The Photo Snob Thread

[brisneyland]

Just an FYI - after the wet summer I found mould on my camera bag, having not used it in forever.

Given all of the lenses that came with my Leica have been pretty much rooted by fungus I wasn't impressed. Not to mention all my negatives...
(seriously, I want to buy a lens for the Leica that doesn't flare like a bitch with a light source in the frame - they are poisonously expensive!)

So, it turns yout you can buy reusable silica gel moisture absorbers, and I just picked up a Pelican type case at Bunnings to store all my gear in (turns out I have way too many cameras - couldn't even fit them all in the large case. The odd one out is a Canon though, so not really worth saving )

If your house gets damp and you have expensive lenses you should probably think about doing something similar.

 

[downhillar]

Can anyone recommend me a decent underwater digital camera?
Considering getting one as a gift for my girlfriend. I don't have much idea when it comes to cameras so i don't have any minimal requirements, basically just a camera she can use when she goes to the beach ect!
Looking to spend around $250.

Gopro's are the bomb in my opinion, but possibly a bit of an overkill for your girlfriend.. you can get them for around $300 from the US or $400 from Aus.

 

[AngoXC]

Given all of the lenses that came with my Leica have been pretty much rooted by fungus I wasn't impressed.

How bad man?

 

[brisneyland]

How bad man?

Ah, it's a long standing thing - my grand dad bought the whole system brand new in 1959 in Kuala Lumpur, and they lived there for many years and then Aus/PNG etc, lots of very humid climates.

They looked terrible at first but I had them professionally disassembled and cleaned a few years back which made a massive difference. They are still really prone to flare with any kind of bright light in the frame, and contrast really drops off in that setting as well.

I just want to make sure they don't get worse now that I've had them cleaned up.

This is a pretty good example of really bad flare:

However it does occur even with fairly minor light sources in the frame.

It's a shame, because they are still capable of great images under the right conditions, even if they are some of Leicas shittier lenses...

 

[24alpha]

Ah, it's a long standing thing - my grand dad bought the whole system brand new in 1959 in Kuala Lumpur, and they lived there for many years and then Aus/PNG etc, lots of very humid climates.

They looked terrible at first but I had them professionally disassembled and cleaned a few years back which made a massive difference. They are still really prone to flare with any kind of bright light in the frame, and contrast really drops off in that setting as well.

I just want to make sure they don't get worse now that I've had them cleaned up.

This is a pretty good example of really bad flare:

However it does occur even with fairly minor light sources in the frame.

It's a shame, because they are still capable of great images under the right conditions, even if they are some of Leicas shittier lenses...

You say bad, I say it adds to the shot!
I can see a time when this would ruin an image though.

 

[sam705]

Gopro's are the bomb in my opinion, but possibly a bit of an overkill for your girlfriend.. you can get them for around $300 from the US or $400 from Aus.

GoPros's sure are good, i've got one for myself that i use for moto riding. I was more so looking for a decent camera thats a bit more user friendly and more accessible as it will be for photos more so than videos!

 

[AngoXC]

This is a pretty good example of really bad flare:

As above, I think it adds to the aesthetic nicely but I can understand the irritation. Lens hood help at all?

As they say, best way to avoid lens fungus is actually using your camera/lens. A good dose of sunlight can do the world of good for your kit.

 

[TWChikn]

GoPros's sure are good, i've got one for myself that i use for moto riding. I was more so looking for a decent camera thats a bit more user friendly and more accessible as it will be for photos more so than videos!

Most brands are doing rugged compacts now. They're generally cold, water, and drop resistant. Hae a look into some of these.


Edit:
This guys takes underwater photo's of dogs after balls in a pool. They're pretty rad!
http://www.littlefriendsphoto.com/index2.php#!/3/underwater_dogs/1

 

[alexx23]

I wish I posted more photos on my tumblr.

Everyone should make one, I know some have cool proper blogs, but with tumblr you can post any shit you take. And not have to worry about potential clients viewing.

I pretty much to use it to look back through, need to post way more photos on there though.

Check it out if you want!

http://alexandergiles.tumblr.com/

Some new ones on there from yesterday too.

