More gear or less: The Photographer's Paradox

[Designer]

it was pretty easy for me to understand.

Understandable, yes, but difficult to explain. Perhaps not very well thought out.

 

[Derrel]

Tell a story or personal anecdote

 

[Derrel]

Many things are difficult to summarize, condense, or to describe in few words. It was ONE simple story, about One attitude. Maybe if the writer had been less work-avoidant, he could have summarized the video. But that was not the goal...is it too much to ask people to draw their own conclusions from a 7:02 video? Should the video have come with a point-by-point outline at the start?

I am frankly, surprised by the overall negative, dismissive, flippant responses here. Wow. Sooooo many people failed to get much out of this.: the negative reaction reinforces so many stereotypes about forum hive-mind characterizations.

 

[Designer]

...is it too much to ask people to draw their own conclusions from a 7:02 video?

I did watch the video and did, indeed, draw my own conclusions. I just think he could have accomplished the same goal with fewer side issues.

 

[Derrel]

it was pretty easy for me to understand.

Understandable, yes, but difficult to explain. Perhaps not very well thought out.

...is it too much to ask people to draw their own conclusions from a 7:02 video?

I did watch the video and did, indeed, draw my own conclusions. I just think he could have accomplished the same goal with fewer side issues.

I just re-watched the video, for the fourth time....I am astounded that you felt there were too many "side issues" in one, 7:02 video; what I mean is that I am astounded that you could not see the clear,simple narrative that was so blatantly obvious to me. I am really shocked that _anybody_ would have difficulty following along with this video, in any way.Was it a slick, Hollywood movie, or a Super Bowl commercial? No, neither. But it is a seven minute video...that's not that long a video to be confused by a simple anecdote about overloading on gear and effort to achieve the same level of engagement and direct, un-retouched uploading achieved with a bar minimum of equipment. It seems so,so simple to me..pay ATTENTION to your audience not to other "photographers",and pay ATTENTION to what is truly important. I loved his example of ,"Zooming in...and retouching every zit and flyaway on a person's body"as a good example of obsessing over detail the the viewers of photography are NOT worried about.

 

[waday]

@Derrel , thanks for posting this. I just watched it, and I did get something positive out of it. I myself have been trying to cut back and simplify my life, including my hobbies. And, I like what his friend recommended: just take the essentials and don’t edit.

I also really liked the point he got to around the 5 minute mark (the main point of the video), which was: know your audience. The people on Instagram won’t care whether he used additional lighting or not, whether he used a reflector or not… or what lens he used. And, he noticed that in his account. It didn’t matter if there were people in the background or if the composition was off, people liked the photos because they weren't photographers.

I think that’s a lesson that every photographer, and really anyone making money in ANY business, should learn and be aware of: Know your audience.

 

[Derrel]

@Derrel , thanks for posting this. I just watched it, and I did get something positive out of it. I myself have been trying to cut back and simplify my life, including my hobbies. And, I like what his friend recommended: just take the essentials and don’t edit.

I also really liked the point he got to around the 5 minute mark (the main point of the video), which was: know your audience. The people on Instagram won’t care whether he used additional lighting or not, whether he used a reflector or not… or what lens he used. And, he noticed that in his account. It didn’t matter if there were people in the background or if the composition was off, people liked the photos because they weren't photographers.

I think that’s a lesson that every photographer, and really anyone making money in ANY business, should learn and be aware of: Know your audience.

Good to hear feedback that's positive, and from a person that was able to extract something from the video/blog.

 

[cgw]

Same old herd of independent minds, Derrel. The critics just don't get this video because a) they're maybe not really doing much photographically aside from spewing in forums or, b) they're too embarrassed to fess up to being suckered into amassing gear tonnage whose contribution to "quality" fell way short of expectations. Fuji mirrorless and quirky cameras like the Ricoh GR II are just plain fun. Results? No complaints. Aesthetics change and anyone who doesn't get that isn't paying--or getting--much attention.

 

[Derrel]

Same old herd of independent minds, Derrel. The critics just don't get this video because a) they're maybe not really doing much photographically aside from spewing in forums or, b) they're too embarrassed to fess up to being suckered into amassing gear tonnage whose contribution to "quality" fell way short of expectations. Fuji mirrorless and quirky cameras like the Ricoh GR II are just plain fun. Results? No complaints. Aesthetics change and anyone who doesn't get that isn't paying--or getting--much attention.

A scathing indictment...

no comment , except to say that the comments about social media (and its users) in some replies above indicate an indifference/loathing/lack of respect/lack of awareness of what social media ( IG, FB, TWITTER to name the Big 3, there are others) "is" within the decade of the 20-teens...as if social media occupies the SAME stature it did it 2007 or 2008...

It is as if a lesson proved out on IG with 4,000 people has zero applicability to any aspect of business, and IG is merely a vehicle for cute cat pictures. We get it..social media fills many roles..cute cat pics? Not so much any more. Social media has become a powerful force in both culture and in business..it is a DIRECT connection, in most cases,a FREE (monetarily speaking), direct method of engagement with potential customers...

Sorry to sound so "ranty" but your reply came as I was working on my "yellow pages advertisement" for my photo business. LOL

 

[Tim Tucker 2]

I fully understand the point, and would like to offer a slightly different slant...

