Thank you for the clarification. I've looked at the work of some Professionals and remarked to myself 'it doesn't get any better'. I've driven down the street and saw images that were on billboards that I would throw in the trash if I had done them.
There's the whole gamut from somebody with your qualifications to a Professional who's self taught. There's the whole gamut which runs from the commericial photographer to the photographer who make a decent living shooting weddings.
Photography isn't a team sport, it's an individual thing execution wise, and pretty much one individual, one vision. My point is that there's really no way to tell what the terms 'Professional' or 'Advanced Amateur' mean, or what they refer to except on an individual, case by case basis. The terms in and of themselves are generalizations.
If I look at the work of someone that shows that individual to be gifted in terms of imagination, or creativity, or inspiration and so forth when it comes to their images and I come to understand that that individual did that image for its own sake I consider that to be the work of an Advanced Amateur.
Actually notwithstanding the current dialogue, I like a term which is inclusive of all of us, which is the term 'personal work'. You asked me a question which I will answer by asking you a question, what do you think of your personal work? Understand this is by definition work done under no deadline and no pressure except that which you would impose on yourself, so whats going to come through is your talent and personal vision.
Granted this work may be better as you gain experience as you have honed your skills to a high degree, because of your professional discipline, but you had that potential before you turned Professional.
You may be farther down the road than many Advanced Amateurs but they are are on the same road whether they are ahead of you or behind you, at least to me.
Good photographers, pretty good photographers, great photographers, gifted photographers with a lot of potential, gifted photographers who refined their skills through the pursuit of a professinal career, all of them, to me, belong in the same room, or on on the same road.
I have 'sweated bullets' doing the portraits of people who prefaced the job with their disgust for the work of some pretty good photographers whom they felt 'loused up' their portraits. I won't do a portrait of people who have unrealistic expectations and that's not what I'm talking about. I have caressed short noses, flat noses, long noses, noses veering off the the left, noses veering off the the right, bulging eyes, sunken eyes, cross eyes, round faces, angular faces, lopsided faces, with every lighting scheme know to man, along with every trick I know; believe me I know about pressure.
I am a better and a more refined photographer than I was several years ago, because of the discipline I've developed doing portraits. It simply makes you better having to think things through. I just don't think its a good idea to separate myself from somebody who is on the same road as I am, but who is just a little bit behind me. I don't think it necessary to make that distinction.
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