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I’m a professional seemingly!
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Well I never.
I entered a competition over the weekend – the ESAI photography competition. It’s for amateurs only. My submission was rejected this morning as this:
I cannot accept submission of your entry.
Please read the terms and conditions of entry stating that the
competition is open to amateur photographers only.I stated that I work as a company buyer and does having a website exclude me. The reply:
We have had this issue arise beofre in the competition.
I’ll run it by the committee members as indicated but the general
guide is that any person who makes a monetary gain from the sale of
photographic works is considered not to be an amatuer photographer.Assumptions based on my offering images for sale on my site…which have amounted to 3 sales on 3 years which hardly paid for themselves. So let the congratulations come in hot and heavy folks…I’ve just been made professional!!
Where do these people get off with their rules? I suggested that they redefine it as “people who don’t own “good” cameras” :?
Alan
Congrats Alan !.
But seriously, you’d think that they’d want to see the best photos regardless of amateur/pro status tbh.
Hi Alan, I laughed when I saw this post because the issue as they say that arose before in the competition was with me. I won the competition
last year 2009 when I was unemployed..yes unemployed and I registered as a business from the end of January 2010 but again after heading
to Limerick to collect my prize at their annual conference I got the news from them, quote “it has come to our notice that you are a professional photographer and we will not be handing over the voucher for €250.00”
Seemingly even though I entered the competition in 2009 and won it for that year and attended their conference where I was presented with
a framed portrait of my winning shot but no voucher (they forgot to bring it ??) someone did a Google check on me. They contacted me on 1st
March 2010 when I was working as a pro and said they will not be giving me the prize but awarding it to the Ru-up.Some robust e-mails were exchanged until sense prevailed and I got the voucher.
As regards monetary gain….well all I can say is that would rule out about two-thirds of Waterford Camera Club members from entering any
amatuer photo competition because as we all know the odd photo is sold here and there and a neighbour will ask you will you take Mary or
Mickey’s photo and I will pay you etc,etc. As Mark said they either want the best photos entered or they dont.Just read the rules carefully as it avoids a lot of hassle.
P.S. Alan…good luck with your new career ????
Noel Browne.
Cheers folks. I was chuffed :-)
I think Wexford club would be in the same position as Waterford Noel. As has been said many times, as long as you have a “good” camera you get asked.Alan
Hey Alan just noticed not only a professional but also 5000 posts here…..you are having a good day :D
Cheers Steve
Best of luck there Mr Rossiter… It also rises a query within the club. The club are paying professionals to judge our challenge this year, so does that eliminate the professionals within the club from partaking?????????????
I know I have sold one or two but it far from makes me a pro. I am an amateur hobbiest.
Pati think its the IPPA that has a definition of what makes you a pro
I think its something like 80% of your income has to come from photography.
As far as I’m concerned Pat the rules of this particular competition are inaccurate. I don’t see where Aunt Molly asks you for a copy of her precious moggie makes you professional. Technically speaking if you make money you do generate an earning from it but it’s not your profession. If it was the case then we’d be like Noel said…all excluded.
Steve – yeah, I’m getting dizzy…unfortunately it doesn’t pass as a tax break though. ;-)
SteveC – well that’s definite. I’ve told them to feck off anyway.
ossie13 wrote:
Hey Alan just noticed not only a professional but also 5000 posts here…..you are having a good day :D
Cheers Steve
Oh well done Alan.
Mark wrote:
ossie13 wrote:
Hey Alan just noticed not only a professional but also 5000 posts here…..you are having a good day :D
Cheers Steve
Oh well done Alan.
:oops: Awww, shucks! Only a few more and I’ll pass by PTB and NFL (anyone who doesn’t know PTB & NFL look them up…buy some pop corn, put on the kettle, plan a few hours away, etc)
Congrats on your unexpected career change & the 5000 posts. :D
Just wondering, If I won a fiver on the lotto, am I a professional gambler? :lol: :lol:Its getting a bit of a Joke now, you would swear its €3000 prize money!!!!
Actually just thought of it, I think my wife Pauline has just taken up photography, and she has some cracking images to enter :D
Maybe your wife has some good one’s to enter as well Alan
steelydan wrote:
Its getting a bit of a Joke now, you would swear its €3000 prize money!!!!
Actually just thought of it, I think my wife Pauline has just taken up photography, and she has some cracking images to enter :D
Maybe your wife has some good one’s to enter as well Alan
I catch your drift John…but the truth of it is that she has, and does. She’s currently leading the club Intermediate section competition. But as a spouse of a “professional” her “income” is also of that of a professional. :lol:
Yep…it’s a joke.
Interesting Alan,
I think that most good amateur photographers would to have to admit to selling the odd photograph.
Photographers up to competition winning standards will always receive requests for print sales.
They are unlikely to refuse these simply out of a moral highground to remain strictly ‘amateur’, whatever that actually means.I was questioned in a recent amateur competition about my amateur / professional status.
I answered it thus and they validated my entry.Just to clarify your question regarding professional photography. I am a research engineer at **** in ****. My photography is very much in the amateur ethic. I photograph for my own enjoyment. I don’t shoot professionally to any commission or for any customer. However, I do sell prints of my landscape photography through my webpage. My sales would typically be under **** per annum, This income would cover a proportion of my equipment and petrol costs, so these sales net me zero profit. I rely on my engineering job to fund my hobby. I hope this clarifies your question.
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