The trouble with gear is that it produces a *skew* in your thinking. You get to the stage that you believe that you need *this gear* to produce *that shot*. The skew is that in linking *the gear* with *the shot* you begin to concentrate on the difference the gear makes, you begin to learn to see and judge a shot by the performance of the gear. You photography begins to represent your understanding of equipment.

The point that the vid makes is that the public do not judge or categorise images in that way. They measure them purely against their experience and understanding of being human rather than the photographers understanding of the *correct* implementation of equipment.

In other words all you need to do is understand that you are human and that all you need is *your imagination* to produce *that response* in your audience. See the image from their understanding of life, rather than your's of a camera.

This is why I got so fed up with Dgearview, all they ever discuss is their understanding of gear to the point that all photographic knowledge is contained within it...

This comes with the bias of somebody who still regularly uses a 60 year old camera with a 100+ year old lens.

 

[Derrel]

Tim..I thought of YOU and the F,and the 105/24/35 lens set for 15+ years....and your mindset, as described in a post some months back...

 

[Derrel]

My experience has been that carrying excessive gear leads to less freedom, and worse photos that when carrying LESS gear. Most of the time, in most "normal" situations. The video linked to in my OP talks about end-user engagement between pictures that have had the ***+ edited out of every frame, and end-user engagement with un-edited SOOC photos.

 

[Soocom1]

When my Minolta was stolen, they took several additional lenses along with a 300 G lens, and a Heartblie 80mm Super Rotator that i used almost exclusively on architecture and building sites.

When I got the Canon, I sought out several dedicated Canon lenses and then re-discovered the use of my Russian Kiev 88 glass.

Now I bring this up because I would regularly carry all of this gear with me everywhere I would go. On train trips, aircraft, or driving, even on the back of the Harley, its clumsy and non-sensical.
Unless your going to go to the field, set up a base station and go hunt for photos.

I have a general 28-135, a 70-200 USM, 19-35 wide angle and now a 35-350 that I almost use exclusively because of the glass size and superior optics.

Too much gear and trying to switch out during something like (as of this time the burning of Notre Dame) where switching lenses becomes difficult and sloppy.

Carrying a singular setup low in parts and accessories is best, and moreover, unless your directly trained, like a wine snob, you will not see or even care what the photographer used when shooting. They are looking at the end result.

 

[Overread]

I never said social media wasn't important nor that it doesn't have a huge effect now. I said that you can become popular on there posting photos of your cat without any specialist gear or photographic knowledge
Cats of Instagram (@cats_of_instagram) • Instagram photos and videos

10 million followers suggests that - yes you can do this (and that was just the first one google threw up).

My point was that the video is talking about knowing your subject and using less gear, but at the same time is advertising this advise by showing a platform where gear and indeed skill are not important. Emotional subject matter, unique scenes even a sports following etc... were all far more important than anything photographic. In my view yes its an important lesson and a great one if you're aiming for that market; but at the same time I wish the video maker had taken more time to move off that one example and show others. Others where photographic skill might well be more important in the process.

The actual message overall is, as I said earlier, generally good. It's the presentation and context of the video that I took issue with (that and the shirt!! )

 

[cgw]

When my Minolta was stolen, they took several additional lenses along with a 300 G lens, and a Heartblie 80mm Super Rotator that i used almost exclusively on architecture and building sites.

When I got the Canon, I sought out several dedicated Canon lenses and then re-discovered the use of my Russian Kiev 88 glass.

Now I bring this up because I would regularly carry all of this gear with me everywhere I would go. On train trips, aircraft, or driving, even on the back of the Harley, its clumsy and non-sensical.
Unless your going to go to the field, set up a base station and go hunt for photos.

I have a general 28-135, a 70-200 USM, 19-35 wide angle and now a 35-350 that I almost use exclusively because of the glass size and superior optics.

Too much gear and trying to switch out during something like (as of this time the burning of Notre Dame) where switching lenses becomes difficult and sloppy.

Carrying a singular setup low in parts and accessories is best, and moreover, unless your directly trained, like a wine snob, you will not see or even care what the photographer used when shooting. They are looking at the end result.

I never said social media wasn't important nor that it doesn't have a huge effect now. I said that you can become popular on there posting photos of your cat without any specialist gear or photographic knowledge
Cats of Instagram (@cats_of_instagram) • Instagram photos and videos

10 million followers suggests that - yes you can do this (and that was just the first one google threw up).

My point was that the video is talking about knowing your subject and using less gear, but at the same time is advertising this advise by showing a platform where gear and indeed skill are not important. Emotional subject matter, unique scenes even a sports following etc... were all far more important than anything photographic. In my view yes its an important lesson and a great one if you're aiming for that market; but at the same time I wish the video maker had taken more time to move off that one example and show others. Others where photographic skill might well be more important in the process.

The actual message overall is, as I said earlier, generally good. It's the presentation and context of the video that I took issue with (that and the shirt!! )

Problem I'm having with this is the loaded term "photographic skill." How it's defined(narrowly?) and by whom(you alone?) seem pretty fixed. No interest in the shirt.