What Makes a Photographer a Photographer?

I find it funny how I sometimes call myself "a photographer," while other times I insist that "I'm not a real photographer." I guess I feel conflicted. While in Seattle I was shopping at a Fossil store where I was just about to buy a cute camera charm. The sales girl asked if I was a photographer and I said, "why yes I am" without thinking twice about it. After all, my company was spending a lot of money to send me across the country to take pictures and shoot video. I must be a real photographer. But inside I know I'm not. I guess it was easy to tell a complete stranger that I was.

And that leads me to wonder when a real photographer makes the decision to call themselves one. I mean what constitutes a person being a real photographer? For sure it's not simply owning a nice camera. Any shmoe can go out and buy a nice camera without having any talent whatsoever. Karlo used to challenge me when I either called myself, or someone else, 'a biker.' He would pose the same question. What makes a biker a biker? I figure if somebody is riding an expensive fancy bike and is decked out in all the proper gear, they must be a biker. But I think that goes against my photographer theory. Anybody can waste a lot of money on a fancy bike without being in shape or have the passion for biking in their hearts.

So what makes a photographer a photographer? Do they all have degrees from photography schools in frames on their wall? I doubt it. Do they call themselves photographers as soon as somebody pays them for their photography? This is also an interesting question for me because it took me a dozen years before I called myself a 'graphic designer.' I was making a (good) living doing the work for many years, but because I didn't have a degree in graphic design I just never could officially label myself as one. Silly, I know. One day I just woke up and decided that not only do I 'do' graphic design for a living, but I'm good at what I do. I therefore MUST be a graphic designer. I changed the title on my nameplate and that was that. Also interesting that I have my instructor certification to teach yoga, I've taught a class for 2 years, but I still can't call myself a 'real' yoga instructor. What is wrong with me?

Now here I am trying to convince people that I am NOT a photographer. I occasionally get contacted by distant friends and acquaintances on Facebook, asking me if I would photograph their kids, or head shots for their resumes. This week alone I got three different paying offers for my work. A friend asked me to shoot her son's wedding (gulp), a PR professional asked me to shoot pictures for a magazine article on location, and my manager asked me to shoot some product shots for packaging (a side business for him). Each of them having seen my work and each of them willing to pay me for it. My answer to all of them was, "You know I'm not a real photographer, right?" But now I'm sitting here thinking . . . if people are willing to pay me to take pictures, what more do I need to call myself a photographer? Maybe it's time I wake up and decide to call myself one.