Hot for Teacher

[Thomas Bertilsson]

I happen to know 'Alden' and he is deeply troubled with his photography. He's also a very brilliant person with a brilliant eye. You should have seen some of his photographs, they are amazing.

In regards to Ari - trolling? Dude, cool your jets - there is no nicer guy on this forum. I too hope you mis-spoke.
He obviously has some very deep concerns about his photography and this isn't exactly a good way of helping.

- Thomas

Jeez, where have I heard all of this before?
Confessions of a Squad by Alden.
"And so on, and so on. I shoot tons of stuff, but it lacks originality. The
best thing I ever did was in Calcutta. But most of my things in the states
are ho hum landscapes, somewhat improved by shifting away from Ansel
and more toward Robert...No shows have ever panned out, thousands went
into thin air shooting stock, and the only reason I think I keep doing this darn thing...
is that it’s all I’ve got. The bottom line for me, is that I simply don’t try smart enough.
Hard work is foolish without channeling good ideas into works that stand out, and maybe, just maybe,
I’ll actually apply myself one of these days.

"There. Now you know what a 51 year old teenager sounds like...."

As a B/W noob is this what I have to look forward to? Mid-life teen angst and self doubt? Sorry Arigram but I don't buy it, your trolling for something and it's not a teacher.

Terry

 

[arigram]

That's ok guys.
Poor Terry was just trolling himself for some attention.
Accusing others for trolling is a very common troll technique, often in the territory of flamebaiting.
Too bad he didn't reply, I would be interested to know what ticked him off.

Anyway.
Thank you all for all your responses and pieces of advice.
I am already overwhelmed by people who I respect greatly and who offered to assist me.
It is true that by continuing to shoot photographs and keep on looking at other's work is the main growing experience.
After all, if an artist doesn't grow by doing his art, then he isn't an artist, is he then?
The reason I asked for assistance is that I feel that I got stuck stylistically and am a bit confused in regards to my approach
to photography, on which hangs my whole present life: artistically, economically, emotionally, exploratory, etc.
I have many serious and demanding projects in progress or planned to start soon and need to feel ready to move on again.
So, I am not looking for a life changing experience, but a small nudge to get over the present obstacle.
I am little bit confused and lost and need to put things a bit in order.
Not unlike to find your house a mess and that mess to be enough of a psychological block to impede your working habits.
I find that a good balance between chaos and order is what its needed.

So, thank you all again.
The thread I think has run its course
and if the mods think there is going to be too much soap opera,
they are welcome to close it, but preserve the advice for others.

 

[Iwagoshi]

Arigram,

The following (italics) are APUG Ari-Grams or Ari-isms that I have come to cherish and look forward to seeing more of, but for the sake of this discussion I would like to highlight.

Please yourself only?
When I create art, I please myself.
I only think of pleasing others during sex.
2/18/08

Are you a bootlickin' photographer?
I didn't think anyone would ask me that but...
...yeah, I confess!
I have a thing for long leather stiletto heeled boots and...
...oh, this is about police vs photographers?
ahem, then... rabblerabblerabblerabblerabblerabble!
3/05/08

Five of your favourite things...
I will give you my five favorite sounds, which is a list made in my mind some time ago.

1) A Woman's moans
2) ….
3/22/08

So this is my baseline, I know, 3 out of 3,000 post is not representative of who you are, but it’s all I’ve been exposed to and besides, GPS-wise you only need three points to nail down your location.

Then out of the blue comes this plea for help.

Hot for Teacher
The reason I asked in this thread for a Teacher, someone to spend some time with me, understand my place and help me grow from there, is that I am not interested in general advice and tips, but something more tailored to my struggles.
I hope it doesn't sound pretentious or ungrateful, but I feel there is too much confusion and I can't get no relief...
4/09/08

After the first 3 how can I take the fourth seriously?
Coupled with the fact that you have an outstanding portfolio, I do not think you need any help, just a kick in the butt to get you off your BSG-ass and onto the street to burn some that PanF you have in the fridge. Don’t wait for that RolleiFlex, just get out and do it.

Battlestar Galactica
Oh, please Andy, don't compare the Lost crap to BSG, they are not in same league!
Considering that the four are characters we've grown to love who went through a lot to "become" the enemy in an instant, the final cylon is gonna be a shocker and they will all screw everything up even more!
If I was the writer of BSG, I would have most of humanity go really crazy, kill each other off and the ones that will be left would surrender their fates to their new Robotic Overlords (TM). And it seems to be going that way...
I was happy though that the old Cylons returned in Razor and they managed to pull them off without looking too cheesy.

Anyway, my favorite sci-fi shows are:
Battlestar Galactica
Firefly
Babylon 5
Red Dwarf

They are all very different from each other and that's why I like them all!
(I could never really get into Star Trek, too pretentious and shallow for my tastes)
4/05/08

Wow, and written with such passion and enthusiasm (3 exclamation marks) just 3 days before your photographic meltdown.

Hmmm, and you want a teacher. Well “wax on…wax off.” And I have a fence for you to paint too.

Terry

Sorry for the late reply, some people have day jobs.

 

[arigram]

Hmmm, Terry, I first must apologize for considering you as a troll.
But you came off pretty harshly as we don't really know each other
and one would mistake your accusation for trolling as something more
serious than it was, which I know now was light hearted.
It is very hard to understand a person through a forum and that includes both my perception and yours, even if you did go through all my 3000 and so messages. But, I thank the gods for not being two dimensional, although since I am no character in a show, that also is my curse. I thank you for complimenting on my portfolio and what you perceive as passion and I understand now how you may have been thinking that this is all just a game.
I really don't need someone to kick my butt so I can get out and make some photographs. Nor am I pulling anyone's legs.
In my short and shallow life, I have understood that people, the fellow human beings that surround you and those special ones you happen to meet, have a really important effect on ones personality and life directly and indirectly. I have been fortunate to meet some truly admirable human beings and that has been my present by the gods to me in this life. As such, I have been transformed by each and every one, both positively, but also negatively. Learned to try to brush away bad influences and experiences, I devoted my strength to growing by myself but also letting those good people assist me in learning about the world and myself. From my father and Greek friends, to my Turkish, Brazilian, Pakistani, Japanese, American and friends of other nationalities that really made their presence important.
And so, to make it short, I consider every meeting with another human being to be important, that is one of the reasons I took upon photography and focusing on people and their environments.
Also, that is the reason I am in this forum, that is the reason I write, that is the reason I come off passionately, that is the reason for opening this thread.
I feel somewhat confused and stuck. And I know there are great minds out there and some have been my friends, even if we never met IRL. So, I asked for a bit of help.
I asked for a teacher, because I wanted more than Microwave Dinner advice and photo critique, I wanted them to really help me with my artistic direction.

I think I have succeeded so far in finding those people, who turned out to be people I could have asked privately all along, but all is well.

 

[Iwagoshi]

Hmmm, Terry, I first must apologize for considering you as a troll.
But you came off pretty harshly as we don't really know each other
and one would mistake your accusation for trolling as something more
serious than it was, which I know now was light hearted.

I also apologize for my trollish tone but I do not like to coddle those that can, and you certainly "can." Call it "tough love."

BTW, I have BSG Season4 Ep1 on my TIVO, no time to watch it tho, trying to set up my Beseler MX45c. Too bad I just have the basic (basic) tivo, sharing not allowed.

Terry