>>3871534>>3871539An occupation must meet the following criteria before it becomes a profession:
>an occupation becomes a full-time occupation Photography meets this
>the establishment of a training schoolYep!
>the establishment of a university schoolYep!
>the establishment of a local associationwait, no.
>the establishment of a national association of professional ethicsdamn, that would be really handy to keep the scammers out.
>the establishment of state licensing lawsuhh
The general rule is that you have to say you're a professional, you fucking aren't one. You never hear anyone say they're a "professional doctor" or "professional lawyer", because you either are a doctor or a lawyer, or you straight up aren't and aren't allowed to say you're one, either.
There's no barrier to entry to be a photographer, so idiots usually append the "professional" title to seem more legitimate. Ironically, you never hear any serious art or journalistic photographers self-identify as "professional photographers." Can you imagine how ludicrous it would be to hear Gursky call himself a professional?
Think about it, when was the last time you heard a photographer you respect refer to themselves as a professional? It's always some fat, desperate wedding photographer swinging gig to gig.
