I've been here a while and still don't get it.

[JBPhotog]

I am not a psychologist or even play one on tv, but life has taught me that humans are pack animals. Our entire society is based on acceptance and conformity, it gives us a sense of belonging and being understood by our fellow humans.

Unfortunately, the genre of photography and the gear a person uses is so varied it is nearly impossible to find consensus or conformity. As a result our desire to proclaim our opinion on gear, posing, lighting etc. is disguised as looking for acceptance not only from ourselves but from those who we believe have knowledge and wish to be associated with. At times greater experience can lead to better choices, this too is intertwined in much of the commentary.

I don’t always succeed but trying to type as I would speak face to face to a person is a good practise when it comes to sharing opinions on the interweb.

 

[terri]

I completely agree - to each his own. Who gives a crap?

If everyone shot the same subject, using the same format, it would be a pretty boring old world.

 

[Strodav]

I am not a psychologist or even play one on tv, but life has taught me that humans are pack animals. Our entire society is based on acceptance and conformity, it gives us a sense of belonging and being understood by our fellow humans.

Unfortunately, the genre of photography and the gear a person uses is so varied it is nearly impossible to find consensus or conformity. As a result our desire to proclaim our opinion on gear, posing, lighting etc. is disguised as looking for acceptance not only from ourselves but from those who we believe have knowledge and wish to be associated with. At times greater experience can lead to better choices, this too is intertwined in much of the commentary.

I don’t always succeed but trying to type as I would speak face to face to a person is a good practise when it comes to sharing opinions on the interweb.

Lord of the flies scenerio?

 

[mrca]

I agree to each his own, but when someone proclaims their gear is the only gear, like the op said, I first wonder if it was intended to trigger an argument. I don't care who is a "real photographer" or what they shoot, but I don't need to see another photo of someones camera, lens or box, especially if I have one and have seen 50 other such photos. We have seen all the cliches, like blurred water, hdr/oversaturation, tilting come and go and some come back again. Many of us who have spend decades learning the craft get a tad irritated by folks that don't know what they don't know lecturing to us with erroneous information. I have learned not to waste my time, hey, I hope they are my competitors! How does that wrestling with a pig adage go? You get muddy and the pig enjoys it.

 

[gmcase]

As long as there are fenceposts there will be arguments.

 

[Soocom1]

Im right your wrong, deal with it!

 

[cgw]

So much dust raised by those stampeding herds of independent minds...<cough> <choke>

 

[smoke665]

In the words of Mark Twain

"Oh, dear, we are all like that. Each of us knows it all, and knows he knows it all--the rest, to a man, are fools and deluded. One man knows there is a hell, the next one knows there isn't; one man knows high tariff is right, the next man knows it isn't; one man knows monarchy is best, the next one knows it isn't; one age knows there are witches, the next one knows there aren't; one sect knows its religion is the only true one, there are sixty-four thousand five hundred million sects that know it isn't so. There is not a mind present among this multitude of verdict-deliverers that is the superior of the minds that persuade and represent the rest of the divisions of the multitude. Yet this sarcastic fact does not humble the arrogance nor diminish the know-it-all bulk of a single verdict-maker of the lot, by so much as a shade. Mind is plainly an ass, but it will be many ages before it finds it out, no doubt. Why do we respect the opinions of any man or any microbe that ever lived? I swear don't know. Why do I respect my own? Well--that is different."
- "Three Thousand Years among the Microbes"

 

[SquarePeg]

Like he’s read Mark Twain.

 

[smoke665]

Like he’s read Mark Twain.

Really??? Is there some reason for the snarky comment, as if you know anything about me or my background? Another quote attributed to Twain which I have a fondness for - "Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please".

 

[SquarePeg]

Sorry, was meant to be funny/sarcastic humor but I can see how it came across as snarky. You want me to delete it I will.

 

[smoke665]

Sorry, was meant to be funny/sarcastic humor but I can see how it came across as snarky. You want me to delete it I will.

I think you cleared it up sufficiently, I appreciate the followup, no hard feelings on my part.

 

[zombiesniper]

Little Jonny or Suzie should be happy with what they have and learn to use it to the best of their ability.

It's a lame argument that the feeling of inadequacy is a valid excuse for trolling a forum. If someone is that insecure, they should definitely stay off of the internet and away from me. I'm no where near as nice in person.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

I have mentioned before that above a certain quality/cost level, the differences are often nuances. The simple feel or operational features, will cause one person to call it an overprice piece of junk while another signs the praises of the same model.

 

[flyingPhoto]

Most of it seems to be an attempt to make themselves feel better about purchasing a 6$k camera body or lens when they would have been served just as well by something costing under a 1$k.

At same time it also serves on many internet user groups as a means of controlling and denying access to the user group boards by people who dont have that equipment.
IE if only the "self proclaimed professionals are using x piece of gear" then anyone who DOESNT have that piece of kit is considered an amateur or pervert with a camera and is easily kept on the sidelines when they disagree with the "important people on the user group forum boards"