What's the Point?

[Battou]

boredom

 

[sabbath999]

Spoken like someone with a gear list.

Oh, and your gallery is fantastically boring. Well done.

TC's insect macros are well done.

 

[Alpha]

Yeah, but he's from my home town and feel the need to give props. I don't have an issue with a being brutally honest critique, but a line should be drawn at disrespect.

You're right. Calling me immature doesn't qualify as disrespect. In fact, not only was TC's original post about as far away from disrespectful trolling as one could possibly get, but I believe it was a meaningful contribution to this discussion.

 

[Alpha]

LIghten up TC. Max is definitely grown up and whether you like his style or not, he has a lot more experience in photography than probably almost everyone here and the important part for beginners like yourself, is that he does share that expertise...sometimes in his own unique way.
His opinions also often have more than a grain of truth in them, whether you appreciate them or not.

skieur

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I appreciate that. Although Hertz and Matt have been around way longer than me, Terri knows much more about alt-processes, Digital Matt knows a fair bit more about lighting (though I'm catchin' up!), Mitica knows far more about older cameras, Helen generally knows much more about traditional film photography, Iron Flatline knows more about street photography, Elsaspet knows more about wedding photography, Charlie (who sadly is no longer with us) knew much more about custom building frankenstein cameras....the list goes on.

 

[IslandClimber]

I know this has gotten far away from the original question, and I apologize for further adding to this, but I have to know...

MaxBloom, I know I'm just a new guy with no photographic experience, but honestly, as you say, "who cares"? Why do you go out of the way to insult people about something as putting their gear in their signature? There is a line between "brutally honest critiques" and well, being something else entirely.

Wait, you're only 22? I mean, don't get me wrong I'm only 23. And I know age doesn't factor into it, so please spare me the list of young, amazing photographers. But the way you act suddenly makes so much more sense to me. And makes it so much more meaningless.

Go ahead, tear me apart. :hug:: I just want to be friends.

 

[Alpha]

I know this has gotten far away from the original question, and I apologize for further adding to this, but I have to know...

MaxBloom, I know I'm just a new guy with no photographic experience, but honestly, as you say, "who cares"? Why do you go out of the way to insult people about something as putting their gear in their signature? There is a line between "brutally honest critiques" and well, being something else entirely.

Wait, you're only 22? I mean, don't get me wrong I'm only 23. And I know age doesn't factor into it, so please spare me the list of young, amazing photographers. But the way you act suddenly makes so much more sense to me. And makes it so much more meaningless.

Go ahead, tear me apart. :hug:: I just want to be friends.

Aww you sweet thing.

Let me put it this way.

YOU HAVE A TRIPOD IN YOUR GEAR LIST.

bwahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahha

What I mean to say is this.

If you have some explanation for why a gear list in your signature is legitimately useful, then by all means, I really would like to hear it. But there is absolutely no way you could possibly justify the utility of including your tripod. And the simple fact that you feel the need to include it shows that your list is really about how big your cajones are compared to the next guy with a list.

 

[IslandClimber]

Holy sweet mother. You're right. Why the heck would I ever put my tripod in my gear list?!?! That's just silly. Oh silly me.:blushing:

Thank God for you Max. :hail:

Wait. You answer my question with another meaningless taunt? That was honestly (hey look, I know how to change my font too) the best comeback that I may have ever heard. Ever. And then the evil laugh. That sealed it. "He leans back, he throws... nothing but net!" You have proven your mastery once again. I would use the little man bowing down, but I've already put one of those in here, and personally, repetition bores me.

(And to keep this at least in the realm of a photography discussion)... I guess you wouldn't have any interest in knowing that I happened to run into Quinton Gordon the other day while I was taking some more crappy pictures at the beach. Mr. Gordon is an instructor at The Western Academy of Photography (of course, his work pales in comparison to yours), and we had a very interesting discussion about the merits/pitfalls of the new ball-head that I had on my tripod. And then discussed the weight and sturdiness of a tripod as a function of photography. He was talking about his recent tripod purchase, (a Gitzo?? I can't remember... I'm just a noob!), and how disgustingly heavy it was. It was super sturdy, but to the point of slowing him down when he went to set it up. So why did I add the tripod to my gear list? Because it's a part of my gear. What I use on a daily basis. And because Mr. Gordon had just asked me about it. But I'm getting confused. First you say that everyone with gear in their signature is an idiot, then you retract that and target especially the tripod. Tsk tsk Maxie, your argument is weak.

