"Rant: I Love Photography"

[admiralsfan]

How many of you have seen this?!

"There is a percentage of photographers who hate photography. They do not appreciate photography. They do not consume photography. They don’t look at photo books or photo magazines. They hate the guy with the iPhone taking Instagram shots. They hate the guy who just bought the D4 because they don’t have one. They hate people using digital because film is what real artists use. They hate photographers who embrace social media because images should stand on their own.

They hate Getty, Corbis, the AP, day rates, photo editors, assistants, rental houses, camera stores, point-and-shoots, iPads, zoom lenses, padded camera straps, wheeled suitcases, younger photographers, older photographers. The photo of so-and-so on the cover of whatever it’s called sucks. That guy copied the other guy, he sucks. Terry Richardson sucks. Chuck Close sucks. Vincent Laforet hasn’t taken a still in 17 years. Kodak hasn’t been managed well since the 70s. Blah, blah, blah."

http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2012/02/ran...otography/

What are your thoughts?

[Don Schaeffer]

I love photography but don't know about most of that other stuff.

[admiralsfan]

Hi Don... In the first paragraphs it screams about guys who hate people taking ‘crappy’ photos, and then it shows us great photos or photos with emotional content... I think he's just attacking the critics and leaving everyone else

[Toad]

Great article admiralsfan and very thought provoking. I would have to say in general that I agree with this analysis. I have always been uncomfortable with pundits saying that this photograph is "proper" photography and that one doesn't count because: (a) it is digital (b) it is modified in PhotoShop © it is technically substandard in some way (d) etc. etc.

Its nice to see somebody just embrace the medium for its possibilities instead of its limitations.

[admiralsfan]

Hi Toad. I can see both points of view but I agree with you.

Might I just say, I like your service of removing ex's from photographs, haha, and good luck with the site.

[shuttertalk]

I definitely love photography but sometimes get carried away by all the gear, bells and whistles too. I'm in IT - it's probably in my blood!

But I love looking at sites like The Big Picture by the Boston Globe because of so many fantastic captures that just inspire the mind. In that mode I love photography, I love the emotions evoked, I love those shots that pull you into the frame and you look past all the gear and critical analysis and just think - what a beautiful shot...


Welcome to Shuttertalk by the way admiralsfan - good to have you on board and thanks for sharing. Care to tell us a bit more about yourself?

[admiralsfan]

(Feb 27, 2012 18:54)shuttertalk Wrote:  I definitely love photography but sometimes get carried away by all the gear, bells and whistles too. I'm in IT - it's probably in my blood!

But I love looking at sites like The Big Picture by the Boston Globe because of so many fantastic captures that just inspire the mind. In that mode I love photography, I love the emotions evoked, I love those shots that pull you into the frame and you look past all the gear and critical analysis and just think - what a beautiful shot...


Welcome to Shuttertalk by the way admiralsfan - good to have you on board and thanks for sharing. Care to tell us a bit more about yourself?

It's easy to get carried away! Thanks for the welcome, a bit like yourself my fulltime job isn't in photography as I work in research, mainly as a hobby but I do paid work as well. I'm interested in technology too so I enjoy reading tech blogs etc. and checking out the latest gear and gadgets.

[Scottbad]

Of course he loves photography. He runs Photoshelter, a photography site, and this originally appeared on his photoshelter blog. He's just essentially telling his customers (and potential customers) how fabulous they are.
It's called marketing.

Another photoblog/social media CEO that makes money driving traffic to his site with free photo e-books writes an inflammatory article and gets a behind-the-times tech blog, starving for page views and content to link it as to drive traffic to his site.

News at 11.

[lcburns]

Nowadays one thing that I notice is a lot of ego in this field, and haters. It's like there's this pervasive insecurity about being "professional" not in a behaviour sense, but in some deep artistic-credibility sense.