I love Photography. I would even go so far and say that I am quite decent at it.
But I am not a (real) Professional. At least not by my own interpretation of that Word.
Being a Professional does not imply that a Photographer is good at what they are doing.
It also does not mean they are necessarily very knowledgeable about Photography. I doubt most Professionals know everything about whatever they happen to be doing.
A Photographer can be very good, even the best in the Field. That does not make them a Professional.
Going out there doing Photography regularly also does not make you a Professional. It makes you good at what you are doing.
Shooting RAW or JPEG has absolutely no impact on your Professionalism. Neither does your Editing.
You should still Edit your RAW Files though. And I am not the only one saying that.
In my Opinion, there is only one Thing that makes you a Professional Photographer. And it is that you are getting Paid for your Work.
Personally, I am not even sure if I want to be a Professional anymore. I like my Photography the Way I do it. But when you have Clients, they definitely have some Say.
They are paying you after all. And usually, they know exactly what they want.
On the other Hand, it would definitely be cool to work with cool Outdoorsy Brands like Fjällräven or even Land-Rover.
I do not have any Trouble working for someone. But I am sure it is hard to work for yourself. Most People are their own worst Critic after all.
Right now, I am happy where I am. Doing Photography just for the Fun of it really is awesome.
It does not matter how good I am as a Photographer. All that matters is that I enjoy what I am doing. And I am really enjoying Photography right now, even though I am not really happy with most o my Fotos from today.
But that does not make me a Professional. In my Opinion, a Professional is someone who is getting Paid for their Work. Quality and Knowledge do not have any real impact on Professionalism. But they definitely do not hurt either.
I am not a Professional, but I am Happy. And that is all that Matters.
Robin Ho Fotos 
I have been doing photography for over 20 years. I consider myself a ‘fine art photographer’. While I do sell and make some money from my photography I think of professional photographers as commercial photographers … wedding, portrait, product, etc. I participate in juried shows and have had solo shows too and mainly sell landscapes as wall art.
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I was actually thinking pretty much the same.
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Yes indeed. I have known professionals who weren’t actually very good photographers – but they were competent and able to make a living at it. Others who were far more talented nevertheless couldn’t earn their keep. Some of that is indeed the “client factor” where you have to please the customer, despite that person’s lack of aesthetic sense.
I have never tried to be a pro nor desired to be. But like you I do what photography makes me happy, and that is better payment than cash sometimes.
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Very True. Money just can not buy Happiness.
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