Do you crop your photos?

[Bill Burk]

In my case they asked for an encore. And the lawyer for the defense asked to borrow several slides I never got back.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Did they actually stay? Be honest.

Yes and they were interested. They had questions and asked for more. And so what is your problem? How long have you felt that way? How do you feel about it?

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Yes and they were interested. They had questions and asked for more. And so what is your problem? How long have you felt that way? How do you feel about it?

Most people don't like to view other people's slides. I don't like looking at others slides. Most of them are repeats over and over of the same statue taken from four different angles. The worse is when someone catches you on the side and thumbs through their iPhone all the pictures of their last trip to Timbuktu or their grandaughter's 8th birthday and you have to be polite and watch as they go through about a hundred shots of all her relatives you never met. It's a good thing they have laws against murder and mayhem.

 

[Bill Burk]

It's a good thing they have laws against murder and mayhem.

It’s worth noting he got convicted despite my great slides.

 

[Ivo Stunga]

@Ivo Stunga



Recommend cropping that English word from your message, it has highly charged connotations. Plenty other ways to accuse a person of deliberately not applying thought without using an archaic word that denigrates those who can’t help it. A quick edit or rephrase may help, otherwise you’ll lose some friends, and I was interested in hearing what you wanted to say.

Thanks for this and seriously - explains a lot of things I've been experiencing here and let me explain myself while we're at it: I'm happy that I don't live in a country and culture where people are afraid to use words and expressions that are obviously are written to entertain (myself counts), to express an emotion, an idea. Used to color a sentence - not to offend any member. Context is everything, but not in the "free" political climate of today.
If I'm losing friends because of the colorful language I use here and there - were they friends to begin with, were they even people interested in what I have to tell and show? If you guys take so much offense from my lexicon I'm using in non-militant way - isn't that kinda up to you? Because no offense was intended, but you guys take it regularly and that kinda amuses me. Fitting in the age of censorship, deplatforming and blocking. But let me ask this: aren't your demands towards my language a telling sign of a bigger problem at large? Why do you want me to drop my fucks and shits that bad? Adults used to ignore shit and concentrate on the message, today is different, though.

Soo, how many people I've never met and never offended in any direct way or shape have blocked me already because of some words I use and what does that tell you?

 

[MattKing]

Words are some of the most powerful and effective tools we have.
They are also capable of causing great damage, particularly when used crudely and in ways known to cause offense.
If you use them crudely, harshly and stupidly, any ideas attached to them are likely to be either discounted or excluded.
We are reluctant to edit ideas, but quite willing to edit crudity and obscenity.

 

[wiltw]

Non-cropping / Cropping is a religion. ...I do both,

Similarly, I am a non-practicing agnostic.

• I try to compose in camera. Sometimes it is impossible to crop in-camera to not include distracting elements. Cropping is available for those times.
• And if I decide to print to fit a standard paper/frame size, the crop gets altered to suit..getting custom mattes or custom frames is not always economically feasible.
• Sometimes a different format is better suited to a shot than what the camera was made to capture, and switching cameras is not feasible.

 

[Ivo Stunga]

Words are some of the most powerful and effective tools we have.

Indeed. And you think in words too - it's that intimate!!! So to request a change in one's expression is to request a change in thought patterns, change in behavior based on your simple intolerance of some words. I don't accept this freedom limiting idea for a moment and am prepared to stop posting non-pictures here, because of the unintended friction I'm causing here. Context is everything, mind you.
Did I use them innocent terms and words in context to offend? I don't think/see so. Could you provide an example of me doing so? Could you guys survive any decent standup?

 

[Sirius Glass]

Most people don't like to view other people's slides. I don't like looking at others slides. Most of them are repeats over and over of the same statue taken from four different angles. The worse is when someone catches you on the side and thumbs through their iPhone all the pictures of their last trip to Timbuktu or their grandaughter's 8th birthday and you have to be polite and watch as they go through about a hundred shots of all her relatives you never met. It's a good thing they have laws against murder and mayhem.

I know about the others, I was asking about your slide shows.

 

[Bill Burk]

In the USA we have a day set aside Monday to remember Martin Luther King. Certain words are hurtful. This is a good time to reflect. The specific word that I felt should be avoided is a superficial characterization of mentally ability. Maybe it was meant as a simple question “are we stupid?” That would have been fine with me. And all the seven words Carlin mentioned you can’t say on radio are OK too. Those would not offend. Accidentally using a troubling word and learning to avoid it next time is normal discourse. But promising to go forward unchanged by an open discussion makes me sad.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Without mentioning any particular words, meanings and usage vary among countries and cultures. Even words in America considered offensive today were not offensive so many years ago and were part of common usage. There are also words considered non-offensive in American English that offends others. This is an international forum. This issue goes both ways.

