Are you an hobbyist or artist?

I'm an entrepreneur and I'm a person who organizes and operates a photography business, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so. My clients like what I do, that's my art.

It'd be a shame if this digressed into arguments about what art is and what true artists do.

It's more respectful for people simply to say their piece and not feel obligated to redress others' thoughts.

I consider myself a hobbyist at heart and an artist. Photography is not my main source of income. The hobbyist side of me enjoys the freedom to explore new ideas without the added pressure that commercial opportunities bring. I have found for commercial work it sounds more appealing to the client to be seen as an artist.

Rich

Poohblah said:

...I am wondering about your approach, and how you think of yourself in relationship to the camera and the photograph.

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I've had a couple of galleries like my work enough to carry it. Years of playing the gallery game resulted in sales too few to mention. After careful consideration I let go of the gallery world. Now I simply pursue my vision and my passion on my own, for me and no one else. I'm happy to sell the occasional print, but don't expect to and don't really try to anymore, so when it happens it's a happy surprise.

The bottom line for me is that it takes a phenomenal amount of time to promote and market photography even when you have a gallery or two showing your work. Especially when you consider the time to sales ratio. I would *much* rather spend that time making photographs. So I do.

So what does that make me? Apply any label that you wish. I really can't be bothered to care.

I'm of two minds. Some days I am the hobbyist, calibrating a process. Once that is under control, I feel I know how it will react, and then strive to feel more like an artist when using it.

I don't aim high in the art world. Most of the stuff I get exposure for are head shots of community theatre actors. They are pretty finicky lot, so if I get a referral from one of them them in this digital age, I think I must have a smidgen of art in me.

I am working at getting better at taking more intimate family portraits. No, not that way, but more where everyone looks like they are pleased to be a part of the image. Others may be busier, but I am happy presently to have one session proofed and out at the client for print selection, another coming up this Monday after the day job ends, and one being scheduled in mid July. All of this has come from referral or my wife casually mentioning what I have been busy with it in her circle of associates.

Then there are the times when hobbyist identity fades and an obsessed technical nut comes to life. Over the last 6 months I have calibrated two different slide dupe films, and learned a whole lot more about color negatives than I ever did before by calibrating an interneg film that I have spool of. These efforts have given me a more solid basis for how normal color products react. Now I feel more confident when I am shooting and delivering orders that I have done all of the work on from taking the photos to mounting the prints. This helps me woory less about technical details at a photo session, and lets the artist emerge a bit more.

Everyone is an artist, it's a generic term. The range of talent is seamless from bad to good depending on who is doing it. How is there a distinction? Not all art is a business unless it's for sale. Hobby/business; the payment determines which one it is. It's that simple.

Over the last x number of years, I have looked at a lot of photos both from known photographers who sell their work through to rank beginners. In the end, the main distinction between talented enthusiastic Hobbyist photographers and photographic artists of any degree is marketing. If I could get the right person to market my 4 year old daughters pictures the right way, I'm sure she could be an artist of the highest calibre.

I'm too un-educated, un-talented and un-motivated to be an artist. At best I am a hobbyist. At worste I am just a weekend hack who likes the smell of Fix.

I like to think of myself as some kind of mad scientist/explorer, because every other day some self-generated photography task has me puzzling over how to achieve it, requiring thinking, research, advice from my peers (mostly here), and often some crazy d.i.y. Sometimes, I actually get around to making and printing a photo, which is an entire extra process of delightful discovery, or intriguing absolute failure

Of course, the rare moment I actually get paid, then by golly, I am an artiste and professional!!

Marc!

Not much for me to argue about, only that I am an artist through tertiary qualification and professional practice, producing work, printing/framing it, and selling it. And I do not, never have and never will do it cheaply.

I studied traditional (brush) arts a long time ago (1993+) after decades pottering around in photography, then left traditional art for want of struggling to find a style I identified with, then back to serious photography (1997+). Brush artists are still the most in demand and enduringly profitable, while on the other hand, its poor cousin, photography, must be produced to an extremely high standard to be seen as serious 'alternative' product and attractive to prospective purchasers who are making an investment.

In as far as the act of seeing defines how my photographs may result, that result is still a contrived image and not necessarily original. Elements in the photograph may be arranged in an artistic way and be esthetically pleasing or challenging to the observer, but remain manufactured and as such do not qualify as an art form in my opinion. While I find the work of Sally Mann for instance to be art I feel mine is a craft at best or simply a hobbyist’s labour of love.

How about connoisseur?

im a printer, photographing is just a small part of the finished print.

printing is most certainly art

I have feelings the stew inside of me, and I have feelings when I first lay my eyes on some things. My photographic work is how I show others what I felt, and do feel. I don't know what that makes me, but I love it.

I'm just an exhausted serial killer that doesn't even care anymore about whether his work is artistic or not

I have an obsession. I regard some of the outcome of this obsession as art.
(And no, being an artist has NOTHING to do with how you are regarded by the outside world. Nothing what-so-ever.

Hi, to be an amateur (in German: Liebhaber/ Lover?), is what I say. I´m not an hobbyist nor an Artist but sociologist, but some years I only was and will next time again be an photographer in an "artists intension". I only speak about images, is it a good one or not. You can throw an egg to a wall and may be it becomes art. I take the camera. Never I sold pictures (the technique to make it etc. is secundary).
To photograph is for me a point out with art in doing it not only reading about. My stills show this. Example: If one see an image with fruits, flowers, hunted animals all people say, it´s a still. But to use a stool, or some other unused materials, people asked what shall that be?
And I look to the early 20th century, when the new seeing, new photographing, new literatur, new painting comes out.

Gruß
lars

Probably the photographic artist is somebody that is a legend in his own mind. The hobbyist is just a guy that enjoys photography and the adventure of getting out of the house for a while.

My photography is like my singing in the shower, I don't care whether It's art or not as long as I enjoy it .

I am a hobbyist. I would like to say otherwise but the reality of the situation is that I have little time to devote to it. So it truly is a hobby. And a relaxing one that I love.

Hi, My name is Dave, and I am a snapshooter.

Personally, I would never apply the "A" word to myself or what I do. That is my own hangup. I am always flattered when somebody likes one of my photos. Possibly, sometime in the future, maybe down the road, if I can manage to stick with it, and I can manage to not screw up too often, or by some freaky stroke of good fortune, I might call myself a photographer. Maybe.

Oh, who the Hell am I trying to fool. This is just a hobby that I have enjoyed for a couple of decades. I will probably get bored with it soon anyway.

I am not a hobbyist, nor a professional and certainly not an artist.

I am an opportunist.

I can't pick one, I spend about 20-30 hours a week on photography but am not an artist...What am I??

I would say Hobbyist, but I do get tasked with being the recorder of family history now and then. Artist, no way my eye sucks that is why I shoot digital as much as I do, I'm trying to learn to frame a better photo.

I once hoped to be an artist...now I merely hope to be remembered.

You don't get " Piss hobbyists"