al_kaplan1 Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 Raid never said that he didn't know what the F*** he was doing. He only asked for input and suggestions, nothing wrong with that. As he's the first to admit, he doesn't know everything and life is an ongoing learning experience. Why that should result in so much unrestrained negativity is puzzling to me. I suppose that its easier to tear down than to build up, but I always thought that we came here to learn and to share knowledge in a civilized way. Let's try to keep it that way. Lighten up, put a smile on your face, and extend a hand to your fellow photographers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pensacolaphoto Posted March 30, 2005 Author Share Posted March 30, 2005 Frank, I should have mentioned in my posting that I already have obtained in another posting very useful information on film developing in Japan and also on Japanese photographers and books. I just wanted to feel out what photographers is the [experienced] Leica Forum would suggest to me in response to my very basic questions. I on purpose asked very simple questions. This was not done by mistake. I know, this could sound strange, but I wanted direct responses here and not an evaluation of my professional degrees. I have never taught a photography course outside the USA, and that's why I have been collecting useful information on how to lecture a course from a different perspective than a typical arts/photography course would be offered at a college or university. Instructions were to include "somehow" the Japanese culture. Your comments and the comments of a few others were not helpful in this regard. I competed with other professors through a thorough process to get the Japan Program trip. I have over 25 years of experience in photography, but I have never taught a course like this before where emphasis has to be on the culture of the country being visited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vic_. Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 People please!!! Why the need to descend to a mental and emotional hell. The really weird thing is that "Leica" was not even the subject matter. Even experienced photographers can learn from each other. What's wrong with asking some questions, which to the Einsteins would appear basic? There are many giants of photography here, and they willingly share the wealth of knowledge and experience that they have built up over the years. Why mug someone for asking a question? Hey Michaela, your pictures are good! Please post some more. I can't believe you're not published yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_kaplan1 Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 Mihaela, up until 2 weeks ago the pic on my profile page showed me shaking hands with the "new" president's brother Jeb a year or so ago. I have another shot with him 16 years ago. Why bring that up? You tell us nothing about yourself. My life is an open book. I've nothing to hide. I switched pix there because too many people were asking me if I was a Republican. Maybe I should put both photos there. It's nobody's business which way I cast my vote. But I do vote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pensacolaphoto Posted March 30, 2005 Author Share Posted March 30, 2005 Al, I appreciate what you're trying to do here. <br> I will enjoy my trip to Japan, and I will give my students excellent training in photography and in quality control. We will have site visits to the Toyota company in Nagoya and three other companies. This way, my students will have hands on experience on the use of statistical quality control and total quality management techniques used in Japan. We will also be toured in Japan to major cultural and historical sites. This will enable my students to capture parts of the Japanese culture on film [hopefully]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_kaplan1 Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 Michaela, thanks for posting that link to the photo of Bill Clinton and myself. Today I attended the funeral of my long time friend Jeff Mell who died a couple days ago at age 51. He worked for many years for our local congressman, Bill Lehman, until Bill retired, and then last week Bill died at age 91. We expected that. We were shocked when Jeff died. Too young! Jeff was the one who called me to set up shoots for everything from the dedication of a new post office to a fund raiser for a presidential candidate. You might think me old but I've tried to be part of my community also, I've tried to make things better. I don't know how many thousands of unpaid hours I've given to volunteer work, serving on municipal advisory boards and not-for-profits' boards of directors. Along the way I've met and shook hands with many dignitaries. Don't find fault with people who are trying to make life better for everyone. I know, we photographers are supposed to be like flies on the wall, just observing and recording. But I'm not talking journalism here. I don't have to be unbiased. I can still have ethics, unlike some who come to visit here and fancy themselves flies on carrion... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank_scheitrowsky1 Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 I think that maybe the reason I reacted negatively to Raid's post of basic questions can be explained by "sour grapes". His basic questions lead me to the assumption that he wasn't all that competent. (If you re-read what was asked, do you not ask yourself: How can this guy teach this?) I would love to have the assignment that Raid has been given. (I couldn't in reality do it due to family and employment responsibilities.) I have 30 years experience in photography, I have taught photography at the community college level, and I spent a year in Japan (teaching English). So, I see an amazing job go to someone whose quality of questions made me, and apparently others, question Raid's ability to do the job, and due to sour grapes, I point out the fact based on his questioning, he maybe isn't up to the task. I agree that I haven't added anything positive to this thread, other than the fact that it has become pretty entertaining to read, and I haven't called anybody any names. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank_scheitrowsky1 Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 And since we're looking at each others' pictures, you can see some of my stuff here: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/575 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_kaplan1 Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 OK gentlemen, the apologies are noted and I'm sure accepted by Raid. Let's stop the bickering. If anyone has something constructive to post that might help Raid, great. Otherwise it's time to move on to another subject. Time perhaps to end this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vic_. Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 My apologies if I was out of line in any way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pensacolaphoto Posted March 30, 2005 Author Share Posted March 30, 2005 I certainly have a "thick skin", being originally from Iraq. A few negative comments will not discourage me. I may also spend one semester in Egypt soon [not photography] as I may be invited to teach at the German University in Cairo, and I am planning to come back with plenty of story telling photographs. My statistics training has taught me to always ask questions, and that's what I do to get the best possible information. If my questions seemed "unworthy" to some, then this is not my problem. I have always enjoyed photo.net for exchange of information and opinions regarding photography related issues. Let's keep personal attacks out of here. Frank: I could have elected to teach two statistics courses instead, but I am willing to take a risk to give our students something they will enjoy more than statistics and something that may result in a visual record of how my stents "saw" Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerry_lehrer Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 Raid, Remember the axiom: Those who can, DO. Those who can't, TEACH! I lived and worked in Japan in the 1980's and 90's. Things may havechanged since then. Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pensacolaphoto Posted March 30, 2005 Author Share Posted March 30, 2005 Jerry: I do ... and then I also teach. Your axiom does not apply here. Raid, "Remember the axiom: Those who can, DO. Those who can't, TEACH! I lived and worked in Japan in the 1980's and 90's. Things may have changed since then. Jerry" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miky Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 Before ending the thread, I'll answer some of your questions. I'm an immigrant, now US resident who did a lot of odd jobs, found photography at an early age and realized that nothing else matters. "Lost" time in technical college in Europe for 6 years, everything was so easy that I wonder how I could resist for so long. After school I learned five languages, building computers and restoring classic cars. I traveled a lot and saw almost all the countries in the world. I published some of my work in some magazines in Europe and US, but that was long time ago. I was hired by some modeling agencies in Europe to provide portfolios for their models and some companies for advertising, especially construction and real estate. Found out that there is not much creativity left behind the scenes, so once that I disagreed with the director of photography, I quit even in the middle of an assignment. Life is too short to take crap from anybody. Unfulfilled dreams? I have a project I never finished because of different reasons. Got married, have a family and so on. Why I didn't post anything until now? Simply because I have no time. But I got sick seeing stupid photos taken with $3500 rare lenses that tell you nothing without a long caption next to, and their authors being proud. Everybody should remember that a picture is more than a thousand words and photography is a form of art, so try to be at your best every time you depress that shutter release button. At least I try every time. And doesn?t really matters the camera or the lens as long as you know their qualities and limits. What I like: photos that don't let you indifferent even if are not my style, smart people with great ideas and cameras that don't need repairs in the middle of an assignment. What I dislike: stupid photos that let you indifferent, people that can't reply in an elegant, educated manner and those who can ever think that I'll show somebody else work and say it's mine. Here is the last batch and I promise I'll never bother you all with my photos again.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syuji_honda Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 If you are going to Nagoya, watch the movie "GOZU" by Takashi Miike. It's an excellent movie entirely shot in Nagoya area. Netflix have it. You can see a glimpse of life in Nagoya from that movie. Also, Nagoya is famous for Fried Shrimp, or in Japanese, "Ebi Furai". I hope you enjoy Japan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pensacolaphoto Posted March 30, 2005 Author Share Posted March 30, 2005 Hello Syuji, Thank you very much for your tip to see the movie GOZU.<br> I will try to get a copy of it and view the movie. I am sure that my wife and I will enjoy trying out Ebi Furai. <br>I am looking forward to visiting Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_kaplan1 Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 Some nice photos of your son there! Thanks for sharing them with us. But don't walk off in a huff, never to return. Visit or stick around, your choice. Try to add something constructive since it seems that you do have the background and qualifications. As for the people with $3500 cameras, why not? They can afford them, or at least are willing to sacrifice owning other things so they can enjoy owning one. Some people also live in five million dollar homes, drive one hundred thousand dollar cars, wear expensive suits and shoes, because they can afford them also. None of which has anything to do with Raid's upcoming trip to Japan, or how he's going to teach the course. There is some truth to the old saw about "those who can, do, those who can't, teach" but it isn't a universal truth. Partly it's due to academia's insistance on "credentials" in the form of degrees rather than experience and demonstrated skils in a given field. Partly it's due to the fact that there are plenty of people who are far from the greatest in their field but have a gift for imparting that knowledge that they do have to others. Not everyone is a great teacher, no matter how good they are at what they know and do. Not every one of Raid's students is going to be National Geographic material when they finish that 6 week course. If they learn the basics of photography and a better understanding of another culture Raid will have done what he set out to do. I'm sure that he'll do a fine job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pradeep satyaprakash Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 Sorry Raid that I do not have any suggestions for you. This thread is a great example of how not to respond to a question. It should be placed on the front page as a sticky in the learning section. I guess the anonymity the written word gives a person also gives that person the courage to be destructive. All we can do is pray for people like Mihaela T. And in helping to keep the Peace, I am enclosing a picture of a baby. This baby was 21 hours old when I took this photo. Remember that we are all babies in one way or the other. We all have a lot of growing up to do. Some more so than others.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bacsa Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 Michaela - your posted photos are in general okay but far from perfect. They want too much to look nice and visually pleasing but have compositional problems in the same time. Let's not talk about the colours, which are way oversaturated. This for my taste, anyway; i'm sure lots of people will like them, and they can make it to the photo.net top pages any time. Reading again and again the questions of Raid, i still cannot see the reason why you answered him at all. Raid, good luck with the courses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syuji_honda Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 GOZU is a little bit eccentric movie. So, don't show it to your children. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saotome_genma Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 Forget <B>Gozu</B> and watch <B>Ichi the killer</B> by the same director, that will give you a real taste of japanese everyday life. <img src="http://img51.exs.cx/img51/4788/rolleyes1.gif"> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pensacolaphoto Posted March 31, 2005 Author Share Posted March 31, 2005 Pradeep: the photo of the baby is beautiful. It really shows a sense of "relief" to be there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pensacolaphoto Posted March 31, 2005 Author Share Posted March 31, 2005 Csab: Which two TLR cameras are in your posted photo of yourself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pensacolaphoto Posted March 31, 2005 Author Share Posted March 31, 2005 "Reading again and again the questions of Raid, i still cannot see the reason why you answered him at all. " Csab: I am glad that there still are open minded people here who felt OK to give their own advices regarding some of my questions. For example, Al's reply gave me in a nutshell useful hints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank_scheitrowsky1 Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 "Al's reply gave me in a nutshell useful hints." But Raid, did you not know that stuff already? If so, how can it be new and useful, and if not.... 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