RANT: When did we all go up our own @rses?....

specialman

specialman

Messages
8,193
Name
Pat MacInnes
Edit My Images
Yes
I'm into my photography big-time, which is why I come on here. But aside from TP I've been doing the old Flickr thing more as a form of outputting my work as something to do. It's fun, gets my work out there in a sense, and means I can get some inspiration from time-to-time from other people's work.

I've also joined a few groups. Now, the majority of the groups I've joined are pretty insignificant ones but a few are fairly member-heavy ones, like the strobist.com group.

The whole stobist.com thing has definitely become something of photographic mecca and all things associated with it (including the infuriating use of the word strobe to replace flash - bloody Yanks) seems to pull in people from far and wide. It's pretty much accepted as the standard for anything to do with flash.

But have a butchers in some of the discussion threads and it'll make you laugh; people harping about when a photograph becomes an image because of 'excess' photoshoppery, and the fact that artistic integrity is inextricably linked to the fact that you must be up your own jacksy!

We do get it on here for definite – the number of threads I've laughed for being so snobby I've lost count of – but on flickr it's staggering! I suppose the fact that flickr is very US oriented doesn't help but have a word with yourselves guys, you're doing something you love, not fighting for your right to live!

Okay, I've said a few things over the years that have got people's backs up but that's life (and I'm still to be convinced that HDR can be used effectively) but I'll never stifle someone's opinion's as a photography; once you pick up a camera then you're a photographer; It's up to you to be a good one.

Rant over ;)
 
I'm off out on a shoot to play around with off camera flash (as I will always call it) I'll make sure to try to insert my head before I go out but it might make looking through the viewfinder a little tricky :)
 
At the end of the day, who really give a candy floss. Do your own thing and sod what every one else thinks. If you are happy with what you do then the strobists and everyone else of that ilk can happily stay up their own @rses for all I care.
 
specialman said:
I'm into my photography big-time, which is why I come on here. But aside from TP I've been doing the old Flickr thing more as a form of outputting my work as something to do. It's fun, gets my work out there in a sense, and means I can get some inspiration from time-to-time from other people's work.

I've also joined a few groups. Now, the majority of the groups I've joined are pretty insignificant ones but a few are fairly member-heavy ones, like the strobist.com group.

The whole stobist.com thing has definitely become something of photographic mecca and all things associated with it (including the infuriating use of the word strobe to replace flash - bloody Yanks) seems to pull in people from far and wide. It's pretty much accepted as the standard for anything to do with flash.

But have a butchers in some of the discussion threads and it'll make you laugh; people harping about when a photograph becomes an image because of 'excess' photoshoppery, and the fact that artistic integrity is inextricably linked to the fact that you must be up your own jacksy!

We do get it on here for definite – the number of threads I've laughed for being so snobby I've lost count of – but on flickr it's staggering! I suppose the fact that flickr is very US oriented doesn't help but have a word with yourselves guys, you're doing something you love, not fighting for your right to live!

Okay, I've said a few things over the years that have got people's backs up but that's life (and I'm still to be convinced that HDR can be used effectively) but I'll never stifle someone's opinion's as a photography; once you pick up a camera then you're a photographer; It's up to you to be a good one.

Rant over ;)
Click to expand...


:lol:

Well said...enough 'preciousness'...just get out and take some bloody pictures/photos/imagery/happy-snaps - it's all good...
 
I have to admit I was worried more about this type of thing when I was looking to join a photography club. I had visions of walking in and being ignored or laughted out of the place. Thankfully they all turned out to be a great bunch...

You get this in all walks of life...
 
AliB said:
I'm off out on a shoot do play around with off camera flash (as I will always call it) I'll make sure to try to insert my head before I go out but it might make looking through the viewfinder a little tricky :)
Click to expand...


Just watch your neck, you dont want to hurt it anymore.

Back to the OP I know exactly what you are saying, I am most certainly not a great photographer but enjoy doinhg what do. I think it is like all things in life you get some people who just take what ever they are doing and life to seriously, lighten up and enjoy life is what I say.
 
I think the increasing access to quality DSLR's has contributed to bringing a lot of the UTOA individuals into photography for a variety of reasons, very few of which are anything to do with taking photos either for income or pleasure.

Top marks to Specialman for stating it.
 
haggis said:
I think the increasing access to quality DSLR's has contributed to bringing a lot of the UTOA individuals into photography for a variety of reasons, very few of which are anything to do with taking photos either for income or pleasure.

Top marks to Specialman for stating it.
Click to expand...

Being slow what is UTOA?
 
taking pics, i'm rank at it, desperate to learn but the snobbery and head up one's rectum attitude i've came across before always puts me off......here seems to be different.
 
BRASH said:
At the end of the day, who really give a candy floss. Do your own thing and sod what every one else thinks. If you are happy with what you do then the strobists and everyone else of that ilk can happily stay up their own @rses for all I care.
Click to expand...

whats a strobist? lol :thinking:
 
Unfortunately, you get some form of snobbery in almost any activity that you do.

My philosophy :

I take photographs because I enjoy it.
Sometimes I play around with Photoshop because that's fun too.

Every now and then I get an image that I like and I enjoy that for what it is - and if other people like it too that's a bonus.
More often than not I get images that I don't like so much and thanks to this forum I'm learning how to improve them.

