10 things I think about photography - what are your 10?

Ten things I think I think about photography and photo.net : (apologies to Peter

King)

 

1. I think I should spend less time on PN and more taking photographs.

 

2. I think that it is all about the light.

 

3. I think that I should have stuck with my first SLR, a Pentax SP 1000 and

bought a couple more lenses and stopped right there.

 

4. I think digital is too easy but I am too lazy.

 

5. I think that some days I really have no idea what I am doing with my camera

and other days when that is perfectly all right.

 

6. I think the internet is a great place for people to be less polite than they

would be if standing within slapping distance.

 

7. I think photography is a beautiful thing.

 

8. I think looking and seeing are two different things.

 

9. I think I should sell all my cameras and all my lenses and keep just one body

and one lens.

 

10. I think that one day I will figure out which camera is the one and which

lens is the one. It won't be the Soligor non-AI 400mm f6.5 telephone pole

disguised as a telephoto lens.

My version. On some points I just kept yours...

 

1. I think I should spend less time talking about photography and more time taking photographs.

 

2. I think that it is all about the light.

 

3. I think that technical precision only trumps content among photographers. The rest of the world is concerned primarily with content, and could care less about technique, process, and gear.

 

4. I think C41 and neg film in general is the most idiot proof photo system yet invented. I think digital requires more precision and skill to achieve good results.

 

5. I think that if I'm going to blame the gear for my failures, then I must credit the gear for my successes. I'll take the blame, because I don't want to share the success.

 

6. I think the internet is a great place for people to learn and communicate, but meeting and conversing with local photogs and artists shouldn't be neglected.

 

7. I think that I'm going to shut down my darkroom.

 

8. I think looking and seeing are two different things.

 

9. I think photography is by far the easiest of all the visual arts.

 

10. I think using old cameras is a lot of fun, and it's probably the only reason I will continue to shoot film.

OK, my 10 are:

 

1. Photo.net has broadened my horizons and helped my hobby.

 

2. I am shying away from digital cameras as they seem 'alien' to photography.

 

3. I like the ditinct signature of German glass.

 

4. I should really take more photos.

 

5. I like older equipment better than modern.

 

6. I spend too much time and money buying equipment I don't really need.

 

7. I really love photography as I like art but am very bad at painting.

 

8. I love the rush of bagging a photogaphic 'bargain'.

 

9. Using 50's cameras reminds me of how things have changed - and not always for the better.

 

10. I like the feeling of helping where I can (online).

 

Ian

To me, Photography can be divined into many parts, like skill and techniques, cameras, collection and etc. My 10 thoughs would be :

 

1. I have to re-study my photography skills. Most of them have been forgotten. I have not touch them for many years.

 

2.From digitalphile to classicphile.And then become anti-digitalphile

 

3.Study optics and its related theory. And also the mechanism, design of the cameras.

 

4.From complicate to simple. Apply the law, 'You press the button and we do the rest.'by George Eastman.

 

5.The old might not be the best, but it must be the basic of future.

 

6.Photography is much easier than painting.

 

7.Stop spending time on PS. It won't improve your photography skill but computer editing.

 

8.Make sure you need it before you buy. And don't pay too much attention on the accessories that you don't need.

 

9. photography is another way on presenting my ideas.

 

10. Using my best knowledge and experiences to help others through internet.

I think that technical precision only trumps content among SOME photographers. i'm not sure

what number it would be... maybe number 1.

i can't remeber how many PERFECT pictures of the beach i've seen... a lot! and they're really

boring.

Ok, I'll give it a shot.

 

1. I've really enjoy being a part of Photo.net. I've been able to see an amazing amount of talent, ingenuity, and passion which is influential to my own desire to get better.

 

2. Photo.net has also proven that the world is full of self-opinionated people who forget that they once were novices and that more than likely someone helped them along the way as well.

 

3. I like digital because I'm a technophile and processing 0's and 1's is less expensive than film. Turnaround time is less as well.