I'd like to make some ammends to the moderators (and anyone else for that matter) at this point, as this may have gotten out of hand. But one last thing. Go ahead Max. Attack me for my signature again. Please. It belies your open-mindedness, wisdom, and your undeniable finesse in the art of debate. And use and even BIGGER font. Because that hurts more. Better yet, attack my grammar. Or my spelling. My lack of the ability to write in arabic. Or get truly personal and start calling my family names. Hell, my girlfriend's name is Sonya. Give her your best shot. And, in regards to your pride, feel free to get the last word on this public forum. I will respond, only, in respect to everyone else, it will be in the form of a private message.

It truly has been fun Maxie. I love nothing more than a good (or bad) argument. But I must be getting to sleep. I will, I'm sure, dream about the witty response yet to come.

PS: In the interest of keeping everyone happy (except perhaps you), please note the change to my signature.

 

[craig]

Sometimes I think I post because our local pro lab went under right around the time I joined the forum. I loved that place. That is where all the photographers hung out. Everyone shot E6 so it was convenient to show off the days work. Also gossiped about clients and all sorts of fun photo stuff. I thought that forums would simulate that experience.

Mostly I have questions or doubts about my work which is why I try and get feedback. Rarely does that happen. None the less I think it is fun to know that x amount of people looked at my shots.

I have been here for 4 years or so. Generally a solid forum for sure. Have to say that once again the original post of the thread is lost in grade school banter. I have seen threads where the mod has stepped in and said fight nice. This should not happen at all. Let alone at the occurrence it has been. We are a tribe and tribes should not fight amongst themselves. Let us have fun and keep knowledge flowing.

At one point I had a totally wise ass remark to one of Max's replies. He sent me a PM and explained how I was playing the fool. That meant a lot to me and taught me about public dialogue. It is fine to get in arguments, but some things are not for the whole forum to read. We have to wise up and understand who we are talking to and what we are saying. If we start randomly spitting out words and thoughts we will be screwed.

Most Importantly we are not here to blow smoke. Take the criticism constructively. Do not assume that someone is going to give you constructive criticism. Photography is hard work. Concentrate on that and dumb ol' words will fall by the wayside.

Love & Bass

 

[abraxas]

It takes all kinds, it really does. And I'd be one of the first to admit that slugging someone in the chest real hard and running like a bat out of hell or slapping them on the back of the head is fun, ... Hm, what was my point?...

...

Oh yeah, I remember.

 

[terri]

Hello, all.

Since it's being repeatedly brought up here, I'd like to take advantage of this window of opportunity (and temporarily hijack this thread) to point out TPF guidelines regarding what's appropriate for signatures:

*We have implemented guidelines restricting signature sizes and format. These guidelines not only help the forum pages load more quickly, but also keep signatures from competing for attention with the images contained in each post. Here are the guidelines:

• Any images used in signatures will be a MAXIMUM size of 468x60 pixels.
• No animated or flamboyant signatures are allowed.
• No political statements or links are allowed.
• Lengthy lists of camera gear should be put in your user profile, not in your signature.

The above was copied from the TPF FAQ's. I hope everyone will take a moment to become more familiar with them, overall.

Now back to your regularly scheduled thread. /hijack

 

[Alpha]

(And to keep this at least in the realm of a photography discussion)... I guess you wouldn't have any interest in knowing that I happened to run into Quinton Gordon the other day while I was taking some more crappy pictures at the beach. Mr. Gordon is an instructor at The Western Academy of Photography (of course, his work pales in comparison to yours), and we had a very interesting discussion about the merits/pitfalls of the new ball-head that I had on my tripod. And then discussed the weight and sturdiness of a tripod as a function of photography. He was talking about his recent tripod purchase, (a Gitzo?? I can't remember... I'm just a noob!), and how disgustingly heavy it was. It was super sturdy, but to the point of slowing him down when he went to set it up. So why did I add the tripod to my gear list? Because it's a part of my gear. What I use on a daily basis. And because Mr. Gordon had just asked me about it. But I'm getting confused. First you say that everyone with gear in their signature is an idiot, then you retract that and target especially the tripod. Tsk tsk Maxie, your argument is weak.

