The concept of Professionalism in photography

The concept of Professionalism in photography

               I know that this topic has been touched upon in the past, but I am going to delve deeper in this instance.  Perhaps having a serious dialog might lead us to some type of consensus.

               My observation of the modern iteration of the title of profession is as a compound description of a plurality of traits, with one component being the skill, and the other being the modality in which it is employed within a social context.

               Proficiency of a skill is an implied component of the title.  However, it is not contingent upon it. Even a low degree of competency can be assigned the title of professional, as long as it meets the criteria of fulfilling a public need through its exercise.

               It is important to make a distinction between the noun and the adjective.  The noun can convey pre/post-modern sensibilities, whereas the adjective is imbed with the modern m0dality of a practiced activity. Thus, to be a professional, is quite different from acting professionally.  One is descriptive, the other is prescriptive.

               Here is my humble observation of the idea of professional.  A professional is one who has attained a high degree of competence in a skill and exercises it regularly.  Furthermore, the skill is used to fulfill a need within a community.   A profession cannot exist outside of a utilitarian context, nor can it function without a recipient.   

               The meaning of professional has evolved over time to include a mode of ethical behavior, in conjunction with the exercise of the skill. Thus, a (Best Practices) methodology is attributed to the title of the skill.  The concept of (Best Practices) could be attributed to the western enlightenment period, which began in the mid-16th century.  Human rights, integrity and autonomy were being explored at this time. (Best Practices) implies a standard mode of expected performance, both in the skill-set and the execution of secondary executive tasks which facilitate the exercise of the skill-set in the public space.  For example, a fisherman, not selling spoiled fish to a consumer, when they are aware that it has gone bad. Furthermore, they may take additional steps to prevent it from happening, unknowingly.

               I could be onto something here, or I could just be full of crap.  Take what I have with a grain of salt. I’m a philosophy major, turned professional photographer.  PS, please forgive any grammatical mistakes.  Lastly, please forgive the Jargon that I use, my writing is a little dense because I didn’t want to make this letter to wordy.