Are you an hobbyist or artist?

[Jeff Kubach]

I think I lean toward being a hobbyist.

Jeff

 

[kauffman v36]

i am a Photographer, not an artist. as for the hobbyist/professional part i guess i call my self semi-professional because about half of my income is from paid assignments yet that 1/2 of income is not enough to support myself with. hence me being a college student.

the majority of art prof. ive met look down upon photography so why should i want to be part of their circle. they mock it and say "oh you just press a button" so i do not consider myself an artist.

 

[Steve Smith]

I hesitate to call myself an artist mainly because my subject matter is usually created by someone else or by natural forces. However, sometimes the resulting picture can be very artistic.


Steve.

 

[SuzanneR]

I think I prefer calling it my avocation... it's rather more serious than a hobby, which for me is cooking. I like to cook... dabble in the kitchen a bit, but I'm altogether more serious about photography. And yes, I consider myself an artist. Took a long while to feel comfortable with that thought, but I do, now.

 

[LyleB]

I am purely a hobbyist, have been for years. Somewhat a collector also, some would say.

I enjoy using old technology. That doesn't mean I don't use higher tech also, but my interests lie in backpacking, history, alternative building methods, homesteading, etc.

I guess my fascination with film cameras, particularly older, more manual cameras fits in with my overall lifestyle. I enjoy using older methods, and keeping the skills alive. I am just now starting my journey into large format. I don't pretend to be extremely talented (I wish I was), but I enjoy the feel and process of photography, and learning some of the theory to put into practice.

 

[markbarendt]

I don't believe photography is an art but a craft

Depends on how you define photography.

The technical bits are, IMO, just craft; the application of the technical bits though, are not.

If you include composition, choice of palette, choice of exposure, choice of grain, timing, etcetera..., as part of photography; it can easily be considered an art.

 

[Lionel1972]

I would say I am 'part artist'. I have an artistic side, but my training and profession is scientific. What interests me in photography is that it satisfies both areas. It melds art and science into one.

Same for me here. I'd like to add that photography is also an aesthetic experience to me on several levels (be it composition, lighting, human expressions, or looking at a big color slide or black and white negative on the lighttable or projected on a nice screen, or holding an nice print I made with my own hands). I get pleasure for my senses (visual sense being first) and for my brain as well as a nice feeling of accomplishment when I overcome the inevitable frustrations. The pleasure of sharing one's passion with others and to get some recognition from it is also one of the assets that drawns me to photography along with the joy of offering sometimes some of that pleasure to others (offering prints to friends and people who appreciate it is a big satisfaction too).

 

[benjiboy]

Depends on how you define photography.

The technical bits are, IMO, just craft; the application of the technical bits though, are not.

If you include composition, choice of palette, choice of exposure, choice of grain, timing, etcetera..., as part of photography; it can easily be considered an art.

"Self advertisement is no recommendation" it isn't for the individual to name him/her self an "Artist" but the art World in general..

 

[magkelly]

Artist, but for now, also a hobbyist. I'm not a pro yet, won't be for a long while. I do try to do more than just take cute snapshots though. I definitely don't think much like your average person on vacation when I have a camera in my hand, even when I am on vacation. Standing in the designated "photo spot" in some places and taking the same pic as 10,000 people before me just doesn't interest me much usually, no matter how pretty the view is. I have to find what's really going on, with all the people around me, and use that or I might as well put the camera away, I'll get so bored. A nice beach shot is pretty on the wall, but I'd much rather have a nice shot of someone or something on that beach doing something besides standing there smiling pretty for the camera. My best portraits tend to be candid shots, I think.

 

[daleeman]

I’d like to share that I feel I am an artist, but the term artist is not too credible when one self proclaims it to be. I believe an artist is only truly bestowed posthumously by those best suited to profit from your visual work. Dead, gone, limited number of great art works to purchase! The signed ones are more expensive than the unsigned ones because it is hard to prove its your work.

But on the quieter side of life, as courage is fear that has said its prayers and acted upon them I could see an artist is a hobbyist that has moved from craft to expression of inner vision.

So am I an artist? I express from the inner vision based on the true reflections of life that I control as it tickles silver nitrates. Yes I say.

Lee

 

[jonsparkes]

I don't see myself as an artist. If a bunch of parts of this world are brought together in a manner that grabs my attention, I photograph it. It's a hobby for which I have great passion. So hobbyist I am, and a passionate one at that.

 

[markbarendt]

... it isn't for the individual to name him/her self an "Artist" but the art World in general..

Why is that? Seriously, are you suggesting that we limit the definition of artist (and by implication what art is) to the opinion of the establishment that is trying to protect it's own vested interests and profits?

