For the Love of the Blitz

This is the work of an amateur:

So is this:


And this:

Not bad, huh?

Tim made those pics. All of today's pics. He composed them, shot them, and edited them. Tim an amateur...a very focused, talented and creative amateur. Odds are, you're one too. And that means you ROCK! Yes, you do. Be proud.

Why do Blitzers and other creatives so often buy into the idea that being an amateur means existing in some kind of lesser state? That unless you're a Professional, your work isn't all that? Or, that unless you've sunk a bazillion dollars into major studio photog equipment, you're not serious? People, let's look at this: The word amateur stems from the Latin amator (lover) and amore (to love). Its primary meaning is someone who pursues something out of love. (Sounds serious to me.) But over time, a secondary meaning, that an amateur is one who lacks the chops, has taken hold.

So not true.

Not everyone chooses to or is able to pursue photography as a Professional. (Meaning someone who gets dinero for their pics, regardless of how genius the work is. Let's face it, there are a lot of competent, but uninspired, pics out there that sell.) Granted, a person who is clicking the cam every day and has to produce consistently good work -- and sell it -- has a lot of incentive to improve their skills. (It's that or don't eat, right?) But a passionate amateur, with lots of amore for Blitzing, is going to spend time and energy learning too. Might take longer to get the same results (that "day job" thing) but that doesn't take away from their seriousness or the talent they're packing. There's a whole lot of awesome out there that the world just hasn't seen yet. But it's there. Oh, yeah, it's there.

So, you Blitz-loving amateurs, when you next go out, stand tall. No matter if you're carrying a disposable point-and-shoot or a DSLR. So what if you've been Blitzing a week or a decade? Just get out there, shoulders squared, and work that camera. You may not be professional photographers, but you are definitely Pro Blitzers. Go out and make the magic happen, people. You have so got this.