 

4. Light is a beautiful thing and the reflections of this world are georgeous. We shouldn't take our sight for granted.

 

5. The human body is a piece of art capable of expressing a vast amount of emotion, experience, and candor.

 

6. Photography captures moments you may never have been able to fully realize otherwise.

 

7. Photography helps you realize that everyone views the world from their own angle.

 

8. As important as the equipment is, it pales in comparison to the artist behind the lens.

 

9. Photography is universal.

 

10. History would have an entirely different meaning without photography.

1. It's all about the light.<br>

2. I love digital.<br>

3. I hate digital.<br>

4. I think I spend too much time on PN, wasting time while the computers and printers do their thing. I want to go outside and play, but I'm stuck here waiting for the next dialog box. See #3.<br>

5. I think I've finally figured it out.<br>

6. I'm pretty sure there's still a lot to figure out.<br>

7. I think I'm a better artist than photographer. <br>

8. I also think I need to feed my family, so I'd better stick to the one which has always given me a steady paycheck.<br>

9. I think - no, I KNOW - I'm never satisfied with my own work, even when I manage to produce something so beautiful if brings me to tears.<br>

10. I think God has a sense of humor.<br>

Good ones, guys. Here goes:

 

1. Digital photography has made me fearless(and poorer).

2. Nature is the creator of all I see.

3. Some days, I understand it all perfectly.

4. Some days, I don't know what the heck I'm doing.

5. I should retire now (not in 2 years) so I can take more pictures.

6. Small is Big V 1.0: this is when I take a photo of a bluejay at 30 feet and blow it up to 8x10 and get to view and admire all of it's intricate and beautiful plumage.

7. Small is Big V 2.0: I can't wait to share some photos with my friends / audience.

8.Sometimes, even a poorly taken photo is better than none.

9. I wish I could take pictures of everything, everywhere, all the time.

10.God has willed it that I too should be able to create fine works.

What a good thread. Agree very much with some of the thoughts already posted, particularly Matt's no.5 (you can't blame the gear unless you also credit it) and Rich's no.10 (the role of photography in modern history). Here's ten that occur to me:

 

1. It's all about the decisive moment (which the light is part of).

 

2. If the moment is in motion, I likely won't be quick enough with manual focus to catch the damn thing.

 

3. I still prefer manual cameras. See no.4.

 

4. I love the aesthetics and mechanics of old cameras so much that I'm in danger of losing sight of their primary purpose. I'll persist in using a camera that takes so-so pictures if it has good look & feel.

 

5. I take too many pictures. Too much bracketing, not enough selection, not enough keepers per roll.

 

6. 36 exposures may be too many. See no.5. Whatever happened to 12-shot 35mm film?

 

7. Colour vs. black-and-white film induces vastly different subject choices.

 

8. I wish I had the nerve to do more 'street' photography. I catch wonderful glimpses which I don't capture because I'm worried about reactions. Or because of no.2.

 

9. I wish film processing was cheaper.

 

10. I wish my camera collecting habit had clearer limits.

The above are all excellent!

OK, here goes,

 

1. It IS all about the light, I just wish I could capture more of it.

 

2. I love digital because it allows me to get shots I probably would have missed on film, or at least incorrectly exposed.

 

3. I hate digital because you can load up a card with several hundreds of shots, and maybe all of them won't be worth anything compostionally.

It's too easy to just blast away.

 

4. I am learning a vast amout on PN and other photo sites. Now if I could just remember it all.

 

5. I hate Photoshop because the learning curve will take the rest of my life. I am too impatient for that.

 

6. I love the fact that old manual MF cameras make me slow down and concentrate on the composition, lighting, the zone system (almost forgotten recently shooting digital), camera settings, etc.

 

7. I spend way too much time thinking about going out to shoot whatever, and not actually doing it.

 

8. I have a chance to buy the same model as my first camera I sold several years ago, even though I probably wouldn't use it. Just the memories attached to it make it something to think about.

 

9. I know as long as I live that I will hope the next picture is better than the last.

 

10. I also think that I will never capture exactly on film what my eyes were seeing at the time. There is no way (yet) to put that part of me into a picture.

Don't forget to put film in the camera. (5x)

Don't forget to put a fresh battery in the camera (4x)

Don't drop the camera (1x)

Everything else is trivial.

1. My 1970 Pentax Spotmatic f is capable of anything that I am.

2. Buying the Nikons was fun but un-necessary.

3. I am pleased when a person looks at one of my images longer than it takes to pass by it.

4. My father taught me how light works with film and how to get it there. A painter may have more or less technical skill and achieve a similar result. Both mediums first require the art of seeing which, to me is as emotional as it is visual.