 

[jackblackhead]

I wish I posted more photos on my tumblr.

Everyone should make one, I know some have cool proper blogs, but with tumblr you can post any shit you take. And not have to worry about potential clients viewing.

I pretty much to use it to look back through, need to post way more photos on there though.

Check it out if you want!

http://alexandergiles.tumblr.com/

Some new ones on there from yesterday too.

Nice pic. I'd like to see more.

 

[Tristan23]

Everyone should make one, I know some have cool proper blogs, but with tumblr you can post any shit you take. And not have to worry about potential clients viewing.

Ohhh so THAT'S what I have to do to post up my worst photos! I've been WAITING for something like this to come along so I can show the world all the crap I don't want anyone to see!

http://www.alesserphotographerbook.com/a_lesser_photographer.pdf. Go and read chapter 7, and then please, please, grasp the idea that displaying your worst photos is doing absolutely nothing for you. At all. Your 16 year old friends might think they're awesome and make up those 25 likes you get on Facebook for an image, but that's really not an indication of anything except their incompetence and your low standards for yourself. Posting shit photos is doing nothing but ruining and commoditising photography.

Additionally, don't be so naive to think that just because Tumblr may not seem like a 'professional' platform that potential clients won't see it. Everything on the internet is seen by a potential client, friend, relative, or complete stranger...what makes you think your Tumblr is any more discreet than a website or regular blog?

 

[faz]

Posting shit photos is doing nothing but ruining and commoditising photography.

Well it happens in almost every other industry (Huffy makes crap bikes, Great Wall crap 4WD's, etc etc), so it's not exactly earth shattering that it's been happening photography and has been so for quite some time.

 

[alexx23]

You make some valid points Tristan. I should mention that I like every photo I have taken on my Tumblr, or I wouldn't post them.

 

[Tristan23]

Well it happens in almost every other industry (Huffy makes crap bikes, Great Wall crap 4WD's, etc etc), so it's not exactly earth shattering that it's been happening photography and has been so for quite some time.

Yeah, sweet, no worries...:applause:

 

[leitch]

Check it out if you want!

http://alexandergiles.tumblr.com/

Some new ones on there from yesterday too.

What's with all the faux-washedout/darkroomfail/underdeveloped/lowcontrast processing? If you want your photos to look like they were taken on a mouldy Trip35 with expired cheap film and developed by a monkey, then buy an old Trip35, keep it in your bathroom, use expired film and develop it yourself.

Seriously, some of the photos on there could actually be nice. Instead they look like a 10 year old went for a bush walk with his older sister and took the camera that's been sitting in a draw with a roll of film in it since 1995.

Well it happens in almost every other industry (Huffy makes crap bikes, Great Wall crap 4WD's, etc etc), so it's not exactly earth shattering that it's been happening photography and has been so for quite some time.

Choice:

1) Contribute to the ever deepening pool of cheap, mediocre slop that devalues the currency of quality photography, or

2) Strive to be better, be self-critical and don't accept shit from yourself where you wouldn't accept it from others.

 

[Jaydawgz]

Alex, you might like a friend of mines work.
http://www.facebook.com/adamnoteve

Sorry, but his website is currently down so facebook will have to do!

 

[Oliver.]

Being selective is a very important skill. But it can go the other way to ones detriment.
Making mistakes is a good thing.
Finding time each day to be creative is a good thing.
Taking photos for ones own enjoyment is a great thing.
If you don't like what you take, throw it away, but if it makes you feel happy, and you feel like you want to share it, do it.
There's not enough time for anyone to hide behind a handful of their best photographs. Part of the fun is sometimes picking the one photograph you didn't expect anyone to like, and then discovering that it's very popular.

For those reasons, there are many benefits to tumblr, regardless of its reputation.

