Finding Photography Silly

[jcdeboever]

When we lived in Melbourne Australia where I was born, my father taught me photography and I loved it. Then we moved to the UK I totally gave up on it but we kept all the old Kodak Kodachrome slides from when we both took photos. Years later I picked it back up and have loved it ever since, at the moment I have some of the old slides here as my mum has asked if I can get them to digital. So in time I will be taking a photo of each slide then get them on a USB stick so mum can look through them.

Our local camera store just got a huge order for slides to be converted. There were 4 or 5 stacks, 4ft high of slides in those boxes that hold the projector real. I seem to recall him mentioning 6000+ slides @14¢ a piece. He has a automatic slide projector setup with a mounted D800 and 85mm macro attached to it. It does it all automatically. Pretty impressive setup.

 

[smoke665]

He has a automatic slide projector setup with a mounted D800 and 85mm macro attached to it. It does it all automatically. Pretty impressive setup.

I've seen a few DYI setups like this Quickly digitize the Dark Age with this DIY Automatic Film Slide Scanner - DIY Photography I think I still have a projector somewhere in storage.

 

[jcdeboever]

He has a automatic slide projector setup with a mounted D800 and 85mm macro attached to it. It does it all automatically. Pretty impressive setup.

I've seen a few DYI setups like this Quickly digitize the Dark Age with this DIY Automatic Film Slide Scanner - DIY Photography I think I still have a projector somewhere in storage.

Similar but this one is probably commercial. It looks like an enclosed slide projector real but looks like it works similarly.

 

[smoke665]

Similar but this one is probably commercial. It looks like an enclosed slide projector real but looks like it works similarly.

I still have a K30 that the auto focus crapped out on, but everything else works great and old Promaster 28-70 Macro, that I'm working on a cheap manual setup

 

[AlanKlein]

I just completed scanning another set of old Ektachrome slides. I created a slide show on digital video (DVD) with music, titles, credits, etc. and gave it to my daughter for keepsaking. She can play it on her HDTV or computer, save it there, etc. There would be no way anyone could see it in the future if I just kept the slides. Even my projector broke and the kids aren't going to go out an buy an old one. Here's a video I put together of slides from a scuba trip I did 30 years ago. The color correction made the digitals photos look better than the original slides.

 

[AlanKlein]

PS: there's music on it so you have to turn up the volume.

 

[zulu42]

I thoroughly enjoyed that, Alan.

 

[Derrel]

Nice video-formatted slide show, Alan. It looks like the scuba trip was awesome.

 

[Derrel]

I am finding photography silly as I get older. I was really into it in college. Lugging around a DSLR to take a picture of nature, landmarks, or artistic urban areas that everyone has already taken millions of better pictures than me is somewhat discouraging. Although certainly some remote areas you might get a unique photo. I just don't find the effort worth it most of the time. I guess the only thing I enjoy now is to take pictures with friends and family on vacations to remember it years later, but I rarely look at old photos.

Times change. People change. Preferences and hobbies change. The idea that it takes "unique photos" to make the photographic process worthwhile was invalidated probably by 1950...most peoples' photos are like the photos of millions and millions of other photographers, at least in a generic sense. Makes sense to only shoot the kinds of photos you yourself want to make.

 

[AlanKlein]

Thanks Zulu and Derrel. I've really gotten into making video slide shows, using 4K digital video and still cameras. I now include short video clips in between the stills to keep the show flowing and more interesting. My new camera shoots 4K digital video, so all the still shots and videos are published to create a 4K video to show on my 4K UHDTV. It really looks great that way. Adding narration and music, titles and credits, all add to the creativity and interest.

Personal shots cannot be duplicated by others. It's about you and your family. Putting them in some sort of a show also allows my own creativity to be added. No one can really copy it. It's not like my Yosemite shots from the parking lot than has been taken by a billion other photographers. I still shoot landscapes with a 6x7 film camera when I'm in a mood to be alone, contemplative and slow. But when I'm on a vacation trip with my wife, I stick to P&S digital using a 4K video and 20mb photos. Light, quick, unobtrusive, yet of high quality and everything you need to create great video slide shows for 4K TV's.

 

[webestang64]

When we lived in Melbourne Australia where I was born, my father taught me photography and I loved it. Then we moved to the UK I totally gave up on it but we kept all the old Kodak Kodachrome slides from when we both took photos. Years later I picked it back up and have loved it ever since, at the moment I have some of the old slides here as my mum has asked if I can get them to digital. So in time I will be taking a photo of each slide then get them on a USB stick so mum can look through them.

Our local camera store just got a huge order for slides to be converted. There were 4 or 5 stacks, 4ft high of slides in those boxes that hold the projector real. I seem to recall him mentioning 6000+ slides @14¢ a piece. He has a automatic slide projector setup with a mounted D800 and 85mm macro attached to it. It does it all automatically. Pretty impressive setup.

This is the one we use at work. SlideSnapPro.com | Automatically scan batches of slides using a DSLR

 

[Fujidave]

When we lived in Melbourne Australia where I was born, my father taught me photography and I loved it. Then we moved to the UK I totally gave up on it but we kept all the old Kodak Kodachrome slides from when we both took photos. Years later I picked it back up and have loved it ever since, at the moment I have some of the old slides here as my mum has asked if I can get them to digital. So in time I will be taking a photo of each slide then get them on a USB stick so mum can look through them.

Our local camera store just got a huge order for slides to be converted. There were 4 or 5 stacks, 4ft high of slides in those boxes that hold the projector real. I seem to recall him mentioning 6000+ slides @14¢ a piece. He has a automatic slide projector setup with a mounted D800 and 85mm macro attached to it. It does it all automatically. Pretty impressive setup.

This is the one we use at work. SlideSnapPro.com | Automatically scan batches of slides using a DSLR

I have given myself a challenge to set up my camera to take a photo of the slides, yes it will take a while as some slides need a bit of a clean but I am looking forward to it.

 

[espresso2x]

Times change. People change. Preferences and hobbies change. The idea that it takes "unique photos" to make the photographic process worthwhile was invalidated probably by 1950...most peoples' photos are like the photos of millions and millions of other photographers, at least in a generic sense. Makes sense to only shoot the kinds of photos you yourself want to make.

Well put!

 

[otherprof]

I am finding photography silly as I get older. I was really into it in college. Lugging around a DSLR to take a picture of nature, landmarks, or artistic urban areas that everyone has already taken millions of better pictures than me is somewhat discouraging. Although certainly some remote areas you might get a unique photo. I just don't find the effort worth it most of the time. I guess the only thing I enjoy now is to take pictures with friends and family on vacations to remember it years later, but I rarely look at old photos.

Tastes change, and tastes don't need to be justified. It would be silly to continue doing it if you got no pleasure or benefit from it and didn't have to do it. Like sports or sex . . .

 

[zombiesniper]

Lugging around a DSLR to take a picture of nature, landmarks, or artistic urban areas that everyone has already taken millions of better pictures than me is somewhat discouraging

This is the thought that will stop anything from being done.

Why do you even get out of bed in the morning with this kind of thinking. You're never going to be the best at anything right away.

What you can do, is learn to do it well enough to please yourself. If that means you have shoot worlds best image.....then I agree put it down and walk away. It's subjective just like any art form. There really can be no BEST picture. One what an individual thinks is best.

So find what you like and do it to your satisfaction. Become one of the best photographers ever, if that's your goal. There's no reason you can't. Anyone here can if they really want to.

The real takeaway here is the defeatist statements like why bother will always destroy any hope of satisfaction in anything. Push those thoughts out as quick as they arise. Know that you can in fact shoot a better image. All you have to do is learn and try.