 

[Ivo Stunga]

Unchanged... If I found such a request reasonable, I'd be happy to comply. But I'm not even trying to be likeable. All I am is honest and brutally direct, and like to use some words here and there to drive a point. You could easily skip that part and concentrate on the "Beautiful Human Being", but you chose to pay all your attention to a tiny percentage of words used in my posts.
Anyways, can we write this off as a cultural difference and not concentrate on a tiny percentage of taboo words (for you) and move on? Otherwise you'll have to give me the list of no-no words in USofA, but I might just have a good laugh in disbelief.

Because from my perspective it looks like this:
I participated in some open discussions and some people started just blocking me and edit my comments for no (apparent) reason, taking out all the emotional coloring I put there. Coloring, not offenses and there's a massive difference in intent that should be obvious.

I use "retard" and "stupid" interchangeably and don't see fit stopping doing so because a word is sensitive in a particular culture at a particular time to a degree I wasn't aware of (and am not trying to becoma aware, am not willing to infect myself with this over-sensitized human material). Yes, there are people with said sad medical condition, but I wasn't obviously invoking one - just describing a stupid behavior.
Up to this point you are the only person starting a decent conversation (not flipping thumbs up icons in concert) on this that made some things clear for me - thanks for that!

 

[Ivo Stunga]

This is an international forum. This issue goes both ways.

That was my impression, but all I see are enforcement of the Woke ways of USA or something to this degree.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

That was my impression, but all I see are enforcement of the Woke ways of USA or something to this degree.

Ivo: I agree with you that usage and meanings of words vary from culture to culture. If I or someone else says something that would be interpreted as offensive in your country, I would hope you'd let us know so we could respectfully limit it in our speech here on the forum. Likewise, if the opposite happened. Since we are all friends here with a common interest in photography, I think showing some understanding of this issue and respecting others' feelings is just a common courtesy.

I'm just suggesting it as a way to avoid unnecessary conflict. I hope you agree.

 

[Auer]

Nothing "woke" about choosing the right words, "fucking ridiculous" is a good susbstitute.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Nothing "woke" about choosing the right words, "fucking ridiculous" is a good susbstitute.

That kind of replacement isn't the right way to go IMO.

 

[Ivo Stunga]

There are many ways - one is not taking an offense where none was obviously intended. Other is to ignore "hot" words that make you feel uncomfortable.
But the option you're suggesting is for me to twist my own words and be afraid just not to offend a random snowflake residing on this platform. That'll result in tension and not feeling free/welcomed here just because of language I use. Do you hate other resources that use similar language, and the only way of coping is to force your ways upon the "dirty"?

I won't give you such a list, my friend, for it simply doesn't exist and "respectfully limit it in our speech" is just the problem I'm referring to. Why should I limit something when my intent is not to hurt? What on Earth?
Where I live we interpret the intent from the context, from the content of the message, from body language and all the other non-verbal hints. I can use "fuck" to compliment, to offend, to express love or lust - context, I'll repeat - is everything and it seems you're forgetting this truth in the free and mighty USA.

 

[Vaughn]

I plied them with food and drinks. And my shining personality. View attachment 295785

If one takes the time and concentration to create a slideshow that one would spend to create and hang one's show and/or creating a book of one's images, then I would sit and enjoy it. Create patterns, repetitions, give rests, contrasts, repeated themes, and all that sort of stuff....not to entertain, but to engage.

Otherwise it would like seeing a badly hung/presented show of unconnected prints, forcefully guided print-by-print along the walls by the photographer who won't shut up.

 

[Bill Burk]

All my slides are cropped. By that stupid cardboard or Pakon frame.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Speaking of misunderstandings, I thought I'd add a bit of misplaced language to get a laugh out of.

Did I read that sign right?

"TOILET OUT OF ORDER. PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW."

------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------------------------ -

In a Laundromat:

AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT.

------------------------------ ------------------------------ -----------------------------

In a London department store:

BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS...

------------------------------ ------------------------------ -------------------------

In an office:

WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN.

------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------------------------ ---------------

In an office:

AFTER TEA BREAK, STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE DRAINING BOARD.

