Am I a “Professional” Photographer?

Since I am now mostly settled into my role as a Photopass Photographer, one thing I’ve come to notice is how guests will often refer to me as a “professional.” And that, is something that baffles me every time.

I’ll be positioning a family, or having them pose for a fun, creative shot, or they’ll even be just walking by wanting a photo, and they will say things like “Oh, let the professional do it” or “She’s the professional, she knows what’s best,” that kind of thing.

According to Google’s definition of “professional” it is: someone engaged in a specified activity as one’s main paid occupation rather than as a pastime. So technically, under that definition, I am a professional. I am paid by Disney to take photos for guests. I also have a degree in art, where I took several photography courses. Therefore, under that definition, I suppose I would be considered a professional.

But for whatever reason, I can’t get over the mental hump of being referred to as such.  It’s not that I don’t feel that I know what I’m doing. I think it mostly comes from the way guests so openly refer to me as that, before I ever even thought of myself that way.

For now I’m just going with the flow. I am absolutely loving my role as a Photopass Photographer, and now that I am trained with characters, I’m having in more fun. Professional or not, teamwork makes the dream work!