Editorial comment..ok to delete

[mysteryscribe]

Watch out for snakes and spiders eh.

The two legged kind worry me the most these days. Poking around old deserted buildings in the back country of North Carolina (home of dueling banjos) can be nerve wracking.

 

[mysteryscribe]

I went out to shoot this morning and I think I was snake bit. I took two holder four shots with me. At the marina I shot one of the lake which sucks composition is too flat.

Then I shot one of a little slice of the essence of the experience. Yeah I know words way to big for a country boy. But it speaks a little to the way the world has turned. Either you will understand it or you wont. I'm going back to my retro gallery here so it will be up later today.

But then I put holder two into the camera. Within seconds I knew it was going to be crap. Neither darkslide was properly seated. I learned what went wrong earlier, but I hadn't noticed that I still had one of the previously poorly loaded holders. I didn't even bother to shoot it.

I guess it's going to be 'one shot: one day' as a new rule replacing 'one shot one image.' Though I did shoot 12 shots at the encampment and got 11 usable images. I was very happy with that. About five of them were more than simply acceptable to me, so I was happy with it.

On to something less pleasant than that even.... I wouldn't feel right if I didn't say this somewhere. This seems like the place since no one will see it and it is generic to everyone not one individual..


You know, I was told that here people of all skill levels were shooting and posting. I accept that. I try to make judgements based on that simple assumption.

What I am having a problem with, and probably shouldn't, since it means nothing to me personally, is people being paid for work that in my opinion isn't ready to sell. The shots they post here have bits and pieces that aren't really up to professional standards... if you sell it they should be. Some of it is fine, but some really shouldn't be up for sale. Most of it can be fixed with software and should have been already. I wonder if they plan to fix it before it is presented to the customer or if they think that it is acceptable, or even know that there is anything wrong with it.

I also wonder if that is what the serious professionals are talking about when they say these new guys are doing damage to the craft, as well as taking their business. Everybody knows where I come down on the little guy stealing business, so I wont go into that again. I will agree with this though. So many of the shots I see need so little to fix post production, and so little to prevent the same thing from happening again, that I don't understand it.

That said let me tirade one more time. Shooting for yourself and your mom is not the same as shooting for money. When you get paid the customer has a right to expect certain things. They have a right to expect you to do the very best job that you can, but even more. They have the right to expect a product done to a higher standard of excellence than Uncle Harry would have done free.

Back in the day, I know you get sick of hearing that, we believed and I taught those who partnered up with me, do the safe thing to get the shots, then play with the craft.

If you are going to shoot outside, shoot to minimize the shadows at the very least. That means fill light. Now I know that somehow strobe light has come to be almost as bad as the F word, but guys you owe it to your client to get the shot first. Learn to use your strobe, it is your friend not the enemy.

If you don't have or for some reason can't shoot a strobe, then at least meter for the shadows. You don't have to totally expose for them but at least meter them into the lighting equation. If you can't do one or the other, maybe you aren't ready to be selling your services. These are basic to professional, meaning paid, photography.

God help me I'm beginning to sound like Flynt...

 

[JamesD]

Watch out for snakes and spiders eh.

The two legged kind worry me the most these days. Poking around old deserted buildings in the back country of North Carolina (home of dueling banjos) can be nerve wracking.

That's the kind I was talking about. :mrgreen:

 

[mysteryscribe]

I had a feeling...

 

[malachite]

I envy you. The closest I've got is this and a couple other forums where I can ask questions, and of course, google.

I had the pleasure of working with a absent minded, dyslexic fashion photographer named Butch. Learned the most just watching him in action because when asked, he couldn't explain a thing he did, he just did it, that's what he'd say. Of course the first memory I have that stands out was when he came into the front office, talking on is cell phone. Only thing I heard was "yeah, they're in there".............right as he covered the phone with his hand and whispered to me "Go out to my van and see if you can find Mindy's panties".

Sharing the studio with him was Dennis, the Jack of all trades kind of photographer. He's the one who showed me how to develop B&W film and print a contact sheet. Helped him shoot a cover of Golf Digest with a 4X5 and a garden hose.

I have no idea how much I learned photographically that summer but I had fun. And we did find Mindy's panties just in case you were wondering. Why they were wrapped around a spoon was beyond me but I wasn't about to ask as I never got to meet Mindy anyway :mrgreen:

Michael.............do you know where your underwear is?

 

[mysteryscribe]

Flynt was to old and too short to have a mindy it might have made him easier to live with.

I love the stories of those old days. There are two kinds of photographers I wish I could have met. One was a wpa photographer from the depression and the other was a 1950's door to door photographer with a pony. I think they would have some great tales to tell.

 

[mysteryscribe]

You know what really amazes me.

It's kind like those of us who grew up on film and went on to do digital respect the complete craft.

Some of those who came into serious photography after digital got popular, can't see past their computer. I guess it's how all new kids on the block (no matter what age they are) feel about us old timers. It isn't the lack of respect, it's actually the 'my way is the only way' that frosts me. You know it really isn't, I can take a digital camera and shoot it just like a film camera. Take the card down to the prolab and just hand it over. Just like I would a roll of film.

I say that because I know half a dozen old timer, who are doing just that. Pay some kid to do the editing and photoshop work for them. One told me he can't justify spending his 200 a hour time playing with photoshop since he cant get it back directly. He bills for his time on sight not his post production time.

My son in law is a bit of a perfectionist. He wants total control of everything, but even he laments about the time it takes to get all the images ready for dvd. I like the editors as a digital darkroom. Actually if it werent for them I would have to give up the craft completely.

So yes digital is my friend in some ways. In others I sort of resent it. It seems to have taken the civility out of the craft. I guess that happens whenever you throw an art or craft open to everyone.

.....God i did love the good old boy club.......

 

[Torus34]

Am I reading between the lines, or do you have a file of 'war stories' stuffed into a folder and hidden away in a file cabinet in your mind?

If so, an open offer: If you want to jot them down, I'll proof and edit. No charge. [A courtesy to a professional.]

 

[mysteryscribe]

Tons of stories lost in my brain somewhere. I wish we had the stories from the guys who worked for the wpa during the depression, not just the pictures but the stories.

I wonder how many bridges of madison county there were out there. Had to be a million stories that were mundane to them but we would love to read. Well some of us would.