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PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2013 8:10 am 
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http://thecandidframe.blogspot.ca/2012/ ... -suck.html


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PostPosted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 12:21 pm 
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Painfully upon self reflection, but a lot of that is true, at least in my case :shock:


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PostPosted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 12:39 pm 
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achan68 wrote:
Painfully upon self reflection, but a lot of that is true, at least in my case :shock:


This whole forum is teamed up with you. And me.


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PostPosted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 10:42 am 
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More on the same topic:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/hum ... /?page=all


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PostPosted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 8:20 pm 
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Metrix wrote:

Now that was a good read. Very little I can disagree with.

Quote:
“People take photographs because they can, not because they should.”
A couple of weeks ago I went to the botanical gardens to shoot some flowers, a topic I hate but there was a flower challenge somewhere online I was entering, and the number of people I saw walking around just pointing and snapping away drove me nuts. Since I don't like to waste time, I would look at the direction of the light, the subject, and decide do I need a flash? Do I need two? Reflector? Should I dabble in the land of abstracts? Macro? .....
In the end I went down the abstract path, took a lot of photos of the exact same flower, abstracts not being my strong suit. But at least I had a vision and tried to make it come to fruition. I find too many times you see people just point and fire away when you can tell if they had merely moved over a couple of feet, or something equally as easy, would have made the photo that much stronger.

I waste so much time in my basement setting up random shots of things just to practise so when the occasion rises, I don't have to think. My brother in-law who owns a camera is always amazed that I can take 200 photos of the same still life trying to get the lighting just right or to my liking before giving up. It's that learning process that differentiates, in my opinion, the people that article is talking about and a real photographer. The simple desire to learn and nail things when the time comes.


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PostPosted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 12:16 am 
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thx :roll: :oops:


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 7:38 am 
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Lots of great points to reflect on.. thx


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 12:39 pm 
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Thanks for sharing.


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 12:57 pm 
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Huh. The two above links have their merits but they scratch at something that's bugging me lately with photography related discussion. Am I the only tired of this self aggrandizing soap boxing? Here's what I see happening a lot. Happens here. Happens on the sites I frequent with photographers who take pictures I enjoy. A "photographer" gets on a milk crate and tells the world that he only shoots in certain ways - with film cause it's pure, with manual focus because it connects me to the subject, with light gear because then I don't think about the gear, with a Hasselblad because it has that look, I only shoot street cause I keep it real and blah **** blah ad nauseum. Why do they do this? Mostly, I think, to point out that they're doing it the right way. Are they correct about these things? In a way - the path they take that gets them to what they want will be seen as right to them and there are technical realities to achieving certain looks (but that, I fear is besides the point in most of this). The problem is the fallacy that if one doesn't do it this way they're not doing it right. As much as many would like to believe that there are rituals and processes that must be taken to get to "true photography" it's empty and wrong. For example, because I like to talk about gear does not mean I don't think about my pictures. That's like saying if I eat an apple I never think about eating oranges. This is without considering that the rejection of technology is the same fetishism as the embracing of it just going the other way. Sure, there are people who are only/mostly interested in gear and that's great. Fine for them. Why would anyone else care except to point out that the gear head is doing it wrong and you do photography right?

Let's look closer at the argument that people who are obsessed with gear are doing it wrong. It's wrong to obsess over gear right? It's not about the gear. That's what we hear a lot around here. "Ugh more gear talk." It's not like previous masters were obsessed with gear right? Beethoven would play on any old piano (not like he had them custom made for him), same with Mozart and Mendelssohn, those guys would play on just anything right? No. And it's not as if there is a loooong list of authors that insisted on certain typewriters for the feel of the keys and clack of the letter heads. I've never heard of a painter who cared about the type of brush/canvas or quality of paint....oh... wait. Bresson insisted on Leica. Ansel was very particular about his large format and don't get him started on what must be used in the darkroom! Sure, all of these artists could have made something special with lesser tools but they certainly cared very very much about their tools.


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 1:35 pm 
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Most painters can talk hours about brushes and surfaces. Musicians will spend hours talking about specific instruments/brands. Writers will talk hours about specific whiskey/scotch/wine brand. Your argument is right in most ways. But thinking why people use/talk about specific gear is not valid. Most just like what they have/use and don't care that others use other gear. Same with subject matter and type of photography. Where you see it get tricky is the 'Art talk'. Right?


