It’s true. One night simply say a great photographer in this context. Would probably have been better. I think a pro, in its most commonly used sense, is simply one for whom photography is their main gig. Money is often associated with that, though as you point out, it would be nice if it weren’t. I recently watched the new movie out about Van Gogh — in today’s standards, he would not be considered a “professional.” And that’s a shame.