You're trying very hard here. A pretty valiant effort, really. I give you credit for that. But you're grasping at straws, and if you would re-read what I originally wrote, and then that paragraph above, I think you'd see that (whether you'll admit it or not).

I never declaimed the discussion of gear and the other technical aspects of photography in general. I love them the much as the next guy. What I was criticizing, however, was the discussion (if you can even call it that) of one's gear strictly as it relates to their ego. That is, wearing your gear like a badge. I never said everyone with a gear list is an idiot. I also retracted nothing. I did specifically target your tripod, because I think it shows that at least you, in particular, don't have any legitimate intentions with the list-- that you're more concerned about the size of what's in your pants. You provided an opportunity, by including it in the list, for me to tangibly make my point. Were it not there, I'd still think your list was really about gear masturbation, but I'd have a harder time proving it. Technical discussions of the equipment that we use are indeed valuable. God knows we don't all read through the manuals page-by-page. Alternatively, others may teach us to use what gear we have in ways that we hadn't considered.

However.

I might actually concede to your point here were it the case that you were walking down the beach with your gear list printed on your shirt. The fact that you had a discussion with someone very knowledgeable about photography is great. It did not occur, however, because you were wearing your list like a billboard. Now I know what you're going to say. The fact that he saw you with your gear provided an opportunity to speak with him that you might not otherwise have had. That's very true. However, as opposed to the beach, in a photography forum you can already count on everyone around you being a photographer. As such, the same opportunities exist whether you've got the list or not.

And I appreciate the plug in your signature. If I may make a special request, though, I'd much rather be in your gear list than a replacement for it. Technical Specs: 6'2", brown hair, brown eyes, devastatingly handsome, renaissance man. In fact, why don't you also put my gear list into your gear list.

 

[sabbath999]

I might actually concede to your point here were it the case that you were walking down the beach with your gear list printed on your shirt.

This reminds me of somebody I saw taking pictures at the Kansas City Zoo. He was shooting a D2x, had a 300mm f/2.8 VR on his camera, on this HUGE tripod that looked like it came from a television station... I swan, the thing should have had castors on it to roll it around. He had the lens shade on the lens, and had a SB-800 on it, and it was pointing at a little 3 inch bird about 8 feet away. Additionally, he had his backpack open (it was the size of a small car) and everything was carefully visible to the eye, and inside there were two more D2x's, a 105mm VR macro and a 60mm macro, a 10.5mm fisheye, a 200mm f/2 VR (those things are really big), a 17-55mm f/2.8 and an 80-200mm f/2.8, plus a second SB-800, along with all the filters and other items you would expect to see... that pack must have weighed 100 pounds or so.

I am convinced he opened up his backpack when he saw I had a DSLR so I could see what was in it, because he opened it when I walked near, and closed it when I walked past, but got nothing out of it or put nothing in it.

How do I know what he had in it? Can I tell all of this from just a glance? No.

I can tell what he had in it because he had a list printed on a half-sheet of paper, to give out to folks who asked. Me, I was just gazing at the stuff trying to see what he had, and he said "these are some of my toys... I left the 500mm f/4 at home, it is too long to shoot what I am going for today".

The guy printed an equipment list to hand out to folks... Me? I was good. I didn't laugh in his face, stuck the list in my pocket and went on... reading this post reminded me that I had stuck that dumb thing in my bag, so I fished it out and shared it with you. He didn't list what the tripod was, so I can't help you, and I also didn't recognize the bag... I don't recall ever seeing another one that big before.

I did ask him if there was a place I could go online to see his pictures, and he kind of smiled at me with that "sheesh, you are such a bumpkin" look and told me that he was not interested in posting low resolution pictures on the internet... whatever that means.

I dunno, perhaps he is the second coming of Ansel Adams. Perhaps his prints of little zoo birds sell for thousands of dollars. Haven't a clue. I do know that the guy was a pretentious ass, carrying around an equipment

Me, I just take pictures of critters. Some turn out OK, and some don't. When they don't turn out, it is my fault, and not that of the equipment... hey, I like toys as much as the next guy, but the equipment really isn't all that important in photography (except when you are getting paid to shoot low light, no flash pictures such as weddings, where there are no do-overs).