Watch out - I'm an amateur!

Brett Anderson, Suede

I'm a passionate photographer. But I can't (and won't) quit my dayjob as a graphic designer and become a fulltime professional photographer. For now it is a pleasant extra income and my private therapy. Lucky for me, sometimes I can use my hobby at my work and that is a nice blend.
When I'm out there shooting concerts or on an asignment, I see more and more amateurs with all the expensive gear and the burning passion - just like me. The digital cameras are now cheaper than ever and it does'nt seem to stop. Even the high-end cameras are within reach of us nerds. When I meet some of them we talk optics, workflow, Nikon vs. Canon and all that. Websites is a must-have, a great marketing tool and we build them ourselves, a friend help us or we even pay for a pro CMS (content management system).
Does the 'real' photographer feel threaten when we are there beside him, with the same camera, enthusiasm and sometimes even a presscard? Sometimes he is outnumbered by us nerds! As an amateur I don't have a schedule and when the editor call the pro' to get home to the newspaper, I can stay as long as I want to. I can pick my own asignments and leave those I'm not interested in.
My conclusion is: I don't think the pro' has to worry and watch his back. Us amateurs have a lot to learn and we don't have 4 or 5 years education from some famous art school behind us. But we do have some years of experience and we have another thing in common: the passion.
Anyway, I'm keeping my dayjob....

What do You think about us semi-pro's moving in on the real-pro's?

Nyhavn, Copenhagen.
At this time of the year tourists are all over the place. Japanesse, americans and spanish camera-carrying people are spending money. The beer is lousy. The waitresses are schoolgirls. But, I guess you have'nt been in Copenhagen if you have'nt been there...