking pictures again, it was entirely for myself, which I see as the purest form of the art (or craft). It's been much more enjoyable that way.

I'm with Murray. I was a pro photographer for 10 years. I liked it but seldom had a chance to be "creative." Now I do photography 100 percent for myself. I offer a few images here on FAA but don't care if they sell or not. The majority of my work is candid images of humans in the public domain. My work can be seen on flickr.
Like Murray, It's been much more enjoyable that way.

don't worry about career. art - hard to get into and hard to sell enough to make a living. for most it's a hobby with a few bucks tossed in. you should aim for a real job. people at burgerking may make more money.

being a pro doesn't mean your in galleries, or winning awards. it's about doing it all the time and having your income only come from here. it also means you sell things for the most part.


---Mike Savad

If you have a day job (or night job for that matter) that pays the bills and the rent, etc - then art/photography is a hobby. There are different kinds of "professional" photographers - some do free lance work - a lot of out of doors nature kind of work, there are those that do sporting events and essentially have a "press pass", and there are those that do studio work, weddings and portraits. Any of those can mix together - as well as on the side you might teach photography - all of those things - earning a living - make one a professional photographer - in the sense of just that - being good enough to earn a living at it without having to flip burgers or sit in an office or dig ditches all day so that you will have a roof over your head and food in your belly.

How good you are at it - has no bearing on being a professional photographer - it's still a hobby until you take up the reins and begin to plow the field.

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I jumped in a few years ago to try and make some extra cash when I finally retire. That won't be for a few more years, probably, so I'm getting as much done as I can, then when I see the handwriting on the wall, (or I can't see it any more because of cataracts LOL), I'll start pushing and advertising.

I can't see doing this at the direction of others. Like Murray said, I think that would take the joy out of the process. At least some of it.....