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 2:38 pm 
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Some good and very valid points made in those articles. Even with the advent of the digital age there are still very few great photographers. Some can talk a good game but can't produce. It reminds of the old saying "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach" or preach in some cases.


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 7:15 pm 
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Maybe some more points this time from the Magnum photographer Martin Parr's blog:
http://www.martinparr.com/2012/too-much-photography/
http://www.martinparr.com/2012/the-facebook-problem/
http://www.martinparr.com/2011/photographic-cliches/


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 10:55 am 
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in the name of quality of the argument, writers should be the only ones allowed to write about their gear... musicians should blow and strum about theirs... parrs should photograph about theirs... and vilks should vilk up about their endless vilking... and hey, everyone should stick to shoulding when shoulding is but bonk creak plunk pfshhhhhhhhhhhhh...

(ions, for chrissakes, 2733 keystrokes?! :shock: to the beach, man, to the beach!)

8)


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 11:11 am 
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http://www.randomhouse.ca/hazlitt/blog/ ... y-skeptics


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 11:20 am 
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I'm prolix. Surprised you read it all. Nobody usually bothers. :D Beach?! At this point a window would be heaven.

Embarrassed now ( :oops: ;) ) I spose I won't go on about my problems with Mr. Parr's assessments other than to say they're too shallow and easy claims to make with open endings for a failed attempt at depth. Perhaps an art student that never got a proper Arts education? ;)


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 12:13 pm 
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ions wrote:
Perhaps an art student that never got a proper Arts education? ;)


aren't we all :wink:


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PostPosted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 9:34 pm 
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PotatoEYE wrote:
ions wrote:
Perhaps an art student that never got a proper Arts education? ;)


aren't we all :wink:


speak for thyself, you uneducated one you! :lol:


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PostPosted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:08 pm 
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Vilk wrote:
PotatoEYE wrote:
ions wrote:
Perhaps an art student that never got a proper Arts education? ;)


aren't we all :wink:


speak for thyself, you uneducated one you! :lol:


hmmm... hold on... i've never had "proper arts education" myself :oops: :cry:


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PostPosted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 3:18 pm 
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Vilk wrote:
Vilk wrote:
PotatoEYE wrote:
ions wrote:
Perhaps an art student that never got a proper Arts education? ;)


aren't we all :wink:


speak for thyself, you uneducated one you! :lol:


hmmm... hold on... i've never had "proper arts education" myself :oops: :cry:


:lol:


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 03, 2013 3:40 pm 
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I think it boils down to less talk and more do. Changing, thinking your a pro photographer into thinking like a pro photographer is a big part of it.


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PostPosted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 11:23 am 
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This is why


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 11:26 am 
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Your photos suck because you aren't Annie Leibovitz
http://www.fastcocreate.com/1683295/ann ... hotography


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 11:46 am 
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you may want to give your significant other a power of attorney before you read that one 8)


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 11:52 am 
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Metrix wrote:
Your photos suck because you aren't Annie Leibovitz
http://www.fastcocreate.com/1683295/ann ... hotography

Meaning i don't have 50 people preparing and processing, while i only compose and press the shutter?


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 12:47 pm 
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Your photos suck because you know better than HCB.
A long lost interview with HCB http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/2 ... d=tw-share

Your photos suck because you will never be famous but that doesn't stop you from believing you are. Or how to hide your MF camera in plain sight.

http://www.pedrosilmon.com/blog/2013/07 ... tographer/

Quote:
Observer or voyeur, how would you describe yourself?
Is there a difference? I would lean towards upfront-and-personal-voyeur.


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 10:50 pm 
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hmmm... perhaps this entire thread is based on a wrong premise--namely, that sucking is bad. i've just got the latest winogrand oeuvre complète and frankly, 9 out of 10 suck, and that no matter how you pick the 10... and yet, flipping the pages feels immensely satisfying for some reason... i say, LET 'EM SUCK, YAY!

8)


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 11:04 pm 
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Vilk embracing the suck?


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 11:07 pm 
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yaa, i suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuckkkkk :oops:


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 09, 2013 11:19 am 
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The Suck is good. For it is the Suck that makes us improve upon it. So, I say, let it Suck. And may the Suck be with you.


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 09, 2013 1:47 pm 
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I could use a good sucking.


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