The fickle nature of photographers...

DWThomas · Mar 9, 2021

MattKing said:
Most don't. Many on the internet do.

I think this is a key point. I am not sure how one would get accurate data, but I suspect with any product it is many, many times more likely that a real or perceived problem will come up in an unsolicited post than there will be posts about how great some new item is.

I usually "research" most expensive products I'm about to buy and it appears one needs to do some critical thinking. Many vendors have user reviews or ratings. If most are unhappy the product is probably to be avoided, but if I see there are 175 reviews and only three or four go on about "junk, don't buy it," ranting about some problem/failure. I then assume the problems are mostly 'liveware errors' at the user end.

Sirius might appreciate my thought that a 'system camera' is one potential solution -- I consider them the ultimate adult Tinkertoy -- interchangeable viewfinders, focus screens, lenses -- even film backs. I have a modest pile of Bronica SQ-A gear (the poor man's Hasselblad!). But I've been using the Bronica less, in favor of lighter gear for travel. And by golly, I also got three pinhole shots into a local juried show a few years back. Shots from my folders and even my Argus C-3 have made it into shows. There can be much satisfaction in accepting the challenge to work with what you have.

BrianShaw · Mar 9, 2021

DWThomas said:
'system camera' is one potential solution -- I consider them the ultimate adult Tinkertoy

Very true. I have 4 systems and, for each, not many parts. But the parts I have were available and carefully curated to my evolving needs. In hindsight, I could have survived quite nicely with just 1 system... but each brings a different joy.

foc · Mar 9, 2021

Photographers, both professional and non professional, like to complain (it's human).
If it's not about the camera then it's the light.
If it's not about the film then it's the lab.
If it's not about pre wash then its indicator stop bath prices............................
Sometimes we can be a grumpy bunch.

Sirius Glass · Mar 9, 2021

foc said:
Photographers, both professional and non professional, like to complain (it's human).
If it's not about the camera then it's the light.
If it's not about the film then it's the lab.
If it's not about pre wash then its indicator stop bath prices............................
Sometimes we can be a grumpy bunch.

I complain about the Kodak haters, Ilford haters, Leica haters, Hasselblad haters, ...

Kilgallb · Mar 9, 2021

Andrew O'Neill said:
All the time! The worst ice I played hockey on was in Japan!

They turned the hockey arena for the Nagano games into a swimming pool.

4season · Mar 10, 2021

Some popular photo bloggers seem to be on a never-ending quest for gear which resonates with them on an emotional level, but I think it's just G.A.S. in disguise, Nevertheless, the best of them sure do find creative and entertaining ways to spin their cravings!

jwd722 · Mar 10, 2021

JBrunner said:
I love all my cameras.

That's the way I feel too. I have acquired over 50 cameras in the last 45 years and can't complain about any of them. They work as intended and that's all I ask.

ced · Mar 10, 2021

We are not fickle we are exigent that's all.

ChristopherCoy · Mar 10, 2021

ced said:
We are not fickle we are exigent that's all.

Ok "karen".

ced · Mar 10, 2021

What's this about "lemonade stands"?...

Vaughn · Mar 10, 2021

We are social animals and we like to talk about things we are interested in.

Horatio · Mar 10, 2021

Well, I've certainly taken advantage of the used gear market in the past year: I've added medium and large format gear to my herd of 35mm and digital stock. I'm expanding my Nikon stuff now. Still, I'm more likely to use my iPhone 11 to make images!

tballphoto · Mar 20, 2021

Its all done to create a mystique, an idea that its harder then it is. No mystique, no cult following.

Vaughn · Mar 20, 2021

tballphoto said:
Its all done to create a mystique, an idea that its harder then it is. No mystique, no cult following.

Making art is easy? I think that is one of the reasons people refuse to be an artist -- too damn hard.

VinceInMT · Mar 20, 2021

The upside of all the complaining and whining is that it creates a demand for innovation.

tballphoto · Mar 20, 2021

Vaughn said:
Making art is easy? I think that is one of the reasons people refuse to be an artist -- too damn hard.

Its an easy theory to understand, the creation of a mindset of mystique and difficulty about what you do. Even the creation of a sense of "danger" in what you do in the mind of the viewer/audience. Its the method that police have used for 80 years to get away with how they interact with organized crime.

When it comes to law enforcement in general, do you truly believe it takes 40 cop cars from 10 agencies to make an arrest on a 15 year old kid selling cocaine from his bag at school? Do you really think it takes 5 cops to taser and arrest a 70 year old man? Its simply a method of make it seem more dangerous then it is, and you can get an excuse in the minds of the public to have a reason to get unlimited tax funding.

Ansel Adams has a massive mystique about his work and results. Alot of his methods of
"spending days on one location to get the perfect shot" are simply a manipulation of "my film only works well in certain light, so i have to wait around to have that happen". What version gives a higher implied value to his work?

tballphoto · Mar 20, 2021

VinceInMT said:
The upside of all the complaining and whining is that it creates a demand for innovation.