5. Other people?s work inspires me.

6. A photograph stops time, tells a story and expresses emotions that are singular regardless of how many still photographers or videographers or artists are present. Each person will see and feel the event from a very unique perspective and view. I can, anywhere on the planet, anytime, with anyone or with no one; see, feel and produce something that no one else can. Wow.

7. Alfred Stieglitz was right, photography is art.

8. Digital photography has hurt me by diluting the art, putting cameras in phones, cheap images on the internet, et cetera, et cetera.

9. Digital has helped me immensely by letting me see what I have just done before proceeding, allowing me to shoot more images without wasting film and letting me see what others are doing and thinking by use of the internet.

10. Photography has given me pause in the otherwise blur of motion that is daily life.

Barry Dale Currence

www.barrycurrence.com

1. First I thought its ALL about the light

 

2. Then I thought, the subject matter also

 

3. Come to think of it, location matters also

 

4. Then I realize that shots without people are most likely boring

 

5. So I thought I have to move to a place where people are abundant

 

6. Then I found that most people are in their cars

 

7. And most people have a cellphone stuck on their ear

 

8. So I'm back to shooting things that don't move

 

9. Only me, my camera, and the lens

 

10. Then all that matters is light

1. Photo.net is the only textbook anyone would ever need to learn technique, mastery of equipment and shooting, and appreciation for what CAN be done with the simpliest of tools (thank you Gene M.)

 

2. I could care less about movie stars but creeping around the corners of this website are some of the greats of the current era. Being able to interact with them as peers and have them show you what an idiot you are publicly is absolutely priceless.

 

3. I spend too much time here and not enough time meeting beautiful women... I mean photographing beautiful women... I mean photographing... beautiful women.

 

4. I am addicted to getting new cameras, but so far I havn't attempted to grind any up and smoke them out of a broken light bulb or inject them into my veins, so I consider it to be a fairly harmless addiction... after all the money would just go to other useless commodities, like food, rent, etc.

 

5. Direct flash looks like poop, find something sturdy or carry a tripod at all times for superior, natural results.

 

6. Photoshop can do anything and so can Superman, but that dont make him a photographer.

 

7. I should really get back into painting, nobody notices or cares if your brush was made in Germany or Japan.

 

8. If Ansel Adams was alive today he wouldnt be worring about the argument between film and digital, he would be worring about how to save our wilderness areas and preserve valuable resources in America and abroad.

 

9. I think if I sold all my cameras it wouldnt really make me much money and it wouldnt save me much space, so screw it, they are fun, cool to look at, and at least women are somewhat interested in photography... whereas most of my other hobbys are pretty BORING. (See #3)

 

10. Polaroid needs to develop a super-dense instant slide film that will crush digital like the annoying bug it is. Where is Edwin Land when we NEED him?

You got the first 9 right, my first was also an SP1000 in the mid '70's

 

As for number 10 I will never find the one; trying new things is what makes life interesting.

W.J. Gibson wrote:

 

"3. I think that I should have stuck with my first SLR, a Pentax SP 1000 and bought a couple more lenses and stopped right there."

 

My feelings exactly, except for me it was a Canon FT-QL I bought in 1970.

<P>In no particular order: </P>

<P>1. You and you alone are responsible for the success or failure of your pictures. Blaming the camera/lens/film/light is not an honest option.</P>

<P>2. Some cameras are more fun to use than others.</P>

<P>3. If you don't always carry your camera, 90% of top photo opportunities occur when you don't have it.</P>

<P>4. Your photos are for your enjoyment only and will die with you.</P>

<P>5. Edit your shots ruthlessly but always keep photos of family, friends and pets.</P>

<P>6. Take off the lens cap.</P>

<P>7. Never buy a tripod heavier than your wife can carry (I stole this one but it's essential).</P>

<P>8. The best photos are made when I don't usually want to be out of doors.</P>

<P>9. When you take photos of things that you are interested in, they are more interesting photos.</P>

<P>10. When I grow old, my photos will be part of my memories.</P>

choosing thoughts at random: 1)do not shoot an object, shoot the page. 2)Therefore a rudimentary study of drawing and composition should be undertaken. 3)Get your ideas by working, not by copying others. The plagiarism on this site (as elsewhere) is so prevalent that when one sees an original idea it is very powerful. 4)When shooting color choose the colors as carefully as you would when painting. An extensive study of color is necessary to do this. 5)Keep total control of all parts and elements of the picture.