Blog Post #1: What Makes a Photographer

I've owned a Canon EOS Rebel T3 since my junior year of high school. I'm currently on my second 18-55mm lens. Before that, I used a Sony digital camera to take pictures, and before that I would use whatever digital camera my parents had at the time. I've taken photography classes through 4-H and workshops and classes in high school. I've even entered photos into the county fair back when I lived in Sidney, Montana. This summer, I traveled through England, Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland with my camera for a month and took probably over 400 photos. I've had all this "experience," as well as additional times and opportunities to take photos, but I don't know if I consider myself a "photographer."

However, I'd like to think that I know what makes a photographer because I've gotten used to and familiar with a nice, good quality camera. But really, I don't know. I've just made an assumption based on what photos I take and what kind of photos I see everyone else around me take, and then compare them to a professional's photos. And we all know what happens when we assume, right? Well, I came across this "Brief but Spectacular" segment from PBS News Hour, where they interviewed a photographer by the name of Ken Van Sickle.

It was only about three minutes long, but Van Sickle made an excellent point that I wouldn't have even thought of. For himself, he said "I'm not trying to prove anything in any way ... I'm interested in beauty and sort of the subtle moments of everyday life." He went on to describe various different photos he's taken in New York, from "The Regular" to "Firemen." He continued on to explain the difference between a good photograph and a great photographer. Anyone can take a good photograph, but not anyone can be a great photographer.

In closing, Van Sickle said "What a great photographer does is, they are consistently able to make something in a style that's personal to themselves," and I don't think there's any better way of explaining what makes someone an actual photographer.

"What makes a photographer when everyone is taking pictures." PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/what-makes-a-photographer-when-everyone-is-taking-pictures/.