------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------------------------ --

Outside a second-hand shop:

WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES, WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN?

------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------------------------ --

Notice in health food shop window:

CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS...

------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------

 

[Pieter12]

My problem with slideshows is they control and guide how long you have to look at an image, and when accompanied by music, often add a layer of intention that I might not appreciate. Go make videos if you want motion and sequence driven by a sound track. For me a still photo is just that. I don't want a slow drift into the photo to some point that may not, for me, be the crux of the composition, I want to be able to look at it and take it in as I please. And revisit it as many times as I'd like to. I had a problem with the Annenberg Space for Photography when it was open in Los Angeles, where they would display many of the images on video screens as slideshows with dissolves and slow zooms. I know it allowed them to display more photos in the space they had, but if I wanted to take a second or closer look at one, I would have to stay in front of the screen until it came back.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

When I started to do digital slide shows, I faded each into the next with a 6 second time for each picture. I found that was too long. So the next time I tried 5 seconds, then 4, and now I'm down to 3 seconds. Longer than that just drags. I might extend certain pictures that I know my wife wants to look at longer. Add fast beat music that's lively and fun. No duplicates; that's a killer. Add some cute annotation of words and comments overlaid onto the slides. Change up the transition type. I add intros and credits. I try to match music to the locale. Try not to go more than ten minutes for the whole show. Of course, with long vacation I extend that because the show is really for me anyway.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

My problem with slideshows is they control and guide how long you have to look at an image, and when accompanied by music, often add a layer of intention that I might not appreciate. Go make videos if you want motion and sequence driven by a sound track. For me a still photo is just that. I don't want a slow drift into the photo to some point that may not, for me, be the crux of the composition, I want to be able to look at it and take it in as I please. And revisit it as many times as I'd like to. I had a problem with the Annenberg Space for Photography when it was open in Los Angeles, where they would display many of the images on video screens as slideshows with dissolves and slow zooms. I know it allowed them to display more photos in the space they had, but if I wanted to take a second or closer look at one, I would have to stay in front of the screen until it came back.

My last post was about vacation slide shows. Keeping each slide short has to be done to move the show. You can always stop on a picture to see it longer if you want to explain something. But don't overdo it and explain the entire Greek history with a shot of the Parthenon. Your friends and relatives will run out of there babbling some obscenity under their breaths.

Obviously, if you're looking to see let's say a bunch of landscapes, or nature shots, then longer times for each make sense. But you still have to keep the overall show short. People get bored.

 

[Ivo Stunga]

I'm lucky with my friends, visitors of my small slide shows and/or pics it seems. They all can handle 2h+ raw slide shows with no transitions and fitting Dark Ambient/Industrial to enhance the themes presented, and literally ask for more!
Have had an occasion when I found a stranger from USA sitting on my couch, thanking for the experience and comparing it to and surpassing galleries he's visited.
Digital amateurs have praised the image quality on several occasions, so I must be doing something right, right?
I guess keeping the camera aimed at various, completely different subjects, being out there in the hunt for composition, light, different films and places, and doing some experimental photography / abstract collages helps to keep things fresh.

And boy do I consolidate my slides - it's a necessity. Been shooting slides exclusively for about a decade now and have kept the total number of slides under 1k for now.
No duplicates, no similar compos in a row. Shit that's aged poorly gets removed to free a valuable slide mount and a place for better, more meaningful one. Only strongest images remain, rest - the absolute majority - gets dropped in a box to be used in experiments/collages or never to be seen again. With some rare regrets here and there.

 

[WilmaD]

Cropping your photo seems to be an old taboo that's left over from the pre-photography art world, where it's considered less than good form to improve your finished painting's composition by cutting it down to size. Same w/ a watercolor and drawing, not necessarily w/ a print.

I wonder why that should be w/ analog photography? Even though we can crop the image in the enlarger, or do it by matting the print or cutting the paper down, it somehow feels wrong to me. Which is not smart, since at least half of my work could surely do w/ some compositional tightening up.

And what if I want a square print? The photographer's solution is truly wacky: since almost no one here would cut down a 35mm print to a square, including me, then we think it's time to go buy a completely different type of camera (plus lenses), probably a different enlarger w/ different neg carriers and lenses, and buy a different type of film that fits none of the other cameras! All just to go from rectangle to square. We don't have to, but we just do.

Yes with digital you can pass off images that are not even photographs.

Too much religion, not enough photography.