Full or part time photography?

[pixel8]

Josh

No one can knock your qualifications, you earned them the hard way and I would be the first to respect that. You may or may not have heard of Merrett Smith of Century City, CA. one of only forty world wide members of Camera Craftsmen of America, during the war years he was an Admiral's personal photographer, but today he is one of the leading instructors for the PPofA, which incidentally I am not a member of.

But you are by your own remarks acknowledging the validity of my comments that training is important and by the same token, neither I nor Leonardo Da Vinci could teach art in an Illinois community college, nor for that matter could Bill Gates teach computer science, because none of us has recognized credentials, even though I earned teaching credentials at UCLA they aren't recognized in many of the other autonomous sheikdoms (laughingly called united states) of America.

I have no doubt that the certification awarded to you by the navy would be more than adequate for the European powers that be. What would not appeal to them perhaps, is the bill of sale from your camera store, that doesn't make anyone a professional photographer.

Incidentally: Josh, forgive me for poking a bit of fun at the navy, but in 1989 I was called out on consultation to the base at Port Hueneme (I think I spelled that right)in Oxnard, they had a problem with cross contamination on their Hope 32" wide paper processor and couldn't find the cause. As I walked through the lab door I pronounced that I had found the problem, "how so" asked the senior technician. I replied "The vessel has a 15 degree tilt to port and if you lift the bulkhead you'll see it too" Sure enough when the lid was taken off there was the bleachfix running backwards into the developer, all because the chasis was collapsing through lack of maintenance.

[photovanbeek]

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Nowadays, I let my work and my work ethic be my qualifications, and my clients check be my blue ribbon.

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This is actually the same way that I feel but I'm sometimes tempted to see how I'll do in competition.

I take great pride in the fact that I am 100% self taught and have never relied on another person to show me how to do anything. We all seem to get satisfaction in our photography in different ways and so far I haven't required the approval of anyone other than my clients.

The only point of competition seems to be for advertising purposes and this seems a little off. It doesn't bother me that people enter them but I can't stand looking at a photographers website that is particularly unappealing and seeing a list of competition awards on their first page.

Kinda makes it hard to take some of these competitions seriously.

There is one photographer in my area that advertises as being the number 1 photographer as chosen by readers of a certain newspaper. Funny thing is, I can't find a single reference to how this was decided and by who or when. Now that's tacky.

[Wphodog]

My first job out of college was working for a wedding photographer in an area near my home town. He told me that he had a master's degree in photography. I at the time thought the only way you could get a master's degree was to go back to school and spend another two years studying. I had no idea I could spend money and enter competitions and achieve the same title. Well, the guy was a real loser and he had no artistic sense. His idea of creativity was going through last year's winning images and picking the one he was going to copy.

As for the poll. I just left my other job this past week. On Tuesday to be exact. I couldn't justify the time spent away from my business. WP now supports my family. My wife and I both are photogs.

Joel

[pixel8]

I agree with you, the credit system stinks, it's like collecting green stamps then handing them in for a masters, doesn't work!!!!

At all the major British Associations you have to submit a panel of work, certified to be your own and indicate any part that you may not have been involved in (i.e. process and or print) and while the organizations prefer work that is 100% the effort of the candidate, allowance can be made for exceptional panels where the cooperation of a lab has been recruited.

Now bear in mind; this is not competition, this is a qualification panel, which in the case of Associateship and Fellowship will also require a dissertation to accompany the mounted prints and the prints will be viewed and adjudicated in much the same way, but to a higher degree, that colleges adjudicate student's final work.

[Wphodog]

Ok, so that sounds interesting. Are these international organizations or do you have to work in certain areas?

I am much more inclined to submit my work to a panel for approval, than a competition for a ribbon. I don't want to be a winner I want to be validated [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Joel

[pixel8]

Joel, The SWPP have members all over the world, including people like Monte, like Bambi Cantrell and many other well known and respected photographers www.swpp.co.uk, they accept both full time and part time members. The Master Photographers Association does have an international membership and is a very respected organization, if a little more conservative, there's nothing wrong with that, they only accept full time photographers and insist on applicant seeking quals within six months, I am a member of both and have written and illustrated for the magazines of both www.thempa.com
Although I gain nothing from it you may mention my name if you approach either of them.

The Royal Photographic Society is not seen as a trade association but rather a distinguished learned body and anyone can be a member, qualifications, because the membership don't necessarily earn their living from photography is an option you may or may not wish to seek.

[csi1158]

I actually have a full time job as a crime scene investigator, processing crime scenes for evidence, fingerprints etc, but also am responsible for crime scene diagramming and photography.
I like the fact I'm having a steady paycheck coming in from my crime scene photography it allows me to buy some photography toys and cover weddings on the weekend and build up my portfolio and reputation until I'm ready to make the plunge full time.

So far the only problem I have is that my Sergeant prefers that I don't pose homicide victims to get their best side and there is no need to string up crime scene tape at weddings. However since my camera bag is the same for both events, if a wedding turns into a homicide I'm ready!