Where is the community at TPF?

[Hertz van Rental]

Well, if you want to start a fight about who said it first... :greenpbl:

 

[Battou]

Well, if you want to start a fight about who said it first... :greenpbl:

Oh not the case, I just find it that much more validating that I'm reading it again from someone else on a different forum is all.

 

[JamesMason]

Please visit my flickr Flickr: Kakapo Photography's Photostream

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Oh not the case...

I know that but I just thought I'd do a Puckish wind-up. You should know me by now :mrgreen:

 

[terri]

The monkey on my shoulder is whispering in my ear and I may just have to listen. So put up the sandbags and lock the doors, Terri. You know what that monkey can get me doing

I'll do nothing of the kind. I've lost the master key and someone knifed the sandbags long ago. Left an awful mess. I thought it was you!

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Left an awful mess. I thought it was you!

Cheek*! I may have laid waste to two continents and left a lot of wreckage but I always tidied up after myself. And I've never invaded anywhere without wiping my feet first.
I can be a lot of things but clean is always first on the list** :mrgreen:



*Unless you were suggesting that the mess looked like me after a particularly heavy night, in which case fair comment.
**In my universe there is nothing too big that it can't be swept under a carpet.

 

[Sachphotography]

It does seem that a photographer in today’s society is nothing like a photographer 20 years ago. Now.... it seems the best guys are the ones with the most money.
I shot with an old MF Canon FT. It was great to learn on. I appreciate the time I spent on film and consider going back every day. The sad truth is 90% of photographers or so they claim would not be able to load film if their life depended on it. The instant gratification digi's give create a sense of achievement. I have been shooting for 12 years now and consider myself a good photographer. I cannot afford the Equipment that I truly need at this point but the more I shoot the bigger my portfolio and the better it becomes. If I can get a great shot with the equipment I shoot with now, I can only imagine how much better it will be when I upgrade. So yes, I do think we are inundated with a ton of people who think they are good photog and don't know the difference between f/2 and f/20.

I was watching this video the other day where this kid claims to have thoroughly tested a d3,d700 and d300. He compares the 3 and tells everybody a load of crap. Whats really funny is that all his videos line up almost word for word with a different site. (the guy that loves his lil d40) My point is, his daddy bought him some nice equipment and pays for him to travel. Does he get good shots. Yes they are not too bad. But is he truly a great photographer..... Not really. All too often, this type person will come onto a forum like this with a cocky I’m the $#!t attitude and put in his .3 even if it’s bad. These type people are the ones who corrupt and destroy forums and learning places.

The sad thing is with the rapid advances in technology, we can only sit and watch as the rich people buy there kid a Nikon *D5 and take amazing images.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

...and don't know the difference between f/2 and f/20.

'0'? :king:

 

[GFreg]

Most questions on TPF can be answered by googling or checking out back posts. So I guess its society being lazy and wanting an instant answer?

Exactly! Most questions that are asked about any topic can be answered using google. Try this little test go to Google and type "Why is" or "what are" and see what the auto-complete function starts to display. You will see some of the most ridiculous questions that you have ever seen. People always want the quick easy answer. A lot of times that means people will go to a forum and post a topic rather than use the search function or sift through the millions of pages that google will find. If you post a new topic, people will look at it. You will most likely get a few answers and the original poster doesn't have to do anything except look at their subscribed threads and see who answered their question.

This is unavoidable. No matter how much you want a community feel in a public forum, it is never going to happen. You want to keep out the drive-by posters? Put a restriction that limits them to not creating topics until they have X amount of moderator approved "quality" posts in other threads. This unfortunately is very time consuming for the moderators and is practically impossible. People will also just find a different forum. So yes, you won't have to deal with it, but someone else will. Another option would be to make it an exclusive club. Make the forum an invite only place. This eliminates the drive-by's, trolls, etc. but it also goes against the whole idea of a forum. You will be extremely limited to who you have access to talk to in a world that allows nearly limitless access.

I agree that it is nice to have that community feel to a forum. It is a wonderful place to meet new people and share ideas and advice. You look forward to visiting everyday and knowing that there are people that share your passions and have their own insight to share. Though, we need to realize that we are never going to have a Utopia. The key to being a good forum member is doing your best to help those people seeking advice. You can only hope that they do the same. You have no control over their actions.

I am a member of a few other forums and there is always the "remember the old days" thread that pops up from time to time. Honestly these threads are somewhat hypocritical in the reasoning that they were created to remember a time that was better, with fewer memebers and honest advice. A "community" feel. The problem is that these threads do nothing to make new members feel welcome. It would be similar to having a block party to welcome the new neighbors, but then do nothing but talk about how good the old days were. I do agree that with such a huge population of members that represent such a diverse mix of skill, experience and maturity, forums sometimes become dilluted with bad information. That is part of the risk you take visiting a public forum though.

I mean no disrespect to anyone who has posted in this thread. I understand that there are people that have been around since the beginning. I know your frustration as well. It is hard to see something that you are a part of grow so large. We all like to reminisce of our fond memories that we can share with a close group of individuals, but you also need to be able to look forward to the future because you never know who you haven't met before.

Sorry for the rant.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

...you also need to be able to look forward to the future because you never know who you haven't met before.

And then one day you get to an age where everyone starts looking the same

Some of us miss the old days here for the sole reason that most of the people who now frequent this place are dull, boring and lacking even a rudimentary sense of humour - let alone a sense of the ridiculous.
Go through the Archives (if they go back 3 or 4 years) and see the sort of thread that this place used to generate.
And then have a look at the threads that moan into being now.
Most of the people with fun and sparkle have gone, bored to death by the earnest types who seem to think that life is a serious business and are trying to prove it.
Or maybe it just seems that way to me because I'm sober.
Does anyone have a corkscrew?

 

[Antarctican]

Or maybe it just seems that way to me because I'm sober.
Does anyone have a corkscrew?

I actually just picked one up the other day. Betcha can't guess what it's shaped like.


Oh, and here are links to a few of the type of threads to which Hertz referred: nasal hair, British 'cuisine'

 

[Battou]

Does anyone have a corkscrew?

dude...how many times do I need to remind you....there is one on your pocket knife....

 

[IgsEMT]

but has the last month or so seen a big increase in the amount of "drive by posters"

I think so. I also think the worse part is when you give input you're met with resistance something to degree that 'this isn't my style' or it isn't how I do it. Personally, when I ask for CC, I'm looking for ways to improve the technique regardless of what style it is.

 

[bigtwinky]

I;ve pretty much given up on CC for the most part. there are still the odd photo that I do enjoy CCing though

 

[DennyCrane]

It does seem that a photographer in today’s society is nothing like a photographer 20 years ago. Now.... it seems the best guys are the ones with the most money.

{snip}

The sad thing is with the rapid advances in technology, we can only sit and watch as the rich people buy there kid a Nikon *D5 and take amazing images.

It's this kind of elitism that's ruining the hobby. The US vs THEM attitude. I couldn't care less how much money another photographer (or their father) has. So what. Class envy hurts everyone. I thought everyone knew that it's not the camera that takes an amazing picture, but the dude who's pressing the shutter release. Who is anyone here to say another photographer didn't work his ass off to scrape up the cash for a high end camera? There's no nobility in being poor and staying there. And so what if someone did buy someone else a nice camera? How exactly does that effect anyone else? That post reeks of middle-class envy and jealousy.