"Your camera takes great photos" and other peeves

[Pi]

You mean you watched it right through to the end ?! ???

If you have not watched the second half, you missed most of the fun.

 

[cayenne]

Sorry, but I can't resist posting this link about...how to be a Professional Photographer:

MWAC Attack-Episode 1: The Camera

I get tickled every time I watch this..or the ones that follow in her series....

She is fantastic! I had the same experience watching FOX NEWS for the first time, I couldn't work out if it was a very subtle satire or for real and there were idiots who really thought that way. When I got to episode 15 about GOD, I was in no doubt that like FOX NEWS, it was a clever satire.

I dunno...Fox News isn't any worse than say, MSNBC.....

I tend to at times put both the remote and switch between the two of them on evenings I'm bored. I figure between those two extremes, I'll find a bit of truth there somewhere...


K

 

[7enderbender]

Sorry, but I can't resist posting this link about...how to be a Professional Photographer:


I get tickled every time I watch this..or the ones that follow in her series....

Oh boy. That's like fingernails on chalkboard. A) Because there are people (and not just females) who talk like this for real and B) Because it shows some of the recent gender bias that has started to develop in some industries. No, I don't think that the stereotypical guys who used to dominate certain industries were any "better" in that sense. But I've been watching a lot of the Creative Live features recently. You know the types I'm talking about. Some of those chicks have pretty good business sense I must say. And some are very good photographers, no doubt, while others I find deliver shockingly mediocre results.
But they all seem to get much better access these days to all sorts of situations where guys seem to have a harder and harder time based on the changed image of who and what is a photographer.

Don't get me wrong: I wish them all much success. Everyone is responsible for their own thing. Who cares how you get there.

I take it that most of us here are guys. Which seems to be rather typical these days. The famous pro guys are all tech guys. You know, those who tour the country to show some sweaty overweight guys named Chuck how to correctly use PocketWizards and their new camera. (Full disclosure: I watch a lot of those guys' videos, read the books and should really lose another 15lb...). Most guys known for their actual photography are mostly from a generation before that (yes, there are always exceptions). And then there is the new wave of female pros known for their California hipster style wedding photography (barf) or baby photographers to the celebrities (more barf) and so forth.

So to the original point: camera doesn't matter really (well it does, but not really). It's about the marketing. How can Chucky and his friends be comfortable out there and get paid appropriately these days? Other than as a sports photographer that is.

 

[poias]

Photographers have a rather high opinion of themselves. They are probably the least earners in terms of industrial average and have rather substantial investments in their assets, but take offense when somebody gives credit to their gear.

If you are a painter, you could argue that it is your talent and skill that contribute most to the product you are developing. After all, having good quality canvas or paint alone is not going to translate into good painting. But a good quality lens and a good quality camera will give a good quality photo UNLESS the operator sucks. Of course, great photographers can get great results with great cameras, but the skill and talent necessary for great photos is not as great as photographers would like to believe. No offense, but we are in this rumor site where we talk nothing but gear -- so, gear does matter quite a bit in photography.

So, when somebody compliments your gear, just smile and reply back, "Thank you, without this expensive gear, my photo would look shitty just like coming from your iphone." That is the truth.

 

[Sporgon]

You mean you watched it right through to the end ?! ???

If you have not watched the second half, you missed most of the fun.

OK, so I watched the second half; there's just something about her presentation which makes me feel I could turn gay.

She's not married to Ken Rockwell by any chance ?

 

[serendipidy]

You mean you watched it right through to the end ?! ???

If you have not watched the second half, you missed most of the fun.

OK, so I watched the second half; there's just something about her presentation which makes me feel I could turn gay.

She's not married to Ken Rockwell by any chance ?

Brother and sister maybe? ;D

OK...curiosity finally made me cave and watch it. I thought it was humorous and obviously tongue-in-cheek. From now on, I'm using P mode so I can be a pro too. 8)

 

[paul13walnut5]

I was undecided until 2.14.

Then I think I fell in love. Her song to the tune of jungle book gives me a huge crush.

 

[Rienzphotoz]

I get tickled every time I watch this..

OMG! ... I am shocked for 2 reasons:
1. Everything about that video
2. That you say "every time I watch this" ... how many times did you watch !t? more importatnly, why on God green earth are you watching it more than once?
Lord forgive me, I have sinned by losing almost 4 minutes of my life that I can never get back!

You mean you watched it right through to the end ?! ???

Unfortunately, Yes! :-[ ... in my defense I did ask the Lord to forgive me

 

[Rienzphotoz]

She's not married to Ken Rockwell by any chance ?

;D

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

in nascar... we compliment the racers... not the car. Jimmy Johnson won the whatever cup.. not his car. this is s perfectly respectable beef.

In F1 you hear a lot of complements for both driver and car.

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

I get tickled every time I watch this..

OMG! ... I am shocked for 2 reasons:
1. Everything about that video
2. That you say "every time I watch this" ... how many times did you watch !t? more importatnly, why on God green earth are you watching it more than once?
Lord forgive me, I have sinned by losing almost 4 minutes of my life that I can never get back!

You mean you watched it right through to the end ?! ???

Why not? It's better than most recent SNL skits!

(Don't be surprise if you see her on SNL next season. It seems pretty clear to me that it's a satirical sketch comedy piece.)

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

MWAC Attack-Episode 3: The Importance of Accessories in Professional Photography

haha she is awesome

MWACattack: Episode 6: Embrace The Shortcuts

"Education is great, but really, who has the time to learn? We live in a world filled with wonderful things called...Shortcuts!!!! I mean, you could learn about the other settings on your camera, or what all those tools in Photoshop do, but why?"

haha awesome, so much better than SNL has been in years

her videos need more views haha


now THIS is a funny and light-hearted way to react to things and how to go about it

 

[sdsr]

The only comment I really dislike is actually meant as a compliment - someone or some group will see me wandering through a park etc. with a FF Canon and biggish lens of some sort, say something like "you must be a good photographer; could you take my/our photo?" and hand me a smartphone or point-and-shoot which I haven't a clue how to use, which makes me feel like an idiot; the resulting photo is probably dreadful, but luckily I don't get to see it....

