Professionals know their equipment and know how to use it, amateurs may have some pretty nice equipment, but after a three minute conversation on how they use it and why, you’ll know they don’t know as much as you thought they did.
Find the difference between a Pro and a plain old Joe is very simple, and if you don’t know the difference it can be the easiest way to find yourself getting awful photos of ticking off a professional. Finding a professional is very easy, with having a simple conversation or looking at their work and awards, you can find the best person for your photography needs.
If you also want to jump the line of being an amateur to becoming a professional the best thing that has worked for a lot of people is getting some connections, whether is through a photography job or an internship, wetting your feet is going to help you the most in the photography industry.