I do virtual photography on APUG and real photography in the real world.
I find these arguments somewhat silly.
Frequent arguments include:
Real photographers get paid for their work. So do prostitutes. Is sex without the exchange of money not "real sex"?
Real photographers have professional equipment. I have no doubt that a lot of poorly exposed, poorly composed and generally uninteresting photographs have been taken with Leica cameras and lenses. Carpenters are assessed by the quality of their work, not the brand name of their hammers.
Real photographers make images as their sole source of income. In that case, the "real" photographers are the guys who travel from school to school taking school pictures. As well as the paparazzi.
Real photographers manage every step of the process in the darkroom. This effectively excludes the vast majority of professional photographers in the 21st century who use digital equipment.
Frequently, it seems that "real photographers" are those who build themselves up by tearing others down. If your work stands on its own merits, you should be proud. If it does not, criticizing the efforts made by hobbyists/enthusiasts will not change that fact.
I think of myself as an "amateur", in the sense the word once had, as someone who makes images for the love of the art, without hope of financial gain. Unfortunately, the word has a different meaning in modern language and had connotations of lesser skill, commitment, and achievement. To many, this may not qualify me as a "real" photographer, but I suspect my situation is shared by many Photrio members.
To me, a real photographer is one who pre-visualizes an image, and uses photography to the best of his ability to create that image and strives to perfect his technique.