Photography and Egos...

ToddB · Apr 2, 2013

Hey guys,

Have you noticed with this industry threre is alot of big egos? There has several instances where I've been out shooting, where I observed people been very erogant with photography. The bigger the camera the bigger the ego. Kind of like having P---- envy. What is it?

ToddB

cliveh · Apr 2, 2013

This is not just in photography, but life in general. There are some famous photographers with very little talent and massive egos. At the same time there are very talented photographers who are almost invisible by their modesty. The same applies to most walks of life.

E. von Hoegh · Apr 2, 2013

I have a Deardorff V8; I've no idea what you're talking about.

Dr Croubie · Apr 2, 2013

Maybe not the size, but also the age? Or even just the fact of shooting film at all?

I've been out shooting with my EOS 3, and I've had opposite reactions from people. Everything from, "wow, can you still buy film", "wow, you shoot film, that's so cool" (these two are thankfully more common), to, "dude, get a real camera" (at which point I whip out the mamiya 645af if i've got it handy).
Sad thing is, it also happens when I've got my 7D (still a current-model, and still a very good one at that), I've had derogatory comments from 5D3 owners (because yeah, I can afford a $3000 camera that costs $4000 in Australia. When it came out I did the sums on film costs and bought the 3 instead), along the lines of, "out of the way, amateur" (sometimes substitute 'amateur' for 'tourist', even in my home town).

Mostly, it's all good though, Street shooting my Bessa L with 21mm Skopar and Finder a few weeks ago in Melbourne, a random guy came up to me and said, "hey, that's a really cool camera you've got there, well done" and walked off, nothing else. Felt a bit strange, but good. (I still wonder if he didn't know what it was and thought it was a Digital Leica or something).

mark · Apr 2, 2013

Cameras, cars/trucks, dogs, etc...

Those with the least amount of colorful plumage will do their best to draw the most attention to the strap on plumage they have purchased.

E. von Hoegh · Apr 2, 2013

mark said:
Cameras, cars/trucks, dogs, etc...

Those with the least amount of colorful plumage will do their best to draw the most attention to the strap on plumage they have purchased.

ROTFLMAO!

lxdude · Apr 2, 2013

E. von Hoegh said:
I have a Deardorff V8; I've no idea what you're talking about.

Big block or small block?

NB23 · Apr 2, 2013

I know what you mean.

As for me, I usually pass for a terribly stupid guy in front of other photographers. I just have a very hard time talking about it in person. Phrases such as "Nikkor Twenty-four-Seventy eff two point eight hey-eff-ess with nano coating" and so on are just so ridiculous to me.

My pictures do the wonderful talking and that's where I win

rpsawin · Apr 2, 2013

Whenever I get someone starting in about "gear" I just ask them if they are happy with their gear and wish them a nice day.

If I want to get into it with someone about gear I know where to go...

Best regards,

Bob

Born2Late · Apr 2, 2013

mark said:
"strap on plumage"

Sounds like a good subject for the next MSA!

whowantstoast · Apr 2, 2013

I agree that when you run into photography ego it can be very bad, but the opposite can be true (if less frequent). I said "hi" to another photog doing street photography with a full digital kit one day. I had my Kiev 4, and he came over smiling and asked if it was one of the new Fujis. When I said no, it's a film camera, he just snorted, turned and walked away without another word. But at almost the same location a couple of weeks later, I found myself reluctant to approach a group of young dancers doing a street performance. Another photographer saw me, came over out of his way, and asked if I was there to shoot them. He then dragged me forward, introduced me to his daughter, who was one of the dancers, and told them that I was going to get in close for some shots. So maybe we just have extreme personalities, both good and bad. I think those of us who are most secure in our own self-image are more likely to treat others with kindness.

AndreasT · Apr 2, 2013

Thats why zoom lenses from 28-300mm sell so well. They can do everything and are really big and important.

tkamiya · Apr 2, 2013

I think it's true in any field where equipment is involved. People tend to get obsessed with equipment and compare theirs against ones everyone else have. It is also my observation that true masters doesn't care much about what everybody else is doing.... or having the most expensive for him/herself. They get what they need and make the best out of them.

revdocjim · Apr 2, 2013

While there is much debate about the relationship of price to quality, it would be fascinating to see a study on the relationship of price to attitude of owner. To some degree I think we all fall prey to the temptation to love our expensive gear more than our cheap gear. Loving cheap gear is a distinctly counter-cultural move that often invites derision but also serves as the foundation for much camaraderie.

removed account4 · Apr 2, 2013

people with huge egos are usually just the opposite in real life

FL Guy · Apr 2, 2013

Where does Small Format fit?

