Anyone can be a photographer, and just because a certain person has top-of-the-line equipment doesn't necessarily mean that they're good at taking pictures. You could have a disposable film camera that you bought at Walmart for a dollar, or you could go all out and buy a Digital SLR. Regardless, you're considered a photographer all the same.
It has become a stereotype, really. For example, if you see a guy walking down the street with a Nikon D300s, you automatically believe, regardless if you've seen his work or not, that he's a professional photographer. On the other hand, if you see an elderly man with a small point-and-shoot camera, you believe that he has no idea what he's doing. You have to learn not to develop a bias towards people and the equipment of their choosing because in some cases, the man with the professional camera has no idea how to truly take advantage of it, and the man with the disposable camera knows just what he wants.