Simple.

Now if anyone wants to decide that I'm not a "proper" photographer / "lack artistic integrity" / or . . . (insert any other arty farty phrase that you can think of here) because I do it for pleasure rather than profit or because I sometimes play about in Photoshop, that's absolutely fine.
It's their opinion and they're entitled to it.

But is it going to stop me enjoying photography . . . NO WAY!
TBH they're the type of people whose opinions I really couldn't care less about anyway :shrug:
 
:D They'll be too busy wondering what an arse is. :thinking:
 
At the end of the day I couldn't care less what words someone uses to describe what they do but I would point out that if an american is using strobes for their images then their not a strobist but a photographer using a stobe light :shrug:

Horses for courses ...
 
specialman said:
I...
(and I'm still to be convinced that HDR can be used effectively) ...
Click to expand...

kluen said:
...
http://www.stuckincustoms.com/ ...
Click to expand...

Those images have been very effectively destroyed by the processing, yes. ;)

WRT the OP; Flickr always has been, and always will be, an ego massage. It's just a loose collective of a bunch of very tight groups who like to pat each other on the back and indulge in some overly zealous self-validation. Which is fine by me, because it's easy for me to avoid them.

The internet, and the wider world, is full of people with cameras who like to talk twaddle. There's a heck of a lot of people with huge online fan bases, and almost invariably their shots are over-processed carp, justified with 'Flickr style titles.'

Saying that, I have a pretty high horse myself, but I only use him occasionally.

There are a lot of people who should do less talking, and more shooting. But each to their own I guess.
 
gingerjon said:
Good for you.

Perhaps you could link to a few.

Share the joy.
Click to expand...

Here's one - this is the thread about when a photograph become an image once processed. Some priceless stuff in here.

I'll have a search for some other corkers ;)

Thought I'd stick it to the 'strobists' with this one and bring some normality to proceedings
here
 
some bloke on Flickr said:
If you go beyond what you can do in a darkroom, then I don't think you can call your pic a photo anymore. It becomes and "image". If it took computers to achieve that unique look you have, how can you present it to somebody and claim you "took" that photo?
Click to expand...

Love rubbish like this. Applies to a lot of things in life as well.

People place arbitrary cut-offs on technology.

Pan-chromatic black and white film is fine. Maybe even colour emulsions too, if you want to get fancy.

Two million combinations of chemicals, and manipulating the light in a darkroom is fine.

Electronics!?!?! Heathen.

Logic fail.
 
Flickr Luvvie said:
If you go beyond what you can do in a darkroom, then I don't think you can call your pic a photo anymore. It becomes and "image". If it took computers to achieve that unique look you have, how can you present it to somebody and claim you "took" that photo?
Click to expand...

hmmm...have to agree - nothing to do with having the vision and skill to use those tools to achieve the end result that you want - it's digital - anyone can do it - just put it in Photoshop and 'Photoshop' it...easy...


:lol:

C-Units...lol
 
i am not a flasher, my boyfriend is though :) he holds my flash gun for me and wants a T-shirt that says No1 flasher
 
i take photos for my own enjoyment and for what i like. If other people like what i have done then good it's nice for my work to be appreciated if they don't then tough i won't lose any sleep over it. On a pluss side someone liked 4 of my photos and bought prints of them from me. They was my first ever sale and what a feeling to know that someone else had the same taste as me.
 
I am very surprised by the way how much I enjoy this forum, I am probably one of the first to critic images, However I will rarley critisice quality, As in my day and I started taking pictures in 1958, High quality was unobtainable except for the few and I mean the few who had great equipment and finance.
I have realised now that with the modern dslr the quality is fantastic but I can only compare it with the difference between video and cinema 35mm the quality is better with the video but the feel and warmth of film has something I can't explain.
What I'm trying to say is quality is not as important as content.
Maybe we should start taking quality a bit less seriously as all the pro's I knew used to.
Sorry if it's a bit off thread but I had to rant as well.
 
Phillip Mac said:
I am very surprised by the way how much I enjoy this forum, I am probably one of the first to critic images, However I will rarley critisice quality, As in my day and I started taking pictures in 1958, High quality was unobtainable except for the few and I mean the few who had great equipment and finance.
I have realised now that with the modern dslr the quality is fantastic but I can only compare it with the difference between video and cinema 35mm the quality is better with the video but the feel and warmth of film has something I can't explain.
What I'm trying to say is quality is not as important as content.
Maybe we should start taking quality a bit less seriously as all the pro's I knew used to.
Sorry if it's a bit off thread but I had to rant as well.
Click to expand...

Well, quality's a very subjective word. There are some beautiful, seriously good prints out there from 35mm. But then there are also people producing work on 4 foot sheets of film that are never printed.

On rendering detail, of course, the latter wins. But on quality? Who's to say...
 
Jayst84 said:
Well, quality's a very subjective word. There are some beautiful, seriously good prints out there from 35mm. But then there are also people producing work on 4 foot sheets of film that are never printed.

On rendering detail, of course, the latter wins. But on quality? Who's to say...
Click to expand...

That's just my point there is much too much critic about quality especially from those that their only critereria is sharpness and noise.;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top