I disagree. Anyone with a camera in their hands can take pictures, but that doesn't make them a photographer. Of course then we devolve into a 'what is art' conversation!
Mike.
Mike, You have to know I agree with you on that point, but, as I said, "Just ask them."
Here's another point I'm sure you've witnessed yourself: Many years ago I entered a photograph in a contest being run up in the mountains around here. It's so long ago I don't even remember the name of the town where it was held. My third son -- then just a kid -- had shot what I thought was a very good photograph with his box camera. I helped him print it in my darkroom (now long gone), and mat it. He put it in the contest and won a prize. When the jury pinned the ribbon on my son's picture, another guy who hadn't won anything became quite irate. He told the judges that there was no way a kid with a box camera deserved a prize when he, with his thousands of dollars worth of equipment, hadn't won anything. I'm happy to say I managed to avoid rolling on the ground laughing, though it was difficult. I get the same reaction when someone who's a celebrity picks up a camera, shoots some pictures, and is feted for his ability as a photographer. In the end, what you said applies.