Is photography dying? or AlReaDy Dead? Or born Again? answer.

[crzyfotopeeple]

Sorry to start a meaningless thread. I wanted to see if a nonsense question would get more responses than posting a picture for critique. It seems more often than not topics that are meaningless and have no true answer always bring out the most responses so people can argue. What's the best camera? Am I a professional photographer? Are my pictures good enough? It goes on and on.

photography
fəˈtäɡrəfē/
noun

1. the art or practice of taking and processing photographs.

How could photography be dead as long as pictures are being taken. My question was nonsense and somehow people still fall for it.

 

[astroNikon]

Sorry to start a meaningless thread. I wanted to see if a nonsense question would get more responses than posting a picture for critique. It seems more often than not topics that are meaningless and have no true answer always bring out the most responses so people can argue. What's the best camera? Am I a professional photographer? Are my pictures good enough? It goes on and on.

photography
fəˈtäɡrəfē/
noun

1. the art or practice of taking and processing photographs.

How could photography be dead as long as pictures are being taken. My question was nonsense and somehow people still fall for it.

we get nonsense questions all the time.
you failed to realize that before you posted.

 

[robbins.photo]

Sorry to start a meaningless thread. I wanted to see if a nonsense question would get more responses than posting a picture for critique.

Considering how some people react to critique, even when asked for, I don't blame folks a bit for not offering critique on everything posted. I can't speak for others but I generally don't offer C&C unless it is specifically asked for, and even then I only tend to offer C&C on photographs where I feel that I have something to contribute that hasn't already been contributed.

 

[crzyfotopeeple]

Sorry to start a meaningless thread. I wanted to see if a nonsense question would get more responses than posting a picture for critique.

Considering how some people react to critique, even when asked for, I don't blame folks a bit for not offering critique on everything posted. I can't speak for others but I generally don't offer C&C unless it is specifically asked for, and even then I only tend to offer C&C on photographs where I feel that I have something to contribute that hasn't already been contributed.

That makes sense. I guess I didn't think of it that way.

 

[table1349]

Sorry to start a meaningless thread. I wanted to see if a nonsense question would get more responses than posting a picture for critique. It seems more often than not topics that are meaningless and have no true answer always bring out the most responses so people can argue. What's the best camera? Am I a professional photographer? Are my pictures good enough? It goes on and on.

photography
fəˈtäɡrəfē/
noun

1. the art or practice of taking and processing photographs.

How could photography be dead as long as pictures are being taken. My question was nonsense and somehow people still fall for it.

Frankly you first post in this thread was as meaningless as most of the critiques sought. To many people post a photo and ask for a critique.

Critique WHAT???? Composition, subject matter, lighting, sharpness, DOF, post processing, if it would be better if the twig in the lefthand side of the frame is was pointing down a little lower, WHAT???

If you don't know what you are looking for how are others supposed to provide you with their opinions on how to improve what it is you were asking about?

 

[vintagesnaps]

Since I already wasted time reading the rest of this and had starting typing a response before I got thru page 3, guess I'll post itAstroNikon what's interesting is that early on photography was for 'everybody'. People just had to look thru the viewfinder and push the lever, take their camera in for development, and they'd get their pictures plus the camera all reloaded with film! lol

Then there were instamatics that you just popped in the cartridge and pushed a button to take a picture - take the cartridge out, no fooling with spools, and drop it off at a drive up kiosk. I don't think people realize how easy shooting film used to be!

But even though photography has been available to everyone, I think it's like a lot of things that can be a casual hobby or pastime for some, can be a job or profession for others. Photography's always had more in-depth options too for those who used to use plate cameras instead of box Brownies, or today do historic or alternative processes, etc.

