But, what about the other industry - like photography or fashion - where it also takes a lot to be accepted and recognized. What's their "indie" situation like?
Is there such a thing as an indie photographer?
"I haven't heard anyone calling themselves indie photographer. So no, there's no such thing. The closest, I think, is called a freelance photographer, which in itself means you're not tied up to any studio or mainstream agency.", said my friend, Ian Castanares, staff photographer of Metro Magazine.
If you live in the Philippines, you would see that almost everybody is holding an SLR camera. Does this mean almost everybody's a freelance photographer? Are they even legit?
Ian said, "Interesting point because right now there's no qualifications for one to be considered legit. It's not the equipment that makes one a professional but the technical skills. Photography is an art so it's very difficult to qualify. It's very subjective. Soon, the government agency TESDA will come out with technical qualifications to solve this problem (I dont know how they will do it). It's like board exams for photographers. But until that time comes, i think anyone who gets paid for photography services can be considered professional. I know, silly."
He also added, "Everybody can be a photographer but it takes an amazing body of work to be considered an artist. I, myself, haven't reached that level but I believe it's a constant struggle. Even legit photographers can take bad photos so they need to constantly train to understand light more and to see beauty and translate those into great photographs."
So, there. My question has been answered - unless someone disagrees and tells me that he is an indie photographer, then that's going to be in another discussion.
*Photo of Ian Castanares was taken by the author in Anilao, Batangas
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