Professional or Not Professional. That is the question

It took me a long time before I could ever consider calling myself a professional.

I can remember specifically this old crotchety European woman saying to me when I was about 20 years old “just because you have a camera doesn’t make you a professional. Just because you can fix a toilet doesn’t mean your a plumber. You North Americans don’t understand what it means to put in the time to become a professional at something, an expert. It takes dedication and years of experience.” I was appalled at the time because I had never even thought of myself as a professional. I just said I enjoy taking photos too.

This set the tone for the next 20 years for me. Even though my friends and fellow shooters called me a professional I still couldn’t accept the title. It just didn’t feel right. It didn’t fit yet. I hadn’t earned the title

It wasn’t until I had my first gallery show in Well, BC at the Island Mountain Arts back in 2016 that I felt like a professional. I had no idea that the show I would put together would dictate the rest of my career. This was my shot, I wanted to really show my fans what I’d been holding back all those years I had been photographing.

When those doors opened and nearly 100 people gazed upon these striking, colorful, abstract artworks they didn’t know what hit them. No one had ever seen this side of my photography before. They were expecting my famous sunsets, my moose in the mist, the razor sharp eagle wings shot. What they got was a show that exposed my soul. Hence the name of the show “Exposed: Reflections of The Soul” The artwork was bold, colorful, interactive, soothing, intriguing and contemplative. The biggest question of the opening was ” What is it?”

Water, it’s water. Close up photographs of gently flowing water from the places I’ve traveled. Some with colorful rocks below, some with lights reflecting from underneath some fast some slow. They were beautiful!

It was in those moments that I truly felt like a professional. At that time I had been creating with my camera for 20 years, I had just returned from a photography expedition of 9 months where I got to focus on my craft fully and un interrupted. I had received my diploma in professional photography 10 years prior. I had a huge success at my first ever gallery opening and I had also published my first photography book.

Dear old crotchety photographer lady. Thank you for pushing me to put in the work to become a true professional in my field.

~ Lynn Stevens ~