There's a frequent discussion that tries to give an answer to what makes a professional, what defines it and what sets it apart from the amateur. It's almost a cliche, like the image that worths as much as x words (substitute x with your own choice). You can see it on every respectable forum of any photography-related website.
Guess what, they're not different. I was reading an interview with a NG veteran researcher (not a photographer). He was asked if he consider himself a pro, after all these years. His answer, rather not, as he stills put passion in it, while a professional would do it only for money. I realized that what defines the amateur is not being the novice, but being a passionate about it. Does it mean that pros are not passionate? No, but then they are definitely amateurs, in a good way. They put passion in their work and believe in it.
The people complaining in the last days about the wrong-calculated ETR made me realize this. We all put a lot of passion within, we're all amateurs, no matter if we're newcomers or veterans. It's more addictive than chocolate.