AndreasT said:
Thats why zoom lenses from 28-300mm sell so well. They can do everything and are really big and important.

If I shoot with a 16mm Minox, what does that say about me?

FL Guy

jordanstarr · Apr 2, 2013

cliveh said:
This is not just in photography, but life in general. There are some famous photographers with very little talent and massive egos. At the same time there are very talented photographers who are almost invisible by their modesty. The same applies to most walks of life.

I think this comment ended the conversation almost immediately. I cannot stand the "is that a Leica/Hasselblad?" conversation. For me, it's kind of like, "Hey, do you have a penis? Let's see what you got there". Equipment shouldn't bring about camaraderie -style, technique and skill should.

Ken Nadvornick · Apr 2, 2013

Maybe...

But then I'd also bet that even Michelangelo had a favorite set of chiesels, and was not averse to discussing their merits and shortcomings within his circle of peers. He was also a professional, you know.

No matter how pure you think yourself to be, unless you're doing everything completely inside your head you gotta' work with something in your hands.

Ken

Alan Klein · Apr 2, 2013

I shoot a Mamiya RB67. The "RB" stands for "Real Bad-a$$"

Bill Burk · Apr 2, 2013

I used to have a huge ego, photographically-speaking. It outweighed my actual ability, but I knew I was the best photographer within 100 miles of wherever I happened to be at any given time.

Now I have either acknowledged my place, or I am very specific about what I am superior for...

Today I am the very best photographer developing 4x5 negatives taken on TMY-2 in D-76, shots of his daughter making her very first snow angel... And the chemistry is at 68.22 degrees F

Dang it, I just spilled half the tray into the tempering bath. Well, taking no chances, instead of just going for it, I'm adding 9 more ounces stock and 9 more ounces water... Add a little hot water to the tempering bath... now it's 68.90 degrees F... It's now or never...

Jim Jones · Apr 2, 2013

From an artist's statement by Edward Weston for an exhibit in 1930: "The photographs exhibited, with the exception of the portrait studies, are contact prints from direct 8x10 negatives, made with a rectilinear lens costing $5, . . ." The Rapid Rectilinear lens was designed in 1866, and was obsolete long before this exhibit. Weston did use some state-of-the-art lenses, but was more interested in results than equipment.

Bill Burk · Apr 2, 2013

Bill Burk said:
Today I am the very best photographer developing 4x5 negatives taken on TMY-2 in D-76, shots of his daughter making her very first snow angel...

Dang it. It's soft. I am humbled once again.

It's good, though.

lxdude · Apr 2, 2013

I remember a really good salesman back in the 70's at a camera shop here, who would inform those equipment-centric guys who thought nothing but Nikon and Nikkor could measure up, that W. Eugene Smith took his famous Minamata image with a Minolta SR-T 101.

PKM-25 · Apr 3, 2013

Not sure what this has to do with medium format, but I'll play.

I live and work in a world famous town that is chock full of egos but in terms of fellow pro photogs, no egos towards each other. As for the people asking me about gear, it happens and depending on how much I am concentrating is how I respond.

A front page newspaper article on a show of my new work runs tomorrow, I think I kept the ego at bay, we'll see, LOL!

noacronym · Apr 3, 2013

whowantstoast said:
I agree that when you run into photography ego it can be very bad, but the opposite can be true (if less frequent). I said "hi" to another photog doing street photography with a full digital kit one day. I had my Kiev 4, and he came over smiling and asked if it was one of the new Fujis. When I said no, it's a film camera, he just snorted, turned and walked away without another word. But at almost the same location a couple of weeks later, I found myself reluctant to approach a group of young dancers doing a street performance. Another photographer saw me, came over out of his way, and asked if I was there to shoot them. He then dragged me forward, introduced me to his daughter, who was one of the dancers, and told them that I was going to get in close for some shots. So maybe we just have extreme personalities, both good and bad. I think those of us who are most secure in our own self-image are more likely to treat others with kindness.

Wonder why this thread is even here. But early on, back in the early 70's when I was getting into photography and hanging around camera stores, I never felt like I fit in. They'd look at me down their nose sometimes. Not all of them. A lot of guys were great guys. But there was this crowd who got into Liberalism, and I never went that way. I grew up in a better home than to think like that or get myself involved in their pursuits. Nothing about me wants to be involved in activism, or the crowd that did. I'm not doing a very good job of verbalizing (writing) my impressions of the arrogant ones from that day and time. But I do assert that these were the earlier days of the "movement" that I abhor today; and if my lifetime hobby of photography has been mis-used to further that cause then I am disconcerted.

Photography and Egos...

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