How to deal with photography deniers?

[jerrybro]

The world is full of people who like to argue for little to no reason. Some people are just cranky and anyone who isn't a reflection of themselves upsets them for exposing their own insecurities. When I was younger, I'd often engage with these people. But I've learned you can't win an argument with people like this. You might be able to out smart them, but they'll out stupid you. And most of the time in an unregulated public argument, the stupidest person wins because your logic won't have any effect on them, but their anger and frustration will eventually effect you.

Its human nature. When someone makes a decision based on some sort of data analysis and chooses A over B, they become advocates for A. If they see you enjoying or being successful with B, it implies that they may not have made a good decision. Even worse, they may take it as you stating they made the wrong decision. Some people will then have to prove to you that you are wrong to preserve their self esteem. See it with cameras, cars, stereos, ...

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Its human nature. When someone makes a decision based on some sort of data analysis and chooses A over B, they become advocates for A. If they see you enjoying or being successful with B, it implies that they may not have made a good decision. Even worse, they may take it as you stating they made the wrong decision. Some people will then have to prove to you that you are wrong to preserve their self esteem. See it with cameras, cars, stereos, ...

Some places seem to have people like that more than others - or maybe they're just more visible. On dpreview I became weary of the brand- or format- fanboys, yet on APUG/Photrio I don't see that very much. Who here really cares if someone else prefers or uses Nikon, Canon, Leica, Bronica, or Praktica?

 

[MattKing]

Who here really cares if someone else prefers or uses Nikon, Canon, Leica, Bronica, or Praktica?

Hasselblad being the exception?

 

[jerrybro]

Some places seem to have people like that more than others - or maybe they're just more visible. On dpreview I became weary of the brand- or format- fanboys, yet on APUG/Photrio I don't see that very much. Who here really cares if someone else prefers or uses Nikon, Canon, Leica, Bronica, or Praktica?

I agree. This is a nice place to hang out. I wish the beer was colder though.

 

[AgX]

This weekend I walked around Cincinnati, Ohio with an Agfa Ambi Silette...

This model already is super rare here. Coming even across a guy sporting such model to me would be like hitting jackpot in a lottery...

 

[John51]

If my 8 yo granddaughter is anything too go by, there is a new generation of film lovers on the way.

Whenever it's mentioned that she has an old camera, she will proudly say 'And it has film in it!' She tells me that she's being good in school so that she can get a privilege card. That will allow her to take her Kodak Brownie to school and show it off to the class.

 

[StepheKoontz]

Not dumb at all. You might be using hoarded film.

Good point. And for a while I was

 

[Black Dog]

Good point. And for a while I was

Me too-I bought up loads of Agfapan 400 just before it went, because it was such a lovely film. Last Tuesday, I was so happy to see film in a Glasgow city centre branch of Boots, that I did a little dance...well they did have HP5+ in 120! The guy behind the counter said " Aye. Fillum". You've got to love the Glaswegian sense of humour.

 

[mooseontheloose]

Me too-I bought up loads of Agfapan 400 just before it went, because it was such a lovely film. Last Tuesday, I was so happy to see film in a Glasgow city centre branch of Boots, that I did a little dance...well they did have HP5+ in 120! The guy behind the counter said " Aye. Fillum". You've got to love the Glaswegian sense of humour.

That's great to hear! I'll be in Glasgow and Edinburgh in a few weeks time, will definitely have to check out what film stocks are available locally. (I won't be there long, and will probably bring enough with me from Japan, but still...)

 

[Black Dog]

That's great to hear! I'll be in Glasgow and Edinburgh in a few weeks time, will definitely have to check out what film stocks are available locally. (I won't be there long, and will probably bring enough with me from Japan, but still...)

In Glasgow, the St Enoch branch of Boots definitely stock film, in Edinburgh Stills is your best bet (Cockburn Street, just a few minutes walk from Waverley station in the Old Town). They even stock 4x5 film ! IME the larger branches of Boots are pretty good at stocking film. Enjoy your trip...there's so much to photograph in both cities ( I even spotted a Buddhist monk in Glasgow city centre last week) and lots of good exhibitions to see as well.

 

[KenS]

That is because in the past we have been verbally attacked often.

I was 'out' with my Linhof about 10 days ago... trying to get an image of the beginning of the big 'ice-melt' around the edges of the local pond. Just after as I was removing the film holder as I came out from under the dark-cloth a 'couple' (who were out walking their dog) made a couple of derogatory comments (thinking I might not overhear) about 'another' polluter putting silver salts down the drain.
I stood and exclaimed that I actually 'recover' the silver from my used fixer before it goes down the drain in my darkroom sink.. I said I actually save the used fixer in a large glass 'carboy'... add used 'but not dead' developer to precipitate the silver from the used fixer and 'collect' the 'black silver' precipitate by filtration, wash it well and have a friend melt it down in a muffle furnace. to a 'blob' of silver which he can sell and I get my 50%
"Black silver", I was informed a number of years ago, is one of the 'purest' forms of silver you can get and well worth the effort to 'save' from going into ANY sewage sewage system.

Ken

 

[Helios 1984]

made a couple of derogatory comments (thinking I might not overhear) about 'another' polluter putting silver salts down the drain.