Define innovation for me please? When i comes to film photograpy the only innovation for the last 20 years seems to have been shooting porn in black and white to make it "artistic nudes". And the whole lomography website, film, and "art movement" where they retail overpriced expired film to people, film that changes color randomly on expired shots with no rhyme or reason or expectations, and the overall "if the shot turns out bad, blurry, out of focus, etc, call it an intentional "abstract reasoning of the meaning of art" and you become an instant internet star and professional photographer.

Vaughn · Mar 20, 2021

tballphoto said:
Its an easy theory to understand, the creation of a mindset of mystique and difficulty about what you do. Even the creation of a sense of "danger" in what you do in the mind of the viewer/audience. ...?

Yeah, but all that has nothing to do with creating art -- that is all self-promotion, which is not art, but instead is in the world of the business of art.

tballphoto · Mar 20, 2021

Vaughn said:
Yeah, but all that has nothing to do with creating art -- that is all self-promotion, which is not art, but instead is in the world of the business of art.

When I was bored and dug through the lomography magazine articles and actually LOOKED at the "professional photographers with art exhibits under their professional life" I dug into things and actually found where some of the professional art exhibitions had been nothing more then someone with a few pictures printed off had gone and rented a small store front and hosted an exhibit for a few weekends one month.

Does that make it art? Does creating your own art exhibit make you a professional artist or photographer?

in MANY circles of the modern world, if you dont have a twitter or instagram account your not considered a photographer. In some instances you need to have a minimum number of twitter/instagram/facebook followers to be considered a photographer.

Sirius Glass · Mar 20, 2021

tballphoto said:
in MANY circles of the modern world, if you dont have a twitter or instagram account your not considered a photographer. In some instances you need to have a minimum number of twitter/instagram/facebook followers to be considered a photographer.

I do not consider those circles worthwhile. My time is important so can cannot be bothered with the opinion of EyeD10Ts on twitter./instagram/facebook on my photography. They are not worthy.

tballphoto · Mar 20, 2021

Sirius Glass said:
I do not consider those circles worthwhile. My time is important so can cannot be bothered with the opinion of EyeD10Ts on twitter./instagram/facebook on my photography. They are not worthy.

Ah but they are the nature of the customer base we have to deal with. The nature of the possible model we may have to try to deal with.

The old adage that you can give a photographer a camera and they will get a picture is long gone.

Nowaday, to even do a FREE photo for someone who considers them self to be a model, you need that twitter or instagram account and a few hundred photos on it, and a few thousand followers. To be CONSIDERED as a photographer.

Then you are expected to have a digital camera of the last two releases from any brand, and 10-20,000 dollars worth of lenses, 30-40,000 in studio equipment, a studio, more sets then a soap opera has, 6 or 7 gofers and hair and makeup people running around non stop.

Sirius Glass · Mar 20, 2021

tballphoto said:
Ah but they are the nature of the customer base we have to deal with. The nature of the possible model we may have to try to deal with.

The old adage that you can give a photographer a camera and they will get a picture is long gone.

Nowaday, to even do a FREE photo for someone who considers them self to be a model, you need that twitter or instagram account and a few hundred photos on it, and a few thousand followers. To be CONSIDERED as a photographer.

Then you are expected to have a digital camera of the last two releases from any brand, and 10-20,000 dollars worth of lenses, 30-40,000 in studio equipment, a studio, more sets then a soap opera has, 6 or 7 gofers and hair and makeup people running around non stop.

Well, I sell or give mount and framed prints to the people who are important to me. No stress and live is good.

Vaughn · Mar 20, 2021

tballphoto said:
When I was bored and dug through the lomography magazine articles ...

I will need more breath in the sample (beyond just lomo) to match real-world conditions. As someone else said -- I do not move in those circles. There are all sorts of artists, working on many different levels, on many different platforms and in many different media. My work does not translate worth a damn onto a screen...any power the image has may come through, but rarely any sense of the actual piece, where the texture of the image and/or the paper are part of the image as presented.

One should have the tools of the trade one is in and not be too surprised at the costs of a running business.

My trade is to KISS.

MattKing · Mar 20, 2021

Like most artists, my work has little chance of becoming expensive until after I die.
Very little chance then either, but still...

tballphoto · Mar 21, 2021

Vaughn said:
I will need more breath in the sample (beyond just lomo) to match real-world conditions. As someone else said -- I do not move in those circles. There are all sorts of artists, working on many different levels, on many different platforms and in many different media. My work does not translate worth a damn onto a screen...any power the image has may come through, but rarely any sense of the actual piece, where the texture of the image and/or the paper are part of the image as presented.

One should have the tools of the trade one is in and not be too surprised at the costs of a running business.

My trade is to KISS.

At work they had the break room tv on some entertainment news program last week. EVERY "celebrity" on that episode was a celebrity because they had at least 50,000 instagram/facebook/twitter/tik tok followers. One only had 30,000 people view their page to become some sort of super celebrity disk jocky online.

The fickle nature of photographers...

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency