Purple Sea Enterprises wrote:
Speaking from experience and having lived in Montana all my life until recently - it happens when you get out of Montana.  Very limited opportunities and narrow, shallow- minded people.  I never went anywhere or did anything with my photography until I moved.  The best thing about Montana and photos are the opportunities for landscapes and nature.

As to the "aspiring" - if you think of yourself as a pro, and market yourself as such, and behave like one - then you are!

Good luck - would love to help you anyway I can!

S

I've had a lot of business from here in Billings, but it's not anywhere I want to continue to do my photography. I am hoping to get out of here in a year or two hopefully a year rather than two and move on down to colorado, where I was born and raised. Can't really see myself living anywhere else.
Thank you for your feedback.

Jack D Trute wrote:
When your mom thinks so?

lol...I Concur!

Purple Sea Enterprises wrote:
Look us up if you ever get to Phoenix!!  I was born in Colorado as well - love the area - there's a lot of potential there.  I understand what you are saying about not really wanting to continue in Billings - you have an edge I don't think most Montanans are ready for! *L*  You've got a great eye and with the right break, you'll do great!  Keep shooting and stay in touch!  (I may not want to live there, but I still get homesick - I grew up over by Butte!)

Thanks will do! Yea some people here have raised an eyebrow or too but overall I'm getting known around the billings area.  I have had a ton of good feedback, which I was at first sorta surprised.
I will miss montana when I leave because it just seems for the most part peaceful and not so high strung living. I've only been to butte once actually, I did my first wedding there.

TooCoolQueeniee wrote:
... and move on down to colorado...

When you do, could you please bring some of the lovely tattooed models you seem to have stashed away up there please? Thanks.

You have some fabulous images in your port!

Leah Rogers wrote:
I would consider you a semi pro photographer..  Some of your images look extremely professional.... others look very amateur. I would lose 7-10 (the ones with the pitch fork) it's not because of the prop, but because it look's so unfinished. When you start to see that in images more (whether they look pro or amateur) you become a complete professional. That being said, I would work with ya! lol.

Seriously though, I think that some of the images are great... you just have to really be choosey (is that a word?) about which ones you put in there. The ones I mentioned look like they just came off of a digital camera. I (obviously) am not a professional photographer, so I don't know whether it's a Photoshop issue or an angle/expression issue, but they just don't look "finished" or "professional" to me.

In the end, I would say that you don't call yourself an aspiring photographer, because you are past that point, But, I also wouldn't specify being a professional photographer... I would just call yourself a photographer... and if someone askes...then I would say semi-pro

when photographing, pretend you are in NYC or something.... don't worry about if people in your state would like it... do it for you and also do what the fashion world wants to see. If a shoot is TFP/TFCD then do what the model wants, but also what YOU want! Diversify! lol

Thank you very much, though I can't seem to part with my images hahaha but I do appriciate your feedback. And I'm happy that'd you'd consider working with me.

D Drake Photography wrote:

When you do, could you please bring some of the lovely tattooed models you seem to have stashed away up there please? Thanks.

You have some fabulous images in your port!

Thank you:) I would surely bring them if they would allow, my most worked with model brooke who did the smokin in the boys room and a few others up in there she was thinking at one point moving to Denver but hasn't said anything lately.
It's so hard to find people here with that sort of look so I value the ones that I have found.

Leah Rogers wrote:
I would consider you a semi pro photographer..  Some of your images look extremely professional.... others look very amateur. I would lose 7-10 (the ones with the pitch fork) it's not because of the prop, but because it look's so unfinished. When you start to see that in images more (whether they look pro or amateur) you become a complete professional. That being said, I would work with ya! lol.

Seriously though, I think that some of the images are great... you just have to really be choosey (is that a word?) about which ones you put in there. The ones I mentioned look like they just came off of a digital camera. I (obviously) am not a professional photographer, so I don't know whether it's a Photoshop issue or an angle/expression issue, but they just don't look "finished" or "professional" to me.

In the end, I would say that you don't call yourself an aspiring photographer, because you are past that point, But, I also wouldn't specify being a professional photographer... I would just call yourself a photographer... and if someone askes...then I would say semi-pro

when photographing, pretend you are in NYC or something.... don't worry about if people in your state would like it... do it for you and also do what the fashion world wants to see. If a shoot is TFP/TFCD then do what the model wants, but also what YOU want! Diversify! lol

Ok, quality has nothing to do with whether you are professional are not.

You've stated that you've been paid and that others have used your work to further their careers, and you take your work seriously... I would say yes, you are a professional photographer.

Lamonica wrote:

Ok, quality has nothing to do with whether you are professional are not.

You've stated that you've been paid and that others have used your work to further their careers, and you take your work seriously... I would say yes, you are a professional photographer.

Thanks, I am going to change my port to just say Photographer.

TooCoolQueeniee wrote:
Is a person considered a "photographer"
And I'm not aiming for high end fashion, glam type of work....I am not trying to get myself out there or famous.

But I get paid for my work, and I do quiet a bit of it, lately it's just slow due to lack of time and holidays everyones busy.

So when can I stop saying I'm an "aspiring" photographer?

I would just really like to loose the A word in the front there,but I am unsure if I should or not.

All of the above and none of the above,it just depends on what you want to call yourself and be damned those that say otherwise.I spent thirthy years or more working full time and part time in photography and I retired ten years ago and could care less about the business end of it now.Does that mean I can no longer call myself a pro or semi-pro?.I am now enjoying it more than ever and doing better work than ever.

Jack D Trute wrote:
When your mom thinks so?

If that's when then I'll never be considered one.

stan wigmore photograph wrote:

All of the above and none of the above,it just depends on what you want to call yourself and be damned those that say otherwise.I spent thirthy years or more working full time and part time in photography and I retired ten years ago and could care less about the business end of it now.Does that mean I can no longer call myself a pro or semi-pro?.I am now enjoying it more than ever and doing better work than ever.

No way you have a fantastic port. I see what your saying by all means, but I am no where near your portfolio. That's when I get discouraged, I was telling D Drake Photography via pm, that I get pretty proud of myself and feel confident then I see some amazingly mind blowing images, and I get discouraged thinking I'm so far from it.
But I also have to take into consideration that people all have different styles. So i shouldn't beat myself up.

Mark Reese Photography wrote:

If that's when then I'll never be considered one.

Sorry to hear that.

TooCoolQueeniee wrote:

Thank you very much, though I can't seem to part with my images hahaha but I do appriciate your feedback. And I'm happy that'd you'd consider working with me.

Well cheers to you for how professionally you responded to this. :-) Your port here is smokin'. I would hang your work on my wall. Call yourself what you want and rock on!