Don't know about anybody else here but I'll pass on that definition.

I'll side with Merriam-Webster instead since they are probably more representative of the "real" world.

Personally I think 2 a makes perfect sense.

Main Entry: art·ist
Pronunciation: \ˈär-tist\
Function: noun
Date: circa 1507
1 a obsolete : one skilled or versed in learned arts b archaic : physician c archaic : artisan 1
2 a : one who professes and practices an imaginative art b : a person skilled in one of the fine arts
3 : a skilled performer; especially : artiste
4 : one who is adept at something <con artist> <strikeout artist>

 

[MattKing]

If you are speaking in terms of dichotomy (which I don't think you are) I prefer the amateur vs. professional dichotomy, where amateur is defined as one who does (photography) for the joy of it.

I think an artist is one who creates art. If you have some sort of intention behind what you create, then it's okay to consider yourself at least a part-time artist.

 

[chriscrawfordphoto]

I'm an artist. my work has been exhibited in many galleries and art museums and I have an art degree. I've taught art classes. My work has been published as art and I earn my living selling my work as fine art. I think I qualify as an artist.

 

[angrykitty]

an artist and a documentarian. I am showing 'this happened'. and it did. But I get to choose which moment and which angle represents that. I show my perspective of history.

who or what I work for, or why I do it, doesn't really matter.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

I take pictures... And I try to sell some of them to pay for the indulgence. How do you label that?

But I am incredibly passionate about the form. To take a camera, point it at a face, landscape, or any other subject matter, and then transform the print to represent what I see, to try to bring forward what I find important about the subject matter, is soul satisfying to me.
When I know and am confident about my equipment and materials to such a degree that I react on instinct to what's in front of me, to respond to what I feel, I somehow feel that I am beyond being a hobbyist; I feel more like an artist, because my interest goes beyond the craft and into the realm of attempting to project my emotions onto those that look at my work; it is a very serious effort to accomplish just that. Is that art? I don't know. I don't know what to call it.

 

[Dan Henderson]

I take pictures... And I try to sell some of them to pay for the indulgence. How do you label that?

As I said to someone who once asked me if I sold any pictures from an exhibition I was in: "No, I am preserving my amateur status for the Olympics."

Which, now that I think of it, is no longer an inappropriate analogy. Oh well.

 

[Vincent Brady]

When a scene prompts a previsualization in me I consider myself an artist as I try to capture that image. Otherwise I just enjoy taking photographs of things that I come across.
________
Vincent

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

When people see me out on the street with one of my large format cameras, regardless of the size, I get asked what I am. I am an artist, certainly, but lots of people have a hard time wrapping their heads around that notion, so I explain it this way - photography is to me more than a hobby, but not a career - it's an obsessive-compulsive disorder. It's something I do to express myself in an artistic way, since I'm not very good with a brush, and although I like to sculpt, I don't have a good facility for it. My artwork would be little or nothing without my craft, but my work is as much about the subject and the emotional meaning as it is about the craft of making it.

 

[removed account4]

i shoot professionally ...
and when i am not shooting on assignment
i am shooting to pass the time.

it is more than a hobby. if someone wants to call me an artist that is fine.

 

[Perry Way]

photography is to me more than a hobby, but not a career - it's an obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Later on in the day, Perry walks into a room full of people sits down and says "Hi, I'm Perry, I'm an obsessive-compulsive photographer-printmaker".

The crowd in the room responds "Hi Perry! Keep coming back!"



sorry.. I could not resist hahaha

 

[keithwms]

I take pictures... And I try to sell some of them to pay for the indulgence. How do you label that?

Smart.

 

[tzillman]

I've read through the posts in this thread and find that the same terms are being used in rather different ways and there are connotations that exist for some people that do not for others. The term "professional" obviously means someone who earns money from photography. To some having others pay you for photography is the ultimate validation, but to others the professional is someone who takes "grip and grin" photos with no artistic merit and is, at worst, prostituting their skills. To some the title "artist" is no different from calling oneself a gardener. To others, the title must be earned through education and/or through winning competitions. To others yet, to call oneself an artist is possibly vain in some way.

There is a danger of this becoming a rather pointless discussion since there's little consensus on the meaning of terms. For me the labels make no difference. I enjoy the creative aspects of photography. I found out a long time ago that artistic pursuits very rarely pay a living wage, so I earn a living in another field and make photographs because I want to.

 

[2F/2F]

Always a hobbyist, and sometimes an artist or hired gun...though I think it is really up to others many years from now to judge my stuff as art or not art.

 

[Dave Wooten]

I am a humble martyr