C R Photography wrote:
If you're shooting implieds in your tool shed..... you might be a GWC.

i think we could go on the road with this!

Toria wrote:
I'm not a guy...and I shoot 99% with natural light.  I absolutely HATE indoor shooting...so...what you call me? 

GWC (Girl with Camera) ;-)

Brian Diaz wrote:
If the goal is to make photographs, you are a photographer.  If your goal is to get girls to stand in front of you in various degrees of undress while you take pictures of them, you are a GWC.

I like that definition. I think I'd change it to "If the goal is to make [i]quality[/b] photographs, you are a photographer." Obviously levels of quality would vary. No need to get into opinions and what not.

Every photographer doesn't need to use elaborate lighting setups. So many seem to have a problem with those who shoot a bit of reality. I find it interesting that the general thought on photography comes across like everyone who is "professional" is shooting fashion or needs to manipulate every aspect of what they shoot. All due credit to being able to do that but credit should never be denied to those who can capture things just as they are seen.

Brian Diaz wrote:
If the goal is to make photographs, you are a photographer.  If your goal is to get girls to stand in front of you in various degrees of undress while you take pictures of them, you are a GWC.

I'm not going to get into the amateur/professional thing, because there are no guidelines.  Though I did come up with this the other night: Being professional means knowing when to be unprofessional.

I agree and I love that saying about professional,   A word all too often used with no backing to it.

And I did not ask those ladies to shoot.   They were laughing for other reasons.

MHana wrote:
And I did not ask those ladies to shoot.   They were laughing for other reasons.

https://modelmayhem.com/posts.php?thread_id=15177 ?

Michael Thayer wrote:
Am I a GWC?

You're not in my league.

I do TFP shoots with Angelina Jolie all the time, and I'm like "Angie baby here let me adjust your bra"   I drive a ferrari and Israel Colon waxes my rims and armor-alls my tires. I am gonna be the next Richard Avingdon or whatever his name is.

GWC!

GWC wrote:

You're not in my league.

I do TFP shoots with Angelina Jolie all the time, and I'm like "Angie baby here let me adjust your bra"   I drive a ferrari and Israel Colon waxes my rims and armor-alls my tires. I am gonna be the next Richard Avingdon or whatever his name is.

GWC!

Wow!! There really is GWC!!  I thought he was like Santa Claus!

GWC wrote:

You're not in my league.

I do TFP shoots with Angelina Jolie all the time, and I'm like "Angie baby here let me adjust your bra"   I drive a ferrari and Israel Colon waxes my rims and armor-alls my tires. I am gonna be the next Richard Avingdon or whatever his name is.

GWC!

Well look what the cat dragged in!  Angie's been keeping you busy, eh?

GWC wrote:

You're not in my league.

I do TFP shoots with Angelina Jolie all the time, and I'm like "Angie baby here let me adjust your bra"   I drive a ferrari and Israel Colon waxes my rims and armor-alls my tires. I am gonna be the next Richard Avingdon or whatever his name is.

GWC!

Heyyyyy...if all this thread did was bring you out, I am happy. Good to see an old friend.

Michael Thayer wrote:
Yep, I'm just a GWC.  And I've got 3 shoots lined up.

My models always love their photos,

I like my photos.

It's only other photogrpahers who even know what GWC is.

I have fun doing what I do, and the models like their images.

Okay I'll take the title of GWC.

I also believe that an expensive camera and lots of lights aren't necessary to get good photos.

GWC?  Proud of it.

You could have just said: "Are most girls naive as hell?  Yep!"

I have no problem with you doing what you do, as long as you aren't acting like you're a pro.   Whats funny is that your images are better than some people who have $5k worth of gear.

Brian Diaz wrote:
If the goal is to make photographs, you are a photographer.  If your goal is to get girls to stand in front of you in various degrees of undress while you take pictures of them, you are a GWC.

Damn, I'm so busted! Wait some of my models are completely undressed I'm safe.

-T

Brian Diaz wrote:
Well look what the cat dragged in!  Angie's been keeping you busy, eh?

NAW, MAN! I been busy. I was doing a shoot with Brad Pitt and Anjelina Jolie and my camera busted so I went to go rent the biggest camera they had at the pro shop and my ferrari jumped the curb and I hit a light pole so then I had to photograph that for the insurance guys and then when I got back Brad had left and Anjelina was like changing her clothes so I shot some topless pictures of her and that went really good but my rental camera had flash sync and I had the X setting wrong so I only got half frames of like part of her left b(o)(0)bie so when I took them to get developed at the WAL MART the guy was like "is that Anjelina Jolie" and I was like "YAH" and he called me a liar and I called him a punk for working at WAL MART and sassing a BIG NAME photographer like me so he hit me and broke my glasses and I hit him with the rental camera and it was like this really expensive hasselblad and the lens came off and bounced into the pet section and broke this tank of goldfish and they called the police and I was there trying to kick this guy's teeth in because he had my picture of Angelina Jolie's left b(o)(O)bie and wouldn't give it back so the cops didn't believe my story and when I got out they were TOWING MY FERRARI so I had to go to the impound lot and...

Anyhow - yeah - I been busy.

