Pro versus enthusiast

[Petes]

This is a subject that has been beaten to death on many boards but I think I have a new definition of who's a pro.* After years of being an enthusiastic hobbyist I finally decided to start up a business in hopes of recouping some of my expenses.* (I've recently retired from 38 years of corporate America, thank goodness!).* So off I went to the local city clerk's office to get my fledgling business registered and do you know what the first thing was that they wanted?* Even before the registration fee?* An inventory of my equipment, camera, computer, etc. so they could slap me with personal property taxes on the assessed valuation of my gear!* Now that I think officially qualifies me as a pro!* *

[JDArt]

The worst thing is that not every state does this.

[Mr. Pickles]

Radio Shack TRS-90 computer? You're living large, my friend. My Commodore 64 can barely run PS (umm, I mean paint) anymore.....my cassette tape "drive" is really slow too.

[scoundrel1728]

I might claim my TRS-80 Pocket Computer. I still use it and it is even sitting in front of me on my computer desk as I type this.

In my estimation, a pro does it for the money, though not necessarily only for that reason, while an enthusiast does it mainly as an avocation. Of course, the enthusiast may sell a print or two on the side but that is not the main purpose of shooting. It is this only this difference in intent, not any difference in equipment or in skill level, that distinguishes the pro from the amateur.

[Petes]

It's when you have to pay taxes on your intent that you know you've really made it! And yes, my equpment inventory was very much a short list and devalued right in line with the lousy prices we get when we try to sell last year's whizbang model.

[hatidua]

I thought it was when over 50% of your overall income was derived from the occupation