ben conover

Pico, put your picture up here and let's see who you are!

Just kidding, I know people like annonimity. Well I think Ilkka makes a very good point about the use of the internet. When I go into the city and use an internet cafe I may glance about for a second and see loads of people typing away in search of communication with other species. Some just stare at screens and gamble online, losing. Others use forums or whatever. But the internet can be very useful fro research too. Ilkka, when as a young student you turned down that new computer in favour of an xa2 and a round the world trip you made a very good long term choice. It payed off, you found your wife and many great photos. I think we spend too much time in front of these screens. Over on flickr I notice small groups of people needing critique but I'm not sure it's any easier in a small group than a large group. Jenny, if you want to sell your work then sell it and do whatever it takes to sell it. Otherwise I tend to just do what I want, and if someone wants it, then they pay.

Cheers.

With 3,910.00 UK pounds, or 7,235.00 US dollars........

I'd take a long holiday in Budapest.

I used the g690bl and gw69011, I preffered the g690bl becuase it has interchangable lenses, made of brass, quieter, and heavier.

Cheers.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110042696641&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=001

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110042685632&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=001

Hi my old B&J had bellows made of some material other than leather. I never found them stiff or dificult to use. Not sure why yours are stiff really. I doubt you can treat the bellows with a softener because they are not leather, so perhaps just use as best you can.

Cheers.

Hi Jenny,

A bright girlfriend once told me this "if a woman says less is more, then she's lying". For the purposes of art and philosophy, I prefer to see more than less.

However, subtlety can be had with more, or less. Another woman once said to me "who's subtle anyway?" I thought about that for a while because it really took me by surprise. Are people and art really all that subtle? Or are our RAW or unprocessed ideas essentially just photoshopped to fit our aesthetic?

Glad you enjoyed your holiday with e. Garden of Eden, giant sea cucmbers, chicken nugget man, great stuff.

Your photo 'Brick' looks interesting and subtle. The face so near the ground and perhaps an oddity make it seem almost forensic in nature, yet obviously not.

Anyhow, sometimes less is more.

Cheers.

Hi Art,

"Users can watch live TV in crisp picture through Satellite DMB function."

"design reminiscent of a real digital camera"

"business card reader"

What is a busines card reader? I like reading business cards, perhaps they mean you can copy the business card into the phone memory?

Well, as looks go it's kinda dull. But it does have a phone on it, which is great if you like talking into your camera. I think it would be very useful if you could use the camera and the phone at the same time. Actaully I thought of this idea last year but got seduced by large format. If you could phopne your girlfriend and say, just taking a few photos of someone darling, that'd be cool.

Otherise, I think I'd rather have separates, camera for photos and phone for talking. I mean, there are times when you don't need a pokey little zoom lens in your ear.

Cheers.

Dunno rach, but is that a self portrait of you on your bio page?

How the hell did you do that?

For old good cameras I'd sugguest you look for a Rolleicord 5, you could get one fir $200

Cheers.

Bill, it is excellent and thanks for taking the time to explain to me. The new version reminds me of the old retouched photos form years back, kinda suits Stefi and her teutonic looks.

I think it was Provia 400, but can't remember really. I just remmeber buying a load of out of date slide film and tech pan all of which I used up, with a few photos I like.

Cheers.

Wow Bill!

I gotta get photoshop....amazing, thanks. Did it take long?

She looks so...unreal, but less pink. Stefi is wonderful and I miss her. Interesting toi see how one image can bend your mind when it's changed slightly. I like the colour change, I see how the scene i chose was too wide for the latitiude of the film. I think it was Fuji Provia, could have been Velvia, can't remember.

Well, I must say the photoshopping has restored my faith in film!

Thanks.

Hi Theodore you can buy film here:

http://cgi.ebay.ie/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110042696641&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=001

Hi Jennifer,

I'm an amatuer beginner and I only used slide film once last year. I found that guessing exposures is not good enough if you need to get the shot. If you have time on each shot try to use an incident meter.

to measure exactly what you want. I wish I had used a meter!

Cheers.<div></div>

Kevin, you wrote:

"My own view is that art must follow its own rules independent of public moral standards whether those standards claim to speak for decency or public safety. Art cannot be expected to account for people's reactions to it. People must be held accountable for their own behavior."

Is the artsist (or snapshooter) not as responsible as the viewer?

Why does the artist get excemption from responsibility in your terms quoted above?

In Ireland the arts are not taxed, hence, I don't pay tax for what I sell. However, I cannot go into a church and ask a young woman to show me her arse while I photograph it, tempting though that may be...

Cheers.

Hey Jochen, cheers for the tips. Not fond of shooting old grannies either, glad you are wild at heart too. I will be staying in Ireland for a little while longer than expected it seems, so perhpas by then one or two of the three camera stores will have the 10Kd to handle and drool over. Those new batteries sound good actually, certainly grannyproof.

Alan, I realized I could use the manual primes on the dslr but I just couldn't justify keeping such a lens. I have a normal 28mm which will do me fine, smaller and lighter too.

Cheers.

Thanks, makes sense now. I suppose the new battery tpes are just harder to sell initially. I'd still be very interested in the Pentax K10 with the new battery type.

Just in case you want one : http://cgi.ebay.ie/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110041320324

Cheers.

Remarkable answers above. If you know nothing else, know hope. Tali, I hope it goes well for you. I'd say don't worry about it in the slightest. Just do what you do and don't let enybodt get in your way. I'm sure you can point the camera at the bride and groom well enough to make them very happy. I took 10 photos of one wedding 10 years ago, with a point and shoot film camera. How's that for experience.

Cheers.

Hello,

I am slowly pondering the switch to dslr from Pentax LX.

The camera store here in Ireland tells me they don't stock the

Pentax dslr's and won't touch them due to battey issues.

They said Penta take a different type of battery or

something along those lines, can't remember.

Q. Is that just the shop sales trying to sell the brands they do stock,

or are there valid concerns regarding the Pentax dslr battery type ?

Many thanks.

Rebecca:

"I for one hope that the things we can't forget are the things we will not repeat."

I will respectfully disagree with that. For me it is more important to remember the shots we like, the nice, funny, loving, healthy shots. The things we want and can repeat because they pay off. We can move on from the tradgedy of life, if we want to. if we don't want to we end up blaming each other and having wars. Finding the truth is another question. We know the truth of many of these terrible cimes, the shooting of the Amish kids, the Holocaust...Of course the attrocities of war have a place in photography, but I agree with what Dick Hilker said regarding morbid curiosity.

Jeffrey, if you had used a simple point and shoot camera with film you would not have any regrets! Sounds like a strong and good memory for you, nicely depicted.

Cheers.

Those poor kids will take years to understand what happened.

The photo is a good one but not the shot of a lifetime.

Perhaps Ironically a photo of the gunman in action (although rather a difficult subject to view) may have been the shot.

I think the ongoing proccess of striving for each shot is what I try to do, otherwise it would all be too easy.

Cheers.

1) Porn doesn't hurt anyone - crap.

2) Art in the service of politics can certainly hurt people - anything in the service of politics can hurt people. Take a look at the friggin church.

Hi, it's worth using the film before it becomes unavaileable which might not happen for a while anyway. It's an artful thing to do. Perhaps B+W Polaroid Type 55 film is a versatile choice, positive and negative.

You might want to do large format polaroids instead, you can pick up cheap holders decent and cameras with a lens for $200. I'm selling one on ebay right now.

Cheers.