The challenge for both the buyer or investor of photography and trained professionals is everyone calls themselves a professional photographer. With the vast majority not being trained beyond what the automation of the camera provides, the general public assumes this level is what professional photography is. 

It is unfortunate for the starting out photographers with the sense of pressure to be cheapest, they move to that level but often beside not deep training in the realm of photography they are not given a business base. So they don't realize that with the prices they charge, they can not raise additional funds for training so they can charge more for a better skill or that they are really subsidizing the buyer's purchases. 

Organizations like the PPOC in Canada help with both the training and business savy.