Us famous pros don't have all day to hang out on modelmayhem ya know what I mean??

I gotta go. I'm getting ready to photograph a 2some between Charlize Theron and Scarlett Johansen. TTYL!

GWC!

Captured Live wrote:
Wow!! There really is GWC!!  I thought he was like Santa Claus!

Yeah, I am the most talked-about photographer on MM. Check out my profile. I am the SLAMMIN'est.

Say, do any of you have any suggestions on how to clean a nipple-print off your lens' coated optics without scratching them?

GWC!

Nicholson Photography wrote:
if your shooting at the models house and dont have strobes... you might be a gwc.

That would make Edward Weston, Paul Strand, Mary Ellen Mark, Bruce Davidson, Alfred Newman, Bill Claxton and Richard Avedon all GWCs.

A GWC sounds like a pretty cool thing to be if you ask me.

Brian Diaz wrote:
If the goal is to make photographs, you are a photographer.  If your goal is to get girls to stand in front of you in various degrees of undress while you take pictures of them, you are a GWC.

This is a good definition.

Brian Diaz wrote:
If the goal is to make photographs, you are a photographer.  If your goal is to get girls to stand in front of you in various degrees of undress while you take pictures of them, you are a GWC.

I'm with Brian on this one.

Studio200 wrote:
The self procalimed pros also by virtue seem to grant themselves artist status as well.. Evidentally you can be an artist without being a pro, but you can't be a pro without being an artist.

I beg to differ. Being "pro" means you get paid for your work. It doesn't mean you have a creative bone in your body.  Being "amateur" means you love your work (amateur coming from the Latin Amo/Amore I love/to love, etc).

I've seen a lot of "Pro's" - in many fields - who were clueless and were about as far from artistic as you can get without coming back around the great circle to being artistic!

It doesn't matter if you have a $10K camera or a box with a pinhole in it.  If you create interesting images with your equipment, you are artistic.  That's all that matters.  Photography is, first and foremost, an art.  If you get paid for being a photographer, that's great - but it doesn't mean you are an artist.

-Rowen

Studio200 wrote:
If you're shooting in hotel room you might be a gwc...oh wait, lots of pros do that.. never mind..

lol Right!

Michael Thayer wrote:
What's the difference between a professional photographer, an amateur photographer, and a GWC (Guy with Camera)?

Take a look at my portfolio.

Am I a GWC?

I like to think I'm an experienced amateur, but my camera is pretty basic, I shoot mostly in automatic, and I don't own any lights.  Most of my shoots are done outdoors or at the model's home.

What's your definition?

I don't usually play in the forums but here goes... First, I also consider myself an experenced amateur, shooting for a little over a year. Some may think I'm a "GWC" by defination, whatever. I know I'm not a pro as I have yet to make a buck from my photography.

I like to shoot indoors, outdoors, I have invested in lighting and studio equipment. My camera is also basic but I have realized shooting in "Automatic" will never produce the best image. An example would be your avatar shot. Pretty model, nice setting, but the camera is exposed for the brightest spot of the frame that being the bright light behind the model, not the model.

You don't need a bunch of expensive studio gear to take great images. You do need to take controll of the camera and learn exposure parameters. One of the best pieces of equipment I purchased was a light meter.

For me, photography is all about light and how it's balanced, bounced and controlled over a beautiful subject and setting. I still have a lot to learn but I'm having a lot of fun with it!

To sum it up. My definition of a "GWC" is a guy or girl who's only photographic interest is taking *Bad* nude images of there models with no artistic value.

Rick

BAMphotography wrote:
i'd rather be a GWC that takes good photos than a HWC (hater with a camera) that takes crappy pics.

HWC...that acronym fits a lot of people i can think of...

Cameron Watson wrote:
so look at my port and you decide ... then I will tell you what I shoot, how I shoot it, what I use when I shoot it and what I have been paid to shoot.... then I'll tell you what I think I am...

OK, I'll bite.  What do you shoot with, etc, etc.

mark

GWC wrote:
Say, do any of you have any suggestions on how to clean a nipple-print off your lens' coated optics without scratching them?

GWC!

without scratching the nipple?? geez, if you find out.. let me know..

would also love to know who the model is on your magazine cover shot.. she is beautiful!!!


GWC = Guy with Computer

markcomp wrote:
OK, I'll bite.  What do you shoot with, etc, etc.

mark

An Olympus E10, its old and beat up.... the built in fill flash and well thats it! my profile lists the published credits from this year. I have sold some art pieces, architectural images mostly, a couple of art nudes. At the end of the day, in my mind I am still a GWC. I am proud of the fact I dont lug tons of equipment around and that 90% of what I shoot is available light. And I hate that I dont know more, cant always shoot the things I see, due to inexperience.

But more importantly, (and God knows that enough about me)I repsect the guys who can, who with little to no equipment, crank out great work or at least try and are brave enought to put it out there for all to see.

Can we call a guy who has 20k worth of stuff, proclaims '30 years experience as a professional' and still takes crappy, cheesy, exploitive nude pics a GWC? Simply because he doesnt have a creative bone in is body yet tries to justify his 'art'?

Finally, where is the real GWC to make this fun again damnit, Angelina can wait...