mskovacs Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 I guess the response was not entirely unpredictable for photo.net. The photo is well...uninspiring with various technical and compositional flaws. My $250 Fuji 2.0 megapixel is capable of 10x this. You have a very nice tool, now shoot 10 rolls/month minimum and let your wings take flight! On a personal note I thought you were insane to drop this much on an R series rig and gambling on the digital R vapourware. Some folks likely regard you as having more money than brains. I'd like nothing better than for you to prove them wrong! I mean no hard feelings, just my 2 cents. Now learn how to do that Leica proud! SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Smith Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 Steve Keep on taking the shots. I take have taken many shots of the years of all subjects - right now, like you I have a young family, so I am largely taking pictures of them. The Leicas are great tools for this. Of course you will take other shots with them. Photography of one's family at least has a demonstrable purpose, unlike the majority of photos whose ultimate value is highly debatable. Robin Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icuneko Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 Braden, How do you know "S. Linke" is a Mr.? You take an awful lot for granted. And "lighten up" may just be for airheads, no? Sexism is something that has no place on this decent forum, nor in our society. Get with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger_michel Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 stephen seems to agree that the shot is technically very poor. while i think some of the remarks that people have made are unfortunate and unnecessary, i would like to think that participants here make some effort to post only work of which they are proud (or pics that are used to illustrate points under discussion). we all have snaps of our kids; i don't think this is what people come here to view. that is not to say that family is a taboo subect AT ALL. over the years i have seen some exquisite portraits of children and spouses at the leica forum. i think the basic reaction was inevitable: nobody wants to think they are part of a group of people who spend thousands of dollars on equipment they then use to take shots that could have been obtained with a $4 disposable camera. most people like to think this is a place where people have real pride in their work and strive for the best. the bottom line is this: when you post a picture here, be prepared for critique. if it is a very bad shot, the comments will be negative (although hopefully respectful). and i don't accept the notion that you can insulate yourself from that by saying "look how cute my baby/wife/etc is." the leica forum has changed a lot over the past year. but i hope we all still have high standards -- or at least high hopes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bas1 Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 How is this for an overpriced kids shot? Shot on a Hasselblad 503CW and CF 150mm on Tri-x. Who cares what you shoot your kids with? go ahead and enjoy your R9<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patricks Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 bas, FABOLOUS shot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
working camera Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 Bas, kids deserve Holga! The ?blad just does not cut the mustard when it comes to portraits of children. C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_persky Posted June 14, 2004 Author Share Posted June 14, 2004 Mr or Mrs Linke please lighten up and quit trying to police the world with your political correctness. Don't become offened by everything that is said or written. Life is too short and you will be much happier if you live and let live. On a side note, I posted that shot because it was from my first roll of my new Leica R9 camera. I figured that it would take some criticism because it is not the best photograph. I basically wanted to say," Hey I got my camera, and here is the the first shot." I do take pride in my work, and plan to post many good pictures in the future. I do not think I have a record of spamming the forum with "bad" family snapshots. Btw, about the comment about "having more money than sense". I should remind you that I earn every dime of the money I spend, and my earnings are very dependent upon the amount of "sense" that I have. Regards, Steve Persky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_fang Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Bas, this is an absolutely wonderful portrait. But why do you want to post it just like that? Here it is, dusted and retouched. Hope you like it.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_fang Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Just in case you're curious, this was a 5-minute correction: <p>1) Right shoulder brought down <br>2) Face and hands brought up <br>3) Left pupil and iris cloned to right eye <br>4) Dust cloned out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_fang Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Oops, and 5) Unsharp mask 25/1/0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sliu Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 <i>kids deserve Holga!</i> <p> <img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/2310180-lg.jpg"> "Dad, is he kidding?" <p> Al, I prefer the untouched version, looks more natural. Just my taste ;-) <p> Steve, you have a <b>great</b> camera, wish I could afford it. Leica or Holga, they are just tools/toys; enjoy your camera but don't forget to pay more attention on your kids instead of their photographs. <p> Happy shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_fang Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 <i>"Al, I prefer the untouched version, looks more natural. Just my taste ;-)"</i> <p>To each their own. As wonderful as the portrait is, my eye is distracted by the blown right shoulder, the asymmetrical catchlights, and most of all the dust floating around. It may look more natural to you but it looks sloppy to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_fang Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 I'm not doing anything with the other pictures posted because I consider them to be unsalvageable. Maybe Photoshop 20 will come with extra filters that will fix bad light, poor composition, and shot-to-all-hell scans. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_fang Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 <i>"Since my kids are pricless maybe I should use a more expensive camera, alas I will have to settle for a Leica."</i> <p>It's not so much that you should use a more expensive camera, or whether or not you should post shots of your kids/pets/whatever. You just really need to refine your technique. Why use a $5000 camera like a $5 disposable? I've seen much better work from students using $100 Pentax K-1000's. It's not the equipment, it's the photographer. If you and your wife are so ecstatic about these "snappy Leica images," I really have to wonder exactly what you were screwing up so badly before you bought your M7 and R9. <p><i>"I guess the only way to get those great results is to shoot slides."</i> <P>You're still not getting it. Slides will not help you at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sliu Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Al, your retouch is very nice. I have no objection against dust crone and curve adjustment. The only thing I feel unnatural (looks good through) is: 3) Left pupil and iris cloned to right eye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tito sobrinho Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Bas, that's an excellent picture of a beautiful kid and I liked Al's Photoshop corrections. Fellows, fellows, don't be so hard on Stephen or he's going to have nightmares thinking about the money spent on the R9. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tito sobrinho Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 S.Liu, what is the problem with her eyes? Looks very natural, and I don't think an ophtalmologist would claim that this corrected picture is wrong. I'm all for embelishments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bas1 Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Thanks guys for the compliments guys. As for the scan, Al is correct that I hadn't dusted it etc. I only scan for web and for family etc. The print is much better and there I also burned the right shoulder and retouched all the dust off course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuck Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 <B>John Photo</b>,<P> WTF are you talking about? I was talking to <B>Jon Witsell</b>. He is the assh0le, and everybody knows it. <P> Now you can apologize to me, but only after <B><I>you've</b></i> learned to read. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuck Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Get it? <B>Jon</b>, not <B>John</b>. And I know you have my email address, so if you'd like some literacy tips, just ask. Put a smiley face thing at the end of this if you need to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_persky Posted June 15, 2004 Author Share Posted June 15, 2004 Al Feng, We are very happy with most of the Leica results, and the results I am comparing them too are better than the good shots from the Nikon gear. Having said all of that Al. I stated that this was a picture with many technical errors. I posted it as an example from my first roll from my Leica R9. Are you so dense to assume that I consider that picture to be the ultimate in Leica quality. I said it was just a poor snapshot at the beginning in my previous posts, although the thread is long so you might not have read it. On a side note: I take most of what is said here with a grain of salt. I do appreciate a lot of the great advice I get here. That is why I put up with social outcasts who frequent here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travis1 Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Stephen, why do you you need to explain yourself? Just post what you like!;) As long as you are happy with your gear, that's all it matters btw.;0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_fang Posted June 16, 2004 Share Posted June 16, 2004 OK, so you buy a $5000 camera and post a "poor snapshot" with "many technical errors." Just what sort of response did you expect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_fang Posted June 16, 2004 Share Posted June 16, 2004 It's a strange coincidence, by the way, how the most vocal of the "Leica is best" bleaters often post the crappiest pictures, which they inevitably excuse with "Just a snapshot."<p>Well, maybe not so strange... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now