will king Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Stop me if you've heard this one before. A famous chef hires a photographer to photograph some of his entrees for advertisements. The chef is so impressed with the photographs, he also hires the photographer for a family portrait. Again, the chef is amazed at the quality of the photographs and says to the photographer, ?You must have a really great camera because it takes extraordinary pictures.? The chef invites the photographer to his restaurant for a meal on the house. The photographer orders a 7 course meal and enjoys every bite. The photographer compliments the chef by saying ?You must have some really good pots and pans, because the food was delicious.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephenwood Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Thanks for the early morning chuckle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckry Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonjb Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Last summer a friend who is a musician asked if I would take some photos of his kids out tubing behind the boat at his cottage. When I e-mailed a few jpegs to him, he responded by saying " Wow! " those are great photos. I should get a good camera like yours, so I can take shots like that." I replied " Yeah and I'll go out and buy a guitar like yours, so I can play like you do! " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank_dzambic Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Photographers don't get the same respect because their tools have Auto-everything modes that are almost guaranteed to give acceptable results. For the average joe who's just upgraded from a point & shoot, or even from a point & shoot film camera, the results from a digital DSLR in Auto mode in their eyes can be not just acceptable, but incredible. Once that average joe is giddy with excitement from the results of his new camera and its Auto-everything settings that produce incredible results, he really can't see the difference between what he's shooting and what an overpaid hot-shot wedding photographer is shooting (for example). Hence, if he can't see a difference between his results and a pro's results (even if they're painfully obvious to a pro) then he too must be as good as a pro. For proof of what I'm saying, I refer you to all the countless threads on P.net complaining about their low/average ratings (when they feel they clearly deserve much higher), as well as countless other threads elsewhere from newbs who have had their new DSLR for a few weeks, are getting bored, and are asking how to get their first gig in the wedding photography/portrait/commercial business to make the camera pay for itself. Not a knock against newbs or average joes, but just my thoughts on why photographers don't get the same respect. Pots and pans, word processors, paint brushes all only operate in MANUAL mode meaning there's no assistance in the background to let you achieve results much better than your skills would allow for. So if you're good you get respect. In keeping with the humour of the OP's post, my favourite is "If you buy a piano you own a piano....if you buy a camera you're a photographer." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willwhite Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 I own a DSLR. Does that mean im a photographer? I would say no im not a photographer but I do love taking pictures and love the joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sknowles Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 "How humble the tool when praised for what the hand has done." Dag Hammarskjold. I suspect photographers aren't the only profession or craft where one's equipment is given the credit for the person. In the end, though, we're fighting all the corporate ads which sell exactly that, buy our stuff and become a professional overnight. And look at all the books to sell you the idea you can become a professional over a weekend and sell your photos immediately. In short we're fighting gravity, and as everyone always experiences, gravity wins all bets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonjb Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Gravity suck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waltflanagan Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Take a random person off the street and give them a camera on full auto mode and they will eventually make a good photo. Take a random person off the street and give them some pots and pans. Will they make a good meal? Probably not. Besides being paid, what sets a pro photographer apart is that they turn in consistent high quality results. They don't just get lucky every once in a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Laur Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 At one point here, someone posted a cartoon... the person looking throught the images says to the photographer, "Hey, your camera makes really great photographs!" And the photographer says, "Thanks! Your mouth makes nice compliments!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emre Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Most people equate sharpness and proper exposure with good photography. The camera can give them that and they don't ask for more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonjb Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 That was the best one so far. LOL Despite the fact that a lot of people are content with bad food, bad music and bad photography, thankfully some people can still tell the difference. Once that is gone there will be no more photographers, chefs and musicians and we'll be left with cellphone cameras, fast food and Britney Spears! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt_needham Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 On the other hand, when I'm shooting with my Rolleiflex planar TLR or Speed Graphic 4x5 people tend to look at the camera and think it's primitive technology. When they see the photos they think "Man, that guy must be an amazing photographer to get such nice photos from such an old camera." :) How do we expect people to react when the majority of photo websites and mags concentrate on the gear? It seems to me a higher percentage of photographers, from enthusiasts to professionals think that much of the magic is in the gear, than the percentage of the general population who thinks that. Compare the number of film vs digital, Nikon vs Canon, 30D vs 40D type of threads to threads asking about light or artful aspects of photography. It's over 100 to 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phule Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 <<How do we expect people to react when the majority of photo websites and mags concentrate on the gear? >> Indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_swinehart Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 "Nice photos." "Thanks, I have really good cameras." ..."And, I know how to use them." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owahc Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 It's not the equipment that makes a good image! I have only recently bought a DSLR and whereas I get FANTASTIC shots with it, I did my first wedding shoot with a disposable camera and the pictures were just as good! K x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtk Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 I've been putting off portraits of a handsome couple for several years. They've seen me with a Canon P, they know it's a special camera, they think I'm better than I am. I plan to do the portraits with sheet film, to maintain the illusion. I did a casual portrait of a man and his infant grandson. I'm proud of it. He asked me to photograph his wedding. I resisted, then yeilded, because I'm no good at weddings. He persisted because he was convinced by the portrait. I don't deserve respect for the wedding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will king Posted November 21, 2007 Author Share Posted November 21, 2007 <i> "I have only recently bought a DSLR and whereas I get FANTASTIC shots with it, I did my first wedding shoot with a disposable camera and the pictures were just as good!" </i> <br> <br> If that's truly the case, you may want to practice a bit more on your DSLR. I know equipment is only a fraction of the equation of producing great photographs, but come on. That's like saying <i> "I can complete a race driving scooter as fast as if I were driving a Porcshe" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norma Desmond Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 John, you don't strike me as the wedding type. Would love to see the pic of the man and his grandson, though! We didn't need dialogue. We had faces! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_notar1 Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 i recall the cartoon too, i still want to recite it to someone. my dad has a P/S camera, one one trip with him i brought along my Mamiya 645 with a Phase One P25 digital back. we went on a hike to some water falls, he wanted a shot of me by the falls. so i gave him the camera and set it on auto everything. the shot was out of focus amoung other things. that takes the cake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will king Posted November 21, 2007 Author Share Posted November 21, 2007 <i> Stopping the italics </i> Stopped Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonjb Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 I've seen a lot of great shots come out of Holga's and pinhole cameras and I still find my completely manual Mamiya 645 easier to use than my 20D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sketch_tbhotmail.com Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 "...so i gave him the camera and set it on auto everything. the shot was out of focus amoung other things. that takes the cake." LOL, I hear ya, my wife always complains that there aren't enough photos of me kicking around and when she takes my camera to snap a few, they're either blurry (I don't think she'll ever understand how shutterspeed affects the photo) or they're badly composed (she crops the top of my head to my eyebrows but captures my belt?). On a side note, I wonder what aperture disposable point and shoots are set at? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ_butner___portland__or Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Doesn't the "P" mode on my camera refer to the "Professional" setting? Russ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenPapai Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 </I>Italics off. <p> ...You own the piano, yet you are a photographer... LOL! 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