Graduation Picture

Kilgallb · Jun 3, 2015

I went to my Niece's high school graduation yesterday. There was the usual mob of parents trying to take a picture of their child. I saw one woman with a Nikon DSLR fumbling with the camera then suddenly thump the camera down on the stage and grab her cell phone to take the image. When done she stalked off and someone had to remind her to retrieve the Nikon.

I cannot blame her, for those once in a life time shots, go with what you know. (In my case a Canon EOS 35 mm with Ektar 100)

Wallendo · Jun 3, 2015

For what this lady was doing; i.e., taking a live-action snapshot with no control over lighting or ability to move around, her camera probably took about as good a shot as her higher-end camera would.

I hate to admit it, but sometimes in situations like this, I set my camera to "auto" or its equivalent.

ParkerSmithPhoto · Jun 4, 2015

My experience with teaching DSLR workshops is that the vast majority of people who own DSLRs have absolutely no idea how to use them on anything other than PROGRAM mode. My goal is to get people to use either Aperture or Shutter Priority. We'll be out shooting and they will quietly move the dial back to P before blasting away.

removed account4 · Jun 4, 2015

hi parkersmithphoto

i know what you mean !
the less someone has to do, is sometimes better ( from their pov )

one thing i hate is auto focus on a dslr ( or any auto focus camera --- it can be a drag

can't remember how many years ago but i had a job where they sent me to
photograph a boat shooting missles out of a "tube" ( front of a ferry at a target )
when something is moving it is very hard to get an auto-camera to well, focus so
the shutter will fire the camera ... sometimes cameras have a setting that allows the
camera to "sort of focus" .. or you just put it on manual which can also be a PITA

gotta love photography !

blansky · Jun 4, 2015

That's what instamatics were for, long before digital.

I can remember shooting weddings in the 70s and 80s and some idiot would always try to block me when shooting different things. They were waltzing around with their Nikons or Canons, blasting away, then after at the reception would come up and ask how this thing worked on his camera and how that thing worked. Or how to change film. Drive me crazy.

Messing up my stuff and his stuff was probably all wrong exposure anyways.

So it ain't just a digital thing.

ToddB · Jun 4, 2015

That's what instamatics were for, long before digital.

I can remember shooting weddings in the 70s and 80s and some idiot would always try to block me when shooting different things. They were waltzing around with their Nikons or Canons, blasting away, then after at the reception would come up and ask how this thing worked on his camera and how that thing worked. Or how to change film. Drive me crazy.

Messing up my stuff and his stuff was probably all wrong exposure anyways.

So it ain't just a digital thing.

These people are referred as the Uncle Bob shooter. It's these people with high camera that shoot everything and get in the way. You never want that label, very derogatory in our industry. look it up on-line.

Todd

blansky · Jun 4, 2015

ToddB said:
These people are referred as the Uncle Bob shooter. It's these people with high camera that shoot everything and get in the way. You never want that label, very derogatory in our industry. look it up on-line.

Todd

And Aunt Martha.

mgb74 · Jun 4, 2015

To be honest, I have this problem when I pick up my Nikon N90s after a long while. But never with my OM-1.

(Not the wedding part.)

Sirius Glass · Jun 4, 2015

There is no substitute for RTFM and using the camera before it is needed.

Dr Croubie · Jun 4, 2015

I'll admit, I used my EOS 3 last weekend, for the first time in 6 months. Had to stop and, shock horror, take it away from my eye to look at the controls to figure out how to change the metering mode. Never had to do that the last few times I used it, maybe I'm just getting senile.
Never had to figure out how to change the metering mode on my Bessas, Kievs, nor on my 4x5 or 8x10 (probably because they don't have different metering modes, or metering at all...)

Dr Croubie · Jun 4, 2015

blansky said:
That's what instamatics were for, long before digital.

Does anyone else remember the advert I'm thinking of?
Circa 80s-90s, a crowd of people at a zoo looking at a mother gorilla and her new baby, first time anyone's seen it since it was born.
Everyone's looking down at their cameras, fiddling with cameras and lightmeters and flashes and whatnot, noone's getting a photo of the new baby.
Baby gorilla takes out an instamatic (or a disposable?), and takes a photo of the crowd instead.

Sirius Glass · Jun 4, 2015

jeffreyg · Jun 5, 2015

On the subject of graduation pictures and simple cameras --- a number of years ago my wife complained that I went to too much trouble taking photographs of family events. I bought her a point and shoot camera and some film and told her to shoot what ever she wanted as snapshots and I would be off the hook. When one of our sons was graduating from college I elected to just take her camera and enjoy the event without a photography issue. After graduation we took the roll of film to a one hour developing spot before he returned the gown just in case. Much to my surprise and after a good laugh we found pictures of both his high school and college graduation on the same roll of film. The family has not complained about me photographing our memories since.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

removed account4 · Jun 5, 2015

Dr Croubie said:
Does anyone else remember the advert I'm thinking of?
Circa 80s-90s, a crowd of people at a zoo looking at a mother gorilla and her new baby, first time anyone's seen it since it was born.
Everyone's looking down at their cameras, fiddling with cameras and lightmeters and flashes and whatnot, noone's getting a photo of the new baby.
Baby gorilla takes out an instamatic (or a disposable?), and takes a photo of the crowd instead.

i remember that ad, it was funny
i also remember the " can you hear me now" verizon ads, with the guy in the jumpsuit
by the gorilla pit and the gorillas all mimicking him with faux cellphones to their heads ...

===

back in the 90s i went to my cousin's high school graduation. it was in a giant theatre sort of place
lots of people, huge class of graduates ... pros shooting the event with this and that, family too ...
i was with my pentax K1000 + 135mm lens, and was the only person out of the army of photographers
who actually got him receiving his diploma and the hand shake ... i made a nice hand print, put it in a card
and tipped in the negative so he would be able to make enlargements if he wanted ...
lost in the mail, never received ... if it was today, i'd make a digital back up and send him the file,
wish i used my umax to the max back then .. live and learn i suppose.

Graduation Picture

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