Amateur and Pro

There’s a high-and-mighty NY pro who posts to photocritique.net, patronizing "shutterbugs" and reminding us how many shows he’s had and how much people pay for his photos. When people called him arrogant, a sycophant explained that there’s a big difference. He’s a pro and takes photography more seriously than we do. He has professional standards which may not be appropriate on a site inhabited by amateurs. The quality of his work "shatters or threatens the illusions" we have of ourselves as photographers. His rapid rise in the gallery scene as an "art photographer" deserves congratulations, but reaction of the amateurs has been mostly negative. This is likely the result of jealousy or insecurity. I replied as follows:

I was impressed by X’s reasonable and calm note, in which he points out the difference between the values and POV of a working professional and those of the rest of us at PC. It may be easier to understand this without getting carried away if we think in terms of sex. The sex workers I’ve known usually kept pretty much to themselves, but some of them were willing to observe and criticize amateur work, which they often praised in a way that I suspect was 90% diplomacy and good will. Because, well, let’s face it – those of us who do it as a hobby or for weekend recreation will never understand sex like somebody who depends on it to pay the rent, who has to smile and be creative even when he or she has gas or a headache, in a world where the customer’s always right. When I don’t feel like sex I can take pictures, and when I’m tired of that I can play with my Hummel figurines, but a pro has to perform without waiting for the angel of inspiration. That necessarily makes a difference.

As X says, those of us who do sex as a hobby should congratulate successful pros, yet we seldom do. Let’s confess: jealousy and insecurity are the reason. I try to rise above that level myself, but can’t help feeling envy for those who have the tools and the talent to hit the bullseye twenty times a day while I’m lucky to score once or twice a week. After all, I tell myself, the software only allows us three tries! (Speaking of photos now, of course.)