Looking up and smiling, the girl asked me. "Well," redfaced and stammering, I tried hard to think and give the right answer, "I do take pictures with a wooden camera, but not for a living." This happened four weeks ago when a group of people were wine tasting in a beautifl vineyard near Santa Barbara. Upon arriving, I was so enchanted by the mission style building of the vineyard, its white walls with black bells bathed in the slanting golden light of a late afternoon. There was also a light early summer breeze. So I went back to my car and took out my Deardorff and Ries tripod and made four exposures while other people tasted their wine. When all finished, hot, thirsty and happy, I went to the hall to join my friends and to taste the four different wines I had paid and not touched. That was when my friend Tony tried to explain to the wine girl why I was late. "You should see him with that big wood camera you only see in the movies taking pictures outside." Even today, I still try to think of the right answer to this question. If I give a wrong answer, the next question will be if I do weddings. You must have been asked the same question, those of us who don't make a living by taking pictures, what is the right answer?
I love that scene in Blow Up where David Hemmings is photographing the woman and she is obviously upset about it and she tells him something like "you can't just take people's pictures . . ." and he replies: " well, I'm a photographer, that's what I do," or something like that. Its like he's saying he has a camera and his goal or intention is to photograph what he sees in the world, and that justifies the act.
You have a camera and want to record something you see. You are a photographer. What you do with the images is after the fact.
Serious photographer or dabbler, I prefer John Sexton's take on this. He made a presentation at a NAMPA conference some years ago where he stated, "I am an amateur photographer." He then went on to explain his rationale, noting that the definition of amateur is "someone who does something for the love of it." Perfect.
"Are you a photographer?"
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