reason for photography

[Overread]

Is simple photography a dead thing for people?

Sometimes you've got to look at others and let them do as they wish with their hobby whilst you go your own way. You can't "control" the rest of the photographers in the world; you can't force them to appreciate and enjoy and engage with the hobby in the same way you do. You can encourage, teach, and share your way; but you can't force others to go your way.

Indeed trying to do so often leads people down a depressing path feeling like the sky is falling; that "standards" are failing; that no one is "doing it right" etc... I tend to see people burn out of a hobby that way. Those that make it through tend to be those who realise that in the end it doesn't matter, they've just got to do their thing and enjoy it.


The fantastic thing about photography is that its a very solo affair in terms of what you can produce. Even if you're working with a team its toward your vision. You can very easily do your own thing and the rest of the world can go their way and it won't harm you in any way. It's not like a team game where you've got to get everyone on the same page and the same team and such to get a game. Photography you can even go out with a whole group of people to the same place and you can all create your own unique visions there.



So I'd say don't worry if its dead for others, just worry about YOU.

 

[TWX]

Sometimes you've got to look at others and let them do as they wish with their hobby whilst you go your own way...

If everybody did the exact same thing, photography in particular and art generally would be incredibly boring. Like little boxes made of ticky-tacky level of boring.

 

[SquarePeg]

ANOTHER of these threads? Is it the full moon? The new year? The Santa Ana winds? This topic has been done to death around here lately.

 

[Overread]

ANOTHER of these threads? Is it the full moon? The new year? The Santa Ana winds? This topic has been done to death around here lately.

Well there WAS a full or nearly totally full moon the other day!
I even took a photo of it too.... wait does that make it worse?

 

[TWX]

I even took a photo of it too.... wait does that make it worse?

No, you didn't make the Moon worse by taking a picture of it.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

Why would anyone care about the photographic motivation of others?

The art and photography world evolve over time. You can board and exit the photo train whenever you want.

 

[Designer]

When you go around the interweb looking at people who do phototography, it gets really depressing.

In order to be "different" from everyone, they follow the instagram hash code of the week for photos, and follow every single internet meme for direction.

Somewhat like everyone arrested for public nudity claims "I streaked to protest starving children in Bolivia".

So are we stuck trying to outdo each other in terms of subject matter in some bizarre attempt to become "interesting"?


Is simple photography a dead thing for people?

I'm not sure what you're getting at. I think everyone has his own reasons for being interested in photography, so it would be impossible to categorize everyone's motives.

Do I understand your post?

 

[Sharpshooterr]

ANOTHER of these threads? Is it the full moon? The new year? The Santa Ana winds? This topic has been done to death around here lately.

Jeez Peg, now that’s a fine and helpful “how do you do”!
It says you’re a Staff Member and a Supporting Member. Well you’re not supporting Bedington very much. Bed joined TWO DAYS ago and already has a post!!! Instead of welcoming him and giving him a pat on the back for a good start, you’re informing him his post redundant and wasn’t needed.
He has no idea what has and hasn’t been posted before. What post by ANYBODY has not come up in the last 15 years???
You should be embarrassed!!!
SS

 

[TWX]

ANOTHER of these threads? Is it the full moon? The new year? The Santa Ana winds? This topic has been done to death around here lately.

Jeez Peg, now that’s a fine and helpful “how do you do”!
It says you’re a Staff Member and a Supporting Member. Well you’re not supporting Bedington very much. Bed joined TWO DAYS ago and already has a post!!! Instead of welcoming him and giving him a pat on the back for a good start, you’re informing him his post redundant and wasn’t needed.
He has no idea what has and hasn’t been posted before. What post by ANYBODY has not come up in the last 15 years???
You should be embarrassed!!!
SS

Interesting that you basically demand proof for part of the topic in the form of shots that wouldn't have worked on-automatic, then ignore that when the proof is offered and start critcizing the moderation staff when they point out reundant topics by an experienced poster that apparently hasn't read-through other recent topics before launching a similar one.

Seems like you're talking at people on the forum, not talking with them.

 

[beddingfield]

Perhaps as im not trying to continue any other thread that devolved into name calling, and thread closing... saw a few interesting ones concerning ethics that got closed... I chose to start a new one of my own.

Photography has become a lot like tattoos. Nothing but meaningless trends that EVERYONE HAS TO FOLLOW in order to express their individuality. yeah, the irony escapes the 20 people standing in line at the tattoo shop to get the same tattoo of something, say a feather, that is supposed to "proclaim their individuality to the world".

With photography, things have devolved more then that. Once upon a time in the 1900-1960 range, photography was used to capture important moments and events. Say billy graduates from Ranger School, break out the camera and put him in uniform with the family cuz we gonna make pictures. And theyd take photos of him with everyone.

Nowadays, people will do instagram hash tag photos non stop. Like, on Monday everyone has to do a photo of their shoe as a hand puppet. On Tuesday its a photo of their cat sleeping on the kitchen table.... yada yada yada.

With the semi professional world of photography, the wedding and school photo group. NOT putting them down but they seem to adore kitchy crap in photos. NOT because it makes a photo better, but because someone more famous is doing it.

Example, some partially known actor or actress or singer in California does a wedding shot with a balloon on their head, EVERYONE who WANTS to be someone in the wedding photography world will HAVE to start doing that type of photo to appear relevant to potential customers.

 

[beddingfield]

In regards to the composite photo image.

To ME the two balloons on the far left DO NOT mesh with the other balloons, and they don't really mesh together when you look closely at the reflections on the water. In the two on the left the two balloons SHOULD have an impact on the water in front of each balloon, but in this case they don't.

