The “Everyone Is a Photographer” Phenomenon—Has the Boundary Between Amateur and Professional Become Blurred?
The question of defining the boundary between amateurs and professionals has been long present in the history of photography. The digital turn that emerged around the turn of the millennium fundamentally transformed this system of relations. Both the practice of image-making and the circulation of images became democratized, while the role of the photographer itself was reconfigured. At the same time, this transformation concerns not only technological change but also the redefinition of social representation, visual authority, and the cultural canon. It is therefore no coincidence that in an era in which virtually everyone produces images, it becomes necessary to repeatedly reconsider what the photographic profession actually means and where the boundary between amateurs and professionals should be drawn.
