With the recent advances in technology, just about every phone has one thing on it: a camera. This gives anyone the chance to freeze a moment in time simply by pushing a button. People now tend to think that because you can take a picture you can have the title of ‘photographer’.

Just because a person can take a picture with a camera phone, does not make them a photographer. The thing that separates an actual photographer and a ‘wannabe’ is one simple thing: following the actual rules of professional photography.

The rule of thirds is a major one, which is commonly over-looked by most who just point and shoot. Composition and lighting are also key components of photography. If someone relies on post-editing to create a great picture, they are not a true photographer.

Anyone can add filters and special effects to make their picture look better, but a true photographer does not need this. Although there are a few exceptions, everyone who is an actual photographer uses a digital SLR, not a camera phone.

While some photographers dabble around with the camera on their cell phones, they still follow rules and have a sense of professionalism in their photos.

With the advent of popular phone apps like Instagram and PicPlz, people tend to think that the number of followers they have makes them a great photographer. Your follower amount means nothing if your photo content is the same over and over again.

For example, one might post a picture of their eye and it might look good, but when you get to the point where you post multiple pictures of your eye, it becomes a nuisance and your followers begin to not like you or your photos.

Simply taking a photograph doesn’t make you a photographer, it just makes you a person who can take a picture. What makes you a photographer is following the rules and not taking all your photos with your iPod touch or your camera phone.