You dared talk back, you MONSTER! I'm sure they felt upset for the whole evening hahaha

 

[benjiboy]

Only in Glasgow could they have St. Enoch,

 

[GLS]

I have never had any truly negative comments about my film cameras; the worst being one or two examples of "rather you than me" type comments (but in a friendly manner) from older guys who had shot film before and didn't like the associated extra work/expense involved.

The reactions I get are nearly always positive, or at least genuinely curious.

At the end of the day cameras are tools, and I use both flavours. Snobbery and elitism cuts both ways of the digitial-analogue divide; certainly I have seen more than one ignorant/snarky comment on this very site deriding all things digitial.

 

[Vincent Peri]

I shoot mainly in New Orleans' French Quarter. In all the years I've been photographing there, I've never had anyone say anything derogatory about my film cameras there. I did have one lady photographer ask about my Nikon F2A cameras I was shooting with that day, since she was thinking about buying one.

I guess all the tourists in the Quarter were too busy looking at all the tourist attractions there LOL.

 

[DWThomas]

Far from home, a few days ago I was wandering thru Lauterbrunnen in the Swiss Alps, taking in the gorgeous scenery. While mostly electrocuting bits, I also was exercising my TLR. As Faire Spouse and I wandered we were intersecting occasionally with a number of folks who appeared to be three generations of an extended family. They were chatting away in Japanese and one of the men appeared to be “designated photographer” who was busily getting pictures of various kids in front of the scenes.

In a park at the base of a spectacular waterfall I heard a shift in the rhythm of the speech. I looked over and saw one of the older women standing near the photographer — and pointing at me! Sure enough, the guy turned, smiled, and headed toward me. In English he said “nice camera” and I held it up for a better view. He took a quick look, “Ah, Yashica, that is very good camera.” So we had a brief conversation about our cameras, with some of the others smiling, and eventually moved on with everybody exchanging good wishes for the rest of our travels. Definitely left a glow of warm fuzzies!

 

[pbromaghin]

Very nice story.

 

[destroya]

I do monthly day trips to yosemite, so I see all types of people and photographers. when there, I shoot 100% film, usually medium format. and usually the same thing happens to me at tunnel view.

Its usually the Japanese tourists and the European tourists. "can you take our photo? you obviously know what you are doing, you are shooting film". and so it begins. once you become the nice person who took someones photo, you take everyone's. Its kinda funny though how some poeple like to give grief or laugh cause you shoot film, but some others assume you are a pro or very knowledgeable because you shoot film. It does make me feel competent!

 

[BradS]

.....<snip> "can you take our photo? you obviously know what you are doing, you are shooting film".....<snip>

This happens to me too...funny thing is, I invariably get handed some modern digital imaging device...and I almost always find myself apologizing because I have no idea how to deal with some of them (the cameras that is)... "What button do I press???"

 

[Sirius Glass]

Yesterday instead of doing Photrio I went to the Getty Museum to look at and take infrared photographs of the gardens. I was using Rollei IR 400 film with a 720 filter and the Hasselblad 903 SWC. I got two "That is really a nice camera. I wish I had one."

 

[warden]

Yesterday I was photographing with my Hassy. I walked by two guys on a typical Philadelphia row house front stoop and their conversation stopped as I walked by - one of them said "Nice camera! I have one just like it!" I said thanks with a smile but didn't stop walking and wondered if he could really tell they type of camera as I quickly walked by. From a distance I heard him call after me, "501C!!!"

 

[jimgalli]

Brad, finally the answer you were waiting for . . . Move to Tonopah. Nobody cares what you're doing. Although one time I was setting up a Cirkut camera and a guy from California stopped to look at my truck.

 

[Roger Thoms]

Had my Fuji GX680 out the other day, no photo deniers, just a few nice camera comments. It’s actually a pretty impressive rig even though it probably 25 or 30 years old. Not sure the people even realize that it takes film.

Roger

 

[Theo Sulphate]

... From a distance I heard him call after me, "501C!!!"

That is impressive.

Had my Fuji GX680 out the other day ... Not sure the people even realize that it takes film.

Takes film it does, but there is so much electronic wizardry in the GX680 and it's modules (finders, backs, ...) that it may as well be digital.

 

[mooseontheloose]

I do monthly day trips to yosemite, so I see all types of people and photographers. when there, I shoot 100% film, usually medium format. and usually the same thing happens to me at tunnel view.

Its usually the Japanese tourists and the European tourists. "can you take our photo? you obviously know what you are doing, you are shooting film". and so it begins. once you become the nice person who took someones photo, you take everyone's. Its kinda funny though how some poeple like to give grief or laugh cause you shoot film, but some others assume you are a pro or very knowledgeable because you shoot film. It does make me feel competent!

This happens to me too...funny thing is, I invariably get handed some modern digital imaging device...and I almost always find myself apologizing because I have no idea how to deal with some of them (the cameras that is)... "What button do I press???"

This happens to me too - I don’t know if it’s the film camera or because I’m usually solo, but I often get asked to take photos of people. I also struggle with the various phones and digicams, because they are not always intuitive to use.