 

[table1349]

Sharon, Early on Photography was for the very, very few.
In 1826 or 1827 when Nicéphore Niépce made the very first surviving photo, a landscape, photography was extremely limited in those that could take photos. Lack of knowledge, expensive equipment and the sheer amount of time limited who took photos. This photo took hours if not days to capture. Louis Daguerre's daguerreotype process was expensive and limited. The early equipment was expensive and untested. The introduction of glass plate and paper negatives again were taken with expensive equipment, being a time consuming, expensive process. It wasn't until 1888 when Kodak introduced the first box camera followed in 1889 by Eastman's introduction of their transparent celluloid roll film before photography began to be for the masses.

 

[TheLibrarian]

Looking for an answer or not, I say certainly not, looking at stuff now in the age of video and other technology many people use stills for business, advertising and art. Much art is 3D, large installments and weird stuff thrown together but people need someone to take pictures of that stuff. I'd hate to go to a gallery and see rows of pictures or paintings on the wall. I feel it would be boring. I was at a talk the other day and many of these designers and functional art types were giving their presentations in front of a slide show of pictures and they specifically asked for people with cameras to document the event.

Maybe everyone has a camera now (on them at all times in their pocket) but they kind of always did. It may raise the bar for those who want to be professional photographers but it takes much more to get amazing shots than a camera in hand.

 

[rlemert]

This thread reminds me of a similar topic that comes up regularly in running forums - "Has the marathon experience been cheapened because so many more people are running marathons now?" In either field, the "elites" will always be a cut above the rest of us, but most of us will never reach that level. Sure, there are more "also-rans" out there, but there are also more elites than there would be otherwise, because the pool of potential elites has increased.

 

[jaomul]

Sorry to start a meaningless thread. I wanted to see if a nonsense question would get more responses than posting a picture for critique. It seems more often than not topics that are meaningless and have no true answer always bring out the most responses so people can argue. What's the best camera? Am I a professional photographer? Are my pictures good enough? It goes on and on.

photography
fəˈtäɡrəfē/
noun

1. the art or practice of taking and processing photographs.

How could photography be dead as long as pictures are being taken. My question was nonsense and somehow people still fall for it.

Frankly you first post in this thread was as meaningless as most of the critiques sought. To many people post a photo and ask for a critique.

Critique WHAT???? Composition, subject matter, lighting, sharpness, DOF, post processing, if it would be better if the twig in the lefthand side of the frame is was pointing down a little lower, WHAT???

If you don't know what you are looking for how are others supposed to provide you with their opinions on how to improve what it is you were asking about?

I am curious to why you are so against critique on a photography forum. I am not being smart ass or criticizing you, just curious as I would think a photo forum (and those who get involved) would be mainly to learn

 

[crzyfotopeeple]

Sorry to start a meaningless thread. I wanted to see if a nonsense question would get more responses than posting a picture for critique. It seems more often than not topics that are meaningless and have no true answer always bring out the most responses so people can argue. What's the best camera? Am I a professional photographer? Are my pictures good enough? It goes on and on.

photography
fəˈtäɡrəfē/
noun

1. the art or practice of taking and processing photographs.

How could photography be dead as long as pictures are being taken. My question was nonsense and somehow people still fall for it.

Frankly you first post in this thread was as meaningless as most of the critiques sought. To many people post a photo and ask for a critique.

Critique WHAT???? Composition, subject matter, lighting, sharpness, DOF, post processing, if it would be better if the twig in the lefthand side of the frame is was pointing down a little lower, WHAT???

If you don't know what you are looking for how are others supposed to provide you with their opinions on how to improve what it is you were asking about?

I am curious to why you are so against critique on a photography forum. I am not being smart ass or criticizing you, just curious as I would think a photo forum (and those who get involved) would be mainly to learn

I'm actually for MORE critique.

 

[EIngerson]

Sharon, Early on Photography was for the very, very few.
In 1826 or 1827 when Nicéphore Niépce made the very first surviving photo, a landscape, photography was extremely limited in those that could take photos. Lack of knowledge, expensive equipment and the sheer amount of time limited who took photos. This photo took hours if not days to capture. Louis Daguerre's daguerreotype process was expensive and limited. The early equipment was expensive and untested. The introduction of glass plate and paper negatives again were taken with expensive equipment, being a time consuming, expensive process. It wasn't until 1888 when Kodak introduced the first box camera followed in 1889 by Eastman's introduction of their transparent celluloid roll film before photography began to be for the masses.