So for my brain the image doesn't work.

The 4 balloons on the right DO work together as studying it closely, there is no way the balloons would have any influence on the water in front of any of the other balloons. SO it works mentally as the images can happen naturally like that. Would have been somewhat nicer if the event had been done at dusk.

 

[TWX]

Photography has become a lot like tattoos. Nothing but meaningless trends that EVERYONE HAS TO FOLLOW in order to express their individuality. yeah, the irony escapes the 20 people standing in line at the tattoo shop to get the same tattoo of something, say a feather, that is supposed to "proclaim their individuality to the world".

You see, you invalidate your very argument with this straw-man you've constructed. While I have no tattoos myself I know lots of people that have tattoos, including people that got theirs long before I met them, people that got them 20+ years ago around the time I met them, and people that I was already acquainted with that got them. I've been to tattoo parlors with some of them and listened as they discussed their ideas with potential tattoo artists, and when some browsed through existing artwork that was available either for direct duplication or for inspiration.

At no point were people standing in line at the tattoo parlor. People scheduled appointments with the tattoo artist or else found the artist free and got spur-of-the-moment work done because of his or her availability. No one sat around for extended periods of time, and other than groups going in for something relevant to that group, like fraternities or sororities, series of people did not get the same tattoos over and over and over again.

With photography, things have devolved more then that. Once upon a time in the 1900-1960 range, photography was used to capture important moments and events. Say billy graduates from Ranger School, break out the camera and put him in uniform with the family cuz we gonna make pictures. And theyd take photos of him with everyone.

Nowadays, people will do instagram hash tag photos non stop. Like, on Monday everyone has to do a photo of their shoe as a hand puppet. On Tuesday its a photo of their cat sleeping on the kitchen table.... yada yada yada.

With the semi professional world of photography, the wedding and school photo group. NOT putting them down but they seem to adore kitchy crap in photos. NOT because it makes a photo better, but because someone more famous is doing it.

People still take photos of personal significance. Hell, of the ~10,000 photos I've taken in the last three years, more than 9000 of them are family photos. I do not upload or share those photos with anyone other than family or close personal family friends. Those photos are for me, and while I want to make them as good, arguably artful as I can, they're not really for anyone else. Most people wouldn't find them interesting anyway, so why over-share?

If you don't like hash tags, or instagram, or fads, or challenges, don't go to Instagram, or follow hashtags, or look at what fads or challenges people have elected to participate with. No one is forcing you to look. I'm generally not a fan of modern art, so when I vacationed in London a few years ago, I didn't go to the Tate Modern. Wow, that was a tough one. I'm not a fan of mixed-media, so I avoid going to galleries for mixed-media artists. Such a chore! I'm not a fan of "influencers" or of fads or of instagram, somehow I've managed to generally avoid going to instagram.

 

[TWX]

In regards to the composite photo image.

To ME the two balloons on the far left DO NOT mesh with the other balloons, and they don't really mesh together when you look closely at the reflections on the water. In the two on the left the two balloons SHOULD have an impact on the water in front of each balloon, but in this case they don't.

So for my brain the image doesn't work.

The 4 balloons on the right DO work together as studying it closely, there is no way the balloons would have any influence on the water in front of any of the other balloons. SO it works mentally as the images can happen naturally like that. Would have been somewhat nicer if the event had been done at dusk.

The only two balloons that were brightened in the composite photo are the first balloon on the far left, and the dimly-lit balloon just off-center. Both balloons were also visibly dimmer during the event as not all of the balloons were constructed of material with the same refractive properties.

The second-from-left balloon and its reflection has the same exposure as the other non-manipulated balloons. It might not work for your brain, but that's fine. There's a dusk photo on the board if you want to seek it out, only shot I could get with all balloons firing simultaneously. I happen to like the photos from the nighttime setting better.

 

[beddingfield]

Look at the whole BOKEH craze and the High Definition Reflection craze of a few years back. ANYONE who felt or thought they WERE a PHOTOGRAPHER or an "ARTIST", dived right in. Billions of photographs of something or someone encased in migraine and nausuea inducing BOKEH donuts and swirls ruled the interwebs. People dove after high priced custom art lenses, lensbaby kids.., simply to become part of this annoying kitsch movement.

Did it DO or achieve anything useful?

Did anyone become a great photographer simply because they got a 500$ bokeh lens and used it on EVERY shot they took for a year?

NO it didn't.

Look at great photos of the olden days,

The Terror of War, Nick Ut 1972

Falling Man, Richard Drew, 2001

The Hindenburg Disaster, Sam Shere, 1937

First Cell-Phone Picture, Philippe Kahn, 1997

Famine In Somalia, James Nachtwey, 1992
This one, this is the start of an as yet, un ended food supply mission to Somalia. Entire generations have grown up with the only known food supply coming from the internation red cross system. yet they still keep making babies.

Saigon Execution, Eddie Adams, 1968
An unstaged photo that was taken without understanding. The execution of a northern Vietnamese military officer that had been well known for slaughtering civilians on both the northern and southern sides of the war. Executed for just having wiped out the families, including women and children, of several top level southern Vietnamese military officials.
Usually considered the moment America lost Vietnam.

Betty Grable, Frank Powolny, 1943

Top 100 Of The Most Influential Photos Of All Time

 

[beddingfield]

Or are we all stuck trying to duplicate those photos as the only way to be taken as a photo taker?

taking thousands of pics of your cat sleeping, as is soooo common,, versus having to paratchute into Indochina to be the next sean flynn