Photographers in small cities are asinine

[rexbobcat]

So I'm having another debate with the same guy on Facebook who believes that you should get a model release for every single photo of a person you take. Every. One.

And now it's over this photo:

Take a Bad Photo, Win a Trip to Thailand.

That photo won the international contest by Adobe and the winner gets to photograph Thailand with Steve McCurry, personally.

I said: "The social and cultural commentary in my opinion does not make up for the lack of technical and aesthetically appealing qualities."

To which he replied: "So David show us one of your pictures that meets your requirements."

In my honest opinion...that is one of the douchiest responses you could give. "Oh you think this *insert artistic work or basically any creation here* isn't very good? Well let's see you do better."

He then goes on to say "Gotcha guess some have more expertise in critiquing images than the experts do."

I've heard of sheeple when it comes to politics, but I never thought that it happened in photography too.

So am I too far off base with my assessment of this image? Am I not justified enough to make the claims that I do. I think he thinks I'm some punkass, pretentious kid, which I am, but the immaturity on his part is just...yeah...

 

[2WheelPhoto]

+1 but....

Leaning buildings, kid her picking her nose, composition, what don't you like about it!?

 

[Majeed Badizadegan]

I guess I'm asinine. Wait, what's considered a "small" city

 

[rexbobcat]

Everything. I get the whole cultural juxtaposition blah blah. But...the photo isn't even nice to look at on a purely visual level.

Why do people take opinions that aren't even directed at them personally. It's like he was offended because I gave my opinion of an image that he has NO connection to. Or maybe it's how I said it. I guess I should have just said "This picture isn't very nice. " so as to not insult him with my horrible pretentious "big" words.

Good lord.

And this is someone I was considering networking with. I don't think I can now that I know he can't form opinions if they aren't supported by the "experts."

 

[panblue]

[h=2]Photographers in small cities are asinine[/h]

yea..you ever met the ones from small-to-medium sized hamlets? ...loquacious!

 

[panblue]

I've heard of sheeple when it comes to politics, but I never thought that it happened in photography too.

(In a Lloyd Bridges/Steve McCroskey-style-voice): "careful!.. I think he's using a rhetorical device! some kind of parallel structure!!"

 

[rexbobcat]

Photographers in small cities are asinine

yea..you ever met the ones from small-to-medium sized hamlets? ...loquacious!

Quite quite.

 

[KmH]

From a commercial perspective one absolutely should get a model release from anyone remotely recognizable in any photographs.

Of course her in the US model/property release law varies by state, and you can be sure it also varies in other countries.

Articles - iStockphoto Photography Standards: Model Releases | iStock

 

[bhop]

I like the photo.. to each his own I guess..

 

[panblue]

So I'm having another debate with the same guy on Facebook who believes that you should get a model release for every single photo of a person you take. Every. One.

And now it's over this photo:

Take a Bad Photo, Win a Trip to Thailand.

That photo won the international contest by Adobe and the winner gets to photograph Thailand with Steve McCurry, personally.

I said: "The social and cultural commentary in my opinion does not make up for the lack of technical and aesthetically appealing qualities."

To which he replied: "So David show us one of your pictures that meets your requirements."

I'm viewing the link; reading through and formulating a reply. I could be wrong obviously but I sense that the competition is primarily aimed at folks who will offering-up these kind of images. It's a promotional drive organized by Adobe. Perhaps the calculation is that the potential business 'draw' from this competition for 'aspiring snapshooters' is much bigger than skilled amateurs...who, if they want to go and shoot Thailand, should just go shoot Thailiand. So they choose a picture which is technically poor (and not in cool, trendy way ) but has some emotional payload, or whatever. "oh! a big building; symbol of culture/money/technology" "oh, daddy is supporting me like a caring daddy!" "oh, mummy is taking my picture with a entry-level camera for non-techy people!" "oh! i will make a peace-sign like those hippy people from before i was born but i saw it on tv so yay!" (Convert to monchrome - as a sentimental reference to film and sightseeing holidaying from years ago).

Perfect photo for selling consumer software for lifestyle.

 

[Derrel]

"No one ever went broke by underestimating the taste of the American public."

Ever heard that quote before??? Leave it to Adobe to strive to hit the lowest common denominator in a photo contest rights grab.

 

[unpopular]

I entered that contest with this image I posted here some time ago:

I wasn't expecting to win, but I was expecting at least a more traditionally acceptable image would, if not a significantly better one.

wtf...

 

[rexbobcat]

From a commercial perspective one absolutely should get a model release from anyone remotely recognizable in any photographs.

Of course her in the US model/property release law varies by state, and you can be sure it also varies in other countries.

Articles - iStockphoto Photography Standards: Model Releases | iStock

He wasn't just talking about commercial use. He was also referring to journalism as well. ANY instance where the photo has the potential of being distributed.

 

[rexbobcat]

I like the photo.. to each his own I guess..

It's not a bad image. But when thinking about it comparatively in an international competition put on by one of the biggest media software companies in the world (or at least the Western world), I just have a hard time believing that it deserves the grand prize spot...unless the other photos are just....terrible...