I'm Annoyed.

So now that I've comfortably settled myself back into the blogging world, I have a complaint.

Big surprise I know.

Here it is...are you ready?

Why is everyone and their dog a photographer these days?

I'm quite annoyed by this. I am not a photographer. I love photography, and have taken pictures for a few people/functions, but it is not my profession. I've taken one class in wet method photography, I have several photgrapher friends, but I am not a photographer. I love taking pictures. I love looking at pictures. For as long as my family or I can remember, I've always had a camera on me. I have boxes and boxes of photos I've taken through elementary school to college. I've always loved taking pictures, here's why...

Even as a very young person I was very aware one day my childhood would be over and it scared me to death. I would cry at night just imagining me as an adult. Whereas most kids wait for that day with much anticpation the idea of me being too old to sit on my mom's lap, or be taken care of when I'm sick was a dreadful thought. I knew it was inevitable. Just hearing a certain song, watching a particular episode of WKRP in Cinncinati takes me back to those moments; sitting in front of the tv with dad as mom cleaned and cleaned, fishing from sunrise to sunset, falling asleep under the pews at church, or hanging out with my cousins throwing rocks at a kid we called "Mr T" and running as fast as we could (mean I know...) I am very visual. I knew, even at a young age, if I took enough pictures, I could link those photos with memories. I knew I would not only have something to remind myself of the joys of youth, but would have something very valuable to share with my own kids one day. So I shot, and shot, and shot. Today I still shoot.

So why is it annoying for me to hear people claim their a photographer? The way I see it, taking an interest, and turning it into a fake career so you feel cool or trendy is ridiculous and insulting to people that have based many aspects of their personal lives around creating visual images. Taking a picture or a million does not make you a photographer as being in a garage makes you a car.

I get so tired of people creating facebook/myspace albums of their sucky photography. I'm tired of the tired blogs with the picture of the same flower in 50 different angles. I'm literally vomiting in my mouth at the thought of a million pictures people take of themselves in that typical above-your-head-looking down-at-an-angle-shot (the one where they are artistically looking away, making a pout, or twitching their slimy little lips to the side). Granted the majority of these are 15 year old girls but I've seen countless adults do the same. (For the record, let me say self portraits don't bother me, I even have a few, but there's something so cheesy and generic about the shots if you do any of the forementioned positions)

There are so many times I want to comment a photo or blog and say "YOU SUCK, STOPPIT, STOPPIT NOW!" but I don't because honestly, I don't have to look.

That's what I like about blogging. I can beat a simple topic with my words so severely I forget what my point was to start with but I don't have to validate a THING I said because, well, you don't have to read this.

Just be forewarned, it's a pet peeve of mine so don't be comin' 'round these parts calling yourself a photographer if you haven't been properly trained. If you can't tell me the definition of aperture, macro lens or agitation (for some of you old schoolers), then don't let the imaginary blog door hit ya on the way out...just sayin'.

And I'm out.