john_hughes4

Well Todd speaking as an unreal photographer,it depends what you really want to photograph

And who or what created Fox News?

Good idea Pete.The original 'My Way', was written for a Frenchman who electrocuted himself in his bath,too much technology again.Anyway seems like there's a lot of self-convincing going on,so lets leave them to it.

As a Mongolian friend said to me in the middle of the Steppe when he saw me looking impatient'It's funny you've got the watches, and we've got the time'.

Micki, we seem to be on the same wavelength.Jeff , noone is lazier than me, so when I talk about easiness, its just that there is a lot of arrogance and condescention about people who want ALSO to keep as basic as possible.I joined the PTA(post treatment anonymous) and the doctor put me on NEF, with 2 spoonfuls a day of Capture.I feel much better.All around me I hear desperate cries of'I must buy CS3',its so good for RAW etc.So the future of Photographic presentation depends on how much money you can spend on software?Our 'Artistic' ejaculations depend totally on a bunch of people whose names briefly appear on a screen,who enable us to grab a paint brush without ruining our best t-shirt? Sun- tanned people are not necessarily healthier than others,we are made to believe that they are.

Funny how the word 'Purist' comes up everytime a non post treatment person is referred to.Post-treatment has two aims.1:make the photo look better,or as it could have looked given better light etc...and maybe a better photographer .2:Or to make it look like something else which it seems we like to call art.Any form of iterpretation can be called art.But the question is,which is easier?A good photo non post treated, or a good post treated one?And now I realise for the majority of people, that someone who wants to keep there photos as unmanipulated as possible is looked upon as backward.How about a thread on Photoshop elitists?

In evertything I do I am not a purist.I just refuse to make my photos of the Sahara look like a badly made bed with velvet blankets, and my Mongolian nomade friends look like Noel Coward in evening dress.That has nothing to do with computer agility,I think its called (hold on to yer mice) respect.

The subject was purists, not purity

The tragic thing about this,is that I hear people who take photos better than I ever will,bickering about ratings.Everything has gone digital, evan conversation.

Philip,if you go to Mallaig and you want great photos,the ile of Skye is a must,you can take photos of Mallaig harbour from the ferry,and the train ride from Mallaig to Fort William is marvelous.Its a steam train that runs until 4th October,I think (check on that) John

Daniel, thanks for your comments, which are pure unmanipulating ones.And for your photos, which I have just seen for the first time.Now I know why I come on photo net.John

"And some fell on stony ground" So globally a purist is a thicko who can't use photoshop, and once you touch your camera everything is false, so carry onto the bitter end, evan if the end results have absolutely nothing to do with the original subject? I think i'll take the dog for a walk.

I get your meaning Alice.But these photos, that are no longer photos, are none the less an attractive interpretation of something, which personally I admire, but I dont indulge in.A recent photo on photo net caught my eye.The colours and the texture,the smoothness, were magnificent.I realised from the title that it was taken in a rugged part of the world where I had lived for 6 months.It had nothing to do with what I had seen.And the somewhat fairy- tale aspect gave no reason to suspect that the inhabitants lived and died in total conflict with the elements,so beautifully controlled by photoshop.I have noticed, in Europe anyway, that since the over saturation of psychadelic post treatment ,there is more and more interest in black and white photography.To many ingredients spoils the soup.

The day I send photos to photo net,will be the day I consider that I have something to offer, which is not around yet (who's a chicken?)My photos , if manipulated, will be accompanied by the originals, so that everyone, especially myself, can see where my on the field ability ends , and my computer 'skills' begin.That should make everyone happy......No? Purists in everything are just people trying to hold on to what they think is the basis of things, not prude nuns presented with a porn movie.A minimum amount of interference, maintains a maximum amount of reality, and I'm not being political, or am I ???

Hi Steve,I can"t give better advice than has just been given, but remember your D200 probably thought that it was doing you a favour by shutting down.It's a machine and believe me I've been talking to my D200 for 18 months and it does'nt make the slightest difference.If I don't help him, he's gonna do what he thinks is best.Good shooting John.

When photography started to really develope in the mid 19th century, impressionism was born. Painters did'nt have to copy exactly what they saw,just there interpretation.Painting did'nt disappear.I've used my (very average) photos for lectures for the last 15 years.I did some filming, all nicely cut up with premiere pro etc, and after showing it, I answered all the questions using photos.What I mean is we reflect on a film afterwards,because the image moves, whilst a photo makes our eyes and our brain work.Nothing will ever be more explicit than a photo.Video and photography are not enemys, but complementary.So I think we are talking about co-existence, rather than competition.To keep photography a valid and valuable medium is what the vaste majority of people on photo net are doing simply(if I may say so)by submitting photos that are all in various respects worth contemplating.Hopefully in 2025 there will still be people who want to contemplate,but then thats another story

How about a French one? St Exupery."you can only see with the heart,the essential is invisible".From the book Le Petit Prince,which French kids read at twelve.

If he can get to Andorra prices are just as cheap as on the net(don't forget to bargain)and at least you can handle the thing.Instruction book in Spanish though,but full European guarantee.

Up until about 10 years ago, you could'nt find anything in Ulaan Baator.Now there is everything and more despite the fact that very few Mongolians can afford to buy.So Photo store wise there is no problem, although I have never used them. There is one on the Sukh Baator sqare.If you are planning to hit the country outside the city, remember that Ulaan Baator is a satelite.So stock up with cards,batteries etc, as electricity is extremely hard to come by.I've sometimes used a jeep,and a battery charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter is very handy.I'm available for other information. good trip John

I've just come back from 2 months in Canada.A few years ago we were told that when encountering a Bear, it was advisable to take off, your backpack and place it on the ground, so that Yogi could munch anything worth munching whilst you do a runner.Apparently this marvellous theory has been revised since the 'experts' have realised that Bears had come to the conclusion, that the giving of a sack was compensation for there agressive attitude.Which when you come to think of it,is understandable.Just an example of the bullshit that Parks come up with.Toothpaste, they love,but who needs it?.If you see a bear try to put yourself in a position where the wind is coming from his direction so he cant smell you,crouch down, dont move,its the mouvement they see,take your picture, and move of slowly.Bear sightings are very rapid so keep your camera in hand with a reasonable zoom.Anyway Bears in September have got there minds of other things apart from eating tourists.good trip. John

I think that great photography requires the luck(or the oppurtunity)to be in the right place, at the right time,to realise it and to adapt to the conditions your photo making machine,whilst trying to give out character style,all of which must be apprieciated by the viewer.Thats a great deal to much for me.

I ain't a genius,but I like my Sigma 70-200 2.8.A monopod is always good to have on you, sort of a poor mans(poorer mans) VR.Can use it as a walking stick, defense club,even used it as a fishing rod in Mongolia

What is a photograph?

How to make a light subject heavy.

It's an expression which uses light.So surely the word Photography still maintains its sense.If you write with a pen or a typewriter it's the contents which count,and the effect on the people absorbing it.It would never occur to me to ask a painter what sort of brushes he uses.My wife and I give lectures on a number of different ethnic groups in Asia.I attempted to use film, butI realised that nothing was more explicit than a photo that engraves the moment.