Have to agree. I honestly would not have gotten into photography if it didn't go digital. Not only was it a much bigger process, I would not have had the space to have a darkroom. Let alone the "affordable" ability to make so many mistakes.

DSLR and a laptop is all it takes me to have the same amount of fun. (for me)

 

[table1349]

Sorry to start a meaningless thread. I wanted to see if a nonsense question would get more responses than posting a picture for critique. It seems more often than not topics that are meaningless and have no true answer always bring out the most responses so people can argue. What's the best camera? Am I a professional photographer? Are my pictures good enough? It goes on and on.

photography
fəˈtäɡrəfē/
noun

1. the art or practice of taking and processing photographs.

How could photography be dead as long as pictures are being taken. My question was nonsense and somehow people still fall for it.

Frankly you first post in this thread was as meaningless as most of the critiques sought. To many people post a photo and ask for a critique.

Critique WHAT???? Composition, subject matter, lighting, sharpness, DOF, post processing, if it would be better if the twig in the lefthand side of the frame is was pointing down a little lower, WHAT???

If you don't know what you are looking for how are others supposed to provide you with their opinions on how to improve what it is you were asking about?

I am curious to why you are so against critique on a photography forum. I am not being smart ass or criticizing you, just curious as I would think a photo forum (and those who get involved) would be mainly to learn

I am not against critiquing photos. I am against asking uninformed questions.

Sorry to start a meaningless thread. I wanted to see if a nonsense question would get more responses than posting a picture for critique. It seems more often than not topics that are meaningless and have no true answer always bring out the most responses so people can argue. What's the best camera? Am I a professional photographer? Are my pictures good enough? It goes on and on.

photography
fəˈtäɡrəfē/
noun

1. the art or practice of taking and processing photographs.

How could photography be dead as long as pictures are being taken. My question was nonsense and somehow people still fall for it.

Frankly you first post in this thread was as meaningless as most of the critiques sought. To many people post a photo and ask for a critique.

Critique WHAT???? Composition, subject matter, lighting, sharpness, DOF, post processing, if it would be better if the twig in the lefthand side of the frame is was pointing down a little lower, WHAT???

If you don't know what you are looking for how are others supposed to provide you with their opinions on how to improve what it is you were asking about?

I am curious to why you are so against critique on a photography forum. I am not being smart ass or criticizing you, just curious as I would think a photo forum (and those who get involved) would be mainly to learn

I am not against critiques. I am against unless critiques based on the simplistic idea of "what do you think" or "how can I improve this with no other information given. If a person wants their work critiqued then they should supply a basis for the critique. Give us and idea of what they were trying to achieve with the shot, what they like and don't like about the shot(s) or what they are wanting us to provide feedback on. Otherwise the "critique" is nothing more than an opinion based on that persons likes, dislikes and prejudices. We have a member here who doesn't particularly care for sharp photos. Knowing that I would not critique the sharpness of the photo as I generally prefer my main subject in focus.

To me it is no different than any of the other art forms. If I owned a Picasso or Delhi I probably wouldn't display them. Why? I don't care for most of Picasso's or Delhi's work. Give me a Renior, Money or Van Gogh and it will be in a prominent location in my house. That's my taste. To me a critique is not about my taste but about helping the poster achieve their taste. Otherwise all of you are shooting wrong if you don't shoot everything the way I would. And that would be pretty damn boring.

 

[snowbear]

Please Answer. Thank you all.. your beautiful and true and free.

 

[Benjgf]

I definitely think that the digital age has brought on a lot more people who want to/think they can be pros. Back when film was the only way, being a photographer was a much less attainable status, and a little more prestigious. But now that it is more accessible to everyone, there are also a lot more opportunities for us to see great work that may not have existed 20 years ago. There is also a lot of crappy work out there, and it increases every day.