 

[AngoXC]

'Awww'

 

[Ek155]

Ohhh so THAT'S what I have to do to post up my worst photos! I've been WAITING for something like this to come along so I can show the world all the crap I don't want anyone to see!

http://www.alesserphotographerbook.com/a_lesser_photographer.pdf. Go and read chapter 7, and then please, please, grasp the idea that displaying your worst photos is doing absolutely nothing for you. At all. Your 16 year old friends might think they're awesome and make up those 25 likes you get on Facebook for an image, but that's really not an indication of anything except their incompetence and your low standards for yourself. Posting shit photos is doing nothing but ruining and commoditising photography.

Additionally, don't be so naive to think that just because Tumblr may not seem like a 'professional' platform that potential clients won't see it. Everything on the internet is seen by a potential client, friend, relative, or complete stranger...what makes you think your Tumblr is any more discreet than a website or regular blog?

Taken from your blog..
" there are also a bunch of aspiring photographers who may never earn anything from it, and I don't think they should feel anything less than complete happiness that they get to take photos and capture memories. When I look through my website, nearly all the photos I see were taken on my own time. My favorites were taken with minimal gear and have never seen the inside of a magazine, brochure or commercial website. They were created out of love for photography, and when I took them I wasn't looking for a salable item. My favorite photographs are the ones I loved taking. And that, to me, is the definition of success."

What is wrong with Alex taking photo's that he [hopefully] loved to take and obviously likes?
I'm not saying that the work he posts there is his best (why is there even a 'best' photo - why not 'favourite?'), but like Oliver said, if he likes to take them, and likes the result, then what is the problem?
How can you argue for 'ruining and commoditising' photography? Who set the standard for photography for Alex to ruin? And what bar do you then set on all images you take? If you can't compete with someone like Ansel Adams then why bother at all?

As for commoditising - how is Alex creating a tumblr commoditising photography? I am assuming you mean the act of making a photo a commodity - something to trade in a marketplace. Clearly this is not what he is aiming for with his tumblr, so why use this argument? And then, is 'commoditising' photography really a new or bad thing? People have been selling photos for years, is that not 'commoditising' photography? Your website states that all your images are for sale and may not be taken or used without consent from you. That is turning the pictures that you have taken into a commodity.
And then you argue that he should be wary when posting images because of the potential that future clients may see them...? ironic?

(I am not arguing against your website or what you do with your photography, just the argument against Alex "commoditising and ruining" photograhy).


And Leitch, your argument is irrelevant. What Alex and you regard as nice are completely different things. I may look at images you post on your photostream as bland - perfect exposure, contrast - "controlled". Don't make insults where they are not necessary.

Anyway, at risk of getting drilled for underdeveloped, low contrast processing, here is an image that I loved taking of a tree that I loved to photograph. This is exactly how I want to remember this moment, from yesterday morning, Mary's peak, OR.

 

[faz]

Ek155 you've summed that up wonderfully. I'm really sick of and turned off by the elitism and attitudes that exists in photography and I say that with years of working with commercial, media, sports and amateur photographers. I'm now studying photography part time while I work full time and some where in between fit in family and 2 kids with 2 different sports.

What I see and interpret with my eyes is something different to the person next to me, the person who has had experience in a particular genre of photography and countless other factors. If it were maths then we'd all get the same answer time and time over 1+1=2 - there is no disputing that. Photography or for want of a better expression - and I hate using it as I don't photograph for it - "art" is influenced by a wide range of individual perspectives, there can't be a right or wrong answer only subjective expressions.

Rather than "cheap mediocre slop that devalues the currency of quality photography" I'd argue, and not to be different, but from my perspective it increases the value of quality photography. Are we to hide in our dark rooms until we are of a standard like Arnold Newman (sorry, only referenced because week in, week out we seem to look at his images in class) and only then come out of obscurity because we are elitist worthy of showing our work or do we shoot for what we as individuals get out of it? At the end of the day I don't shoot for others, I shoot for me and the style I want to shoot because that is what I do. I'm not setting out to be a conformist to individuals because I were I'd have to take several hundred if not thousands of the same image to satisfy each an everyones opinion. If people like what I see through my viewfinder and then either onscreen or printed then so be it, I've given them the opportunity of seeing what I saw at the time I captured what I did. Am I devaluing the gene pool of photography or turning it into a commodity be it one with money value or no money value attached to it? Hell no.