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Posted: December 31, 2012

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What's the Difference Between an Amateur, a Hobbyist and an Artist?

*PoultryChamp Dec 31, 2012 Hobbyist Photographer

I have heard that there are many differences between the amateur, the hobbyist and the artist.

I've heard that the amateur is someone with little or no experience in photography; the hobbyist is someone who has a lot of experience but does not pursue photography professionally; and the artist is someone who may or may not be professional, but uses photography as a medium for his/her creative ideas.

What is your opinion on the different types of photographers? When does someone go from amateur to a hobbyist or artist?

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`FallisPhoto Jan 3, 2013

Sorry, but your termnology misses the mark by a mile. A Pro is someone who makes his living at something while an amateur doesn't. There are a lot of pros who suck ass and a lot of amateurs who have loads of talent, they just don't get paid for it. Hobbyist and amateur are synonyms. An artist is pretty much anyone producing, or trying to produce, art.

However, that said, there is a difference between casual shooters and serious photographers. Casual shooters are the ones who shoot their son's third birthday party, the family standing in front of the Grand Canyon, and so on. They are recording personal memories to share with families and friends. They produce snapshots. Serious photographers come in two varieties.

The first of these varieties are the Fine Art Photographers. They are intent on producing artwork, which will be viewed by strangers who will percieve them as artwork. They use creativity in their work, use enhancements and special effects in photoshop, even add things from other images. Landscape artists, portrait artists, illustrators of fiction, and creators of fine art (among others) fall into this category.

The second of the two varieties is the documentary photographer. A documentary photographer produces images that purport to tell the absolute truth. Creativity is discouraged in documentary photography and photoshop is only used to bring the photo as nearly back to what the photographer originally saw in his viewfinder as possible. Photojournalists, forensic photographers and the illustrators of technical articles and documentaries fall into this category.

*Fuzzypiggy Jan 3, 2013 Hobbyist Photographer

"I've heard that the amateur is someone with little or no experience in photography; the hobbyist is someone who has a lot of experience but does not pursue photography professional."

I'm an amateur which by pure definition means I simply don't make any money doing this. It's also my primary leisure-time pursuit and passion, so I'm a hobbyist too. I think it's a little unfair to say that an amateur is someone who has little experience, plenty of amateur photographers out there with 50+ years of shooting, that's hardly inexperienced but as with a lot of pursuits "amateur" has simply become a synonym for beginner.

However don't confuse either of the those designations with the quality of the work. Plenty of photographers of both classes ( paid and unpaid ) that are stunningly good and there are plenty of top amateurs out there that can run rings around professionals. By the same token plenty of professionals that are so bad that they are a disgrace and an embarassment to the hard working professionals who are very good at their jobs.

*JackMolotov3 Jan 2, 2013 Hobbyist Photographer

ameture is literally someone who does something for the love of it.

a professional is someone who literally gets paid for it.

implication is that pros are better because they do it for a living.

~hedwards Jan 1, 2013

The difference is that the amateur and hobbyist both get regular meals and take showers. :-P

Seriously though, the artist might be making a living at photography, otherwise they're effectively all synonymous. It gets even more muddy when you include the other possibilities.

~FlyteWizard Jan 1, 2013 Student Photographer

What about student ???

*Olda-G Jan 1, 2013 Hobbyist Photographer

Amateur by definition is someone who pursues work without financial gain. They may be anywhere from a beginner to a top expert in ability. I agree with LacieMelhart that novice is a better term for the beginner. The term 'amateurish' indicates a lower level of quality, but many amateurs do profesional quality work. They aren't professionals because they don't do it for the money.

A hobbyist or enthusiast would indicate someone who devotes considerable time and effort to their pursuit. They are amateurs by definition but not novices.

On DA there are categories like hobbyist photographer and hobbyist artist. Since DA is an art community, I am assuming that photography on here is photography pursued for artistic purposes (not journalism or scientific documentation). With that being said the difference between a fine art photographer and a fine art photographer who is described as an artist would be that the artist also pursues forms of art other than photography such as drawing and painting.

Certainly one can be an amateur, a hobbyist, and an artist simultaneously so these are not really categories that differentiate.

`roninbearz Jan 1, 2013 Photographer

"That´s what all we are. Amateurs. We don´t live long enough to be anything else." - Charlie Chaplin

~LacieMelhart Jan 1, 2013 Professional Photographer

Amateurs, by definition, engage in activities yet do not pursue the activity for financial supplementation.

Hobbyist is basically that same definition, and honestly I would just group them together.

Professional is doing something to bring in an income.

Basically what we end up with are two sections that do the same thing. So perhaps instead of Amateur for 'beginners' maybe we should put to use a word that will actually coincide with 'new'. Perhaps we can term the word Novice for those who are new or with little experience.

*PoultryChamp Jan 1, 2013 Hobbyist Photographer

I forgot all about Novices.

~10000Greetings Dec 31, 2012 Hobbyist Photographer

And curiously, where would the people who do it as a hobby, but are serious about exhibiting art or selling at art shows fit in?

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