Pretentious Newb Photographers.

Well as a noob myself, both to the forums and photography in general, I have to say that I've found the people on this board extremely helpful. My knowledge is growing every day and most of it is through either asking questions or looking at older posts here. As far as the copyright goes, I do put a copyright on my web site, not the images themselves though, which is as follows:

All images on this site are © Copyright Ben Moores 2005

If you would like to use any of the images on this site then please contact me first.


My contact details are on there and I don't really mind people using the images but I'd rather that they asked first so I knew where they were being used. I don't think this is pretentious, just me being interested in what's happening to my images on the internet. I'm well aware that I'm a very long way from being the world’s best photographer, we're talking different galaxies here!

As far as borders go I'll have to confess that I often can't look at a picture objectively enough to work out what works with them, most of my borders are hit-and-miss things which usually miss but it'll get better with time, hopefully...

I do hope that I take criticism well as I've always thought it to be the best way to learn, if anyone does catch me taking things the wrong way please PM me and let me know!
 
i hope i don't fit into the "pretentious" category... i haven't put my name/copyright on anything, but then i don't feel like i have a business to protect either... that may change in the future, but for now, i am happy just posting my 400 x 600 72dpi photos as plastic referred to above, there's not much damage that can be done with them...

as for the frames, i started doing this just because I like the way it looks, i mean you don't just hang a picture on your wall without a frame do you? i guess you could, but something about a frame makes a photo look finished to my eye... and 99% of the time my frames are black because i think it draws the eye into the photo better than the white background...
 
JTHphoto said:
as for the frames, i started doing this just because I like the way it looks, i mean you don't just hang a picture on your wall without a frame do you?
Hanging a picture on the wall is one thing. Posting it on a computer to look at on a monitor is something entirely different, surely ;)
 
Oh now I come down on both sides of the fence at the same time and that hurts... A lot of my posts came here directly from a stint as a poster with a title or saying all over them. And yes they were made to sell and I even sold a couple of them. That is one leg now the other one...

I don't much care if any one person likes what I post or shoot or not, I have been kicking around this to know some will some won't and for different reasons. That said if you have something to say about a picture of mine or something to show me about one, please feel free to do so...

My only stipulation is be able to defend what you say... I don't think any of us have a direct line to Ansel, or whoever your photo god is, so please take anything I say with about a half pound of salt and I will do the same. I hope im not pretensious, God knows I'm not new at anything at my age. I shot my first piece of film before most of you guys were born and thats it not a good thing in my opinion. I have a lot to learn and I know it. We each come at photography in different ways. I might not agree with what you have to say but I sure want to hear it.

Why heck I was thrilled when Hurtz put me on the right track with paper negatives. So please feel free to say whatever you want about anything I shoot. If I sound defensivel it's because like everyone else i'm married to my photographs lol. but also like my wife I'm sure they could use a facelift now and then.
 
people might not steal your 400x600 72dpi image and have it stuck on their wall, but some people will steal it and use it on a website. I've seen this done recently to a member on DeviantArt, and not for the first time.
 
Well I can only speak for my images... no one would want to..... if they had to use mine to pretend they were a photographer, it would really be sad... everyone would know right away that they have no taste. In my case it isn't the principle of anything lol.

Oh yeah I have posters I made thumb tacked all over my old studio walls... No frames at all.
 
Hertz van Rental said:
Pictures exist in their own right and don't need labeling.
How about explanations of pictures? Some pictures are more interesting if the story of the shot is given. There are times where a picture can stand in its own right, but becomes deeper with explanation.
 
For those who are upset by signed photos: time has a habit of taking care of problems.

Consider, for instance, the 'Newbee' who signs his/her initial pictures.

If the 'Newbee' progresses and becomes really competent at making a picture [composition, etc.], he/she will be haunted by those earlier signed efforts.

There is no need to make any comment on this issue at all.
 
Onyx said:
...I don't understand why some of the beggining photographers are so full of themselves and they don't take criticism well....one of the most obvious clues of this pretentiousness is smacking a copyright and tacky border on a picture.

I see the same clues, but my reaction is different these days. I think it's all part of a maturation process, both on their part and mine. When beginning, one may not be able to recognize any other difference in their own work and that of others except the presentation. So, in an attempt to enter into the next level, one may try to emulate what one respects.

When I was a kid, just starting to make photographs, I remember seeing a photographer discard a film box labeled "Kodak Professional Film." I decided I had to have some myself, and felt as if I was doing something a bit wrong when making the purchase. But I was very proud when someone saw THAT in MY case.

I guess my point is, it's all part of the process... the growing... the learning.

As for defending their below par work, proclaiming it's all a matter of taste... well, that can be a tough one to swallow. Again, I try to chalk it up to lack of professional maturity. Some of us NEVER move beyond it. I think the most helpful reaction is to question them about the choice they've made... try to get them to express their intent. It gets them thinking about if they had a clear goal, and if they had a good plan to achieve it. Or, they may realize their effort way little more than random opportunity. Either way, they grow a bit more, and so do I.

Pete
 
Christie Photo said:
I see the same clues, but my reaction is different these days. I think it's all part of a maturation process, both on their part and mine. When beginning, one may not be able to recognize any other difference in their own work and that of others except the presentation. So, in an attempt to enter into the next level, one may try to emulate what one respects.

Great point :thumbup:
 
darin3200 said:
How about explanations of pictures? Some pictures are more interesting if the story of the shot is given. There are times where a picture can stand in its own right, but becomes deeper with explanation.
Then the photograph becomes an illustration to the text and ceases to be a picture in it's own right. This is because we give language a higher priority. It's an established phenomenon and has been studied extensively.
Personally I believe that if a picture has to be explained then it isn't a successful picture.
Are we photographers or writers?
 
Hurtz just defined poster art... the poster isn't just he picture or the wording it is both. Now you may not think poster art is art, but it does need both. So if you look down on poster art as trash, you probably wont want to write on it. If you think of it as a high art form (giggling like school girl here) then you might want to do like i do. The shot info a the bottom isnt part of the poster I had to include it for a post somewhere else sorry,
starveposter.jpg
 
mysteryscribe said:
Hurtz just defined poster art... the poster isn't just he picture or the wording it is both. Now you may not think poster art is art, but it does need both. So if you look down on poster art as trash, you probably wont want to write on it. If you think of it as a high art form (giggling like school girl here) then you might want to do like i do. The shot info a the bottom isnt part of the poster I had to include it for a post somewhere else sorry,
starveposter.jpg
If you take the image away the text still works!
I rest my case ;)
 

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