Am I a photographer now?…
Is there a moment when you're officially allowed to claim the title?
Let’s rewind to 2004. I had just picked up my first digital camera, the Olympus E-300. It had a glorious 8 megapixel sensor and could shoot in TIFF. Before that, I had a Canon A1 analog camera, but it didn’t see much use.
After the Olympus, I tried Nikon briefly before settling into Canon. From 2010 to 2015, I moved through the 5D series: Mark II, III, and IV. Each upgrade felt like a badge of progress, as if better gear meant better skills.
During that time, I mostly shot landscapes and a few portraits around Norway. Norway lends itself to those kinds of images: mountains, sunsets, and northern lights. But what really lit a spark in me was photographing dancers on the street. As a former dancer, it felt like merging my past with my future. I understood timing, not just in movement, but in knowing when to press the shutter.
Back then, I truly thought I was a professional photographer.
I had paying clients and experience. I believed I had earned the title.
“ Free As A Bird “
Canon 5D MK II
But I was wrong.
Looking back, I was a mid-level photographer with a high opinion of myself and a narrow perspective on what photography could be.
Then everything changed in 2012, when I moved to Hong Kong.
I arrived confident and quickly got a reality check. The photography scene there was intense, fast, passionate, and intentional. Photographers didn’t rely on presets or heavy editing. They worked with instinct, light, and location, using the environment to tell the story.
Living in Hong Kong forced me to relearn everything about street photography. Their approach to composition and framing was on a completely different level. And I realized something important: a big reason their photography feels so cinematic is because their films are.
Hong Kong cinema is full of atmosphere and storytelling. Their establishing shots pull you in before a single word is spoken. That same visual language has shaped how local photographers see the world. The location isn’t just a backdrop. It’s part of the frame’s emotion.
“ City Lights and City Nights “
Canon 5D MK IV
Long Exposure around 1min.
In Norway, we’re great at capturing nature’s beauty. But in Hong Kong, I learned how to place a subject in context, how to tell a story in a single frame. I was lucky to spend ten years immersed in that mindset, learning how to see differently.
So, who gets to call themselves a photographer?
Is it the one who earns money with a camera, or the one who makes people feel something with an image?
I don’t know for sure.
But I’ve stopped calling myself a professional photographer. Now, I just say photographer.
Because that’s what I do. I take photos. And if one of them makes someone pause, connect, or feel something, that’s enough for me.