This happened to me a lot in Santorini (very picturesque Greek island) when wandering around with my DSLR on a tripod. I always responded "I'll take your picture with your camera, if I can first take your picture with _my_ camera"! I collected several nice portraits of people I never knew this way.

What a good idea. After I've obliged and taken their photo with their cellphone, and when it's too late, I sometimes wonder whether I should have offered to use my camera instead and email them the results - but that might seem a tad creepy.

 

[sdsr]

But then again there plenty of rich fools who think they need a 1DX and 200-400 f/4L 1.4x to take pictures of their cat! I guess for some it's a status symbol. Porsche? Check! Butler? Check! Most expensive camera in the world? Check!

There was a wonderful geeky moment on an episode of VEEP (a very good HBO sitcom) in which the Vice President hires a professional photographer for some event. An annoying character who works in the White House sees his camera and asks him what it is. An exchange along these lines (but better than I'm describing it, of course) follows:

A: It's a 5D
Q: (With smug look of superiority) Ha. I have a 1D.
A: Oh yeah? Take a lot of sports/action shots do you?
Q, missing the point, continues the exchange briefly and ends up looking as much of an idiot as he usually does, only this time for a reason that only a rather small portion of the audience was likely to appreciate.

 

[Menace]

When some of my friends first saw the 70-200 II, they thought it had a much longer FL than it did because it was so large/heavy. I use the 70-200 II a lot when my girls are playing soccer, and I've had the usual comments from random strangers like "Wow, that is some lens!" And my default reply, "Yes, it is!" It surprises me that there aren't more parents with better cameras. After all, I see higher quality lenses/camera combinations at berry farms/apple orchards than I see at the kids' games.

Ditto.

They are often surprised and disappointed that max my FL is only 200mm whilst their 'long' kit lens goes up to 300! (That'd be the 75-300 III on an EOS 1100)

 

[jdramirez]

Photographers have a rather high opinion of themselves. They are probably the least earners in terms of industrial average and have rather substantial investments in their assets, but take offense when somebody gives credit to their gear.

If you are a painter, you could argue that it is your talent and skill that contribute most to the product you are developing. After all, having good quality canvas or paint alone is not going to translate into good painting. But a good quality lens and a good quality camera will give a good quality photo UNLESS the operator sucks. Of course, great photographers can get great results with great cameras, but the skill and talent necessary for great photos is not as great as photographers would like to believe. No offense, but we are in this rumor site where we talk nothing but gear -- so, gear does matter quite a bit in photography.

So, when somebody compliments your gear, just smile and reply back, "Thank you, without this expensive gear, my photo would look shitty just like coming from your iphone." That is the truth.

dig rev tv does a bit where they give a pro photog a cheap camera and then let them do their thing despite the constraints.

I agree that photography is an easier medium for artistry, but hitting the shutter button isn't the artistry itself and there in lies the distinction.

 

[jdramirez]

in nascar... we compliment the racers... not the car. Jimmy Johnson won the whatever cup.. not his car. this is s perfectly respectable beef.

In F1 you hear a lot of complements for both driver and car.

true, but in nascar they kinda makes the cars all even.... presumably the way our gear comes off the assembly line.

 

[paul13walnut5]

But then again there plenty of rich fools who think they need a 1DX and 200-400 f/4L 1.4x to take pictures of their cat! I guess for some it's a status symbol. Porsche? Check! Butler? Check! Most expensive camera in the world? Check!

There was a wonderful geeky moment on an episode of VEEP (a very good HBO sitcom) in which the Vice President hires a professional photographer for some event. An annoying character who works in the White House sees his camera and asks him what it is. An exchange along these lines (but better than I'm describing it, of course) follows:

A: It's a 5D
Q: (With smug look of superiority) Ha. I have a 1D.
A: Oh yeah? Take a lot of sports/action shots do you?
Q, missing the point, continues the exchange briefly and ends up looking as much of an idiot as he usually does, only this time for a reason that only a rather small portion of the audience was likely to appreciate.

This

http://youtu.be/n5aAYpwB5zc

 

[RomainF]

This

http://youtu.be/n5aAYpwB5zc

This just became my new favorite video ever.
Could anyone just transcribe this part, i can't get it....?
"You shoot a lot of sports ? Moving action ? You take hundreds of pictured "[what ?] [cats & fish ?]" ... ? Cause otherwise you don't need a 1D".
Thanks...I hardly try to improve my accent...


On the other hand, if i remember well, i think i've read that all these videos from "MWACattack" are some kind of fakes. She's actually a real pro-photog, probably a good one, and she makes some money out of all the views she gets from annoyed-photographers !

 

[wsmith96]

But shooting on full auto and refusing to learn any other modes AND calling yourself a photographer is what I was referring to. The post was a reply to the "do you think either deserve to call themselves photographers?". Just my way of saying hell no!

Now, if they can use full auto as well as other modes to create stunning images then yes I would say that person could be called a photographer.

You gotta know the limitations of your equipment and be able to push yourself and be creative. That person Roo was talking about sounds like the opposite of that.

Sorry, but I can't resist posting this link about...how to be a Professional Photographer:

MWAC Attack-Episode 1: The Camera

I get tickled every time I watch this..or the ones that follow in her series....

Okay, this is the first time I've watched this video.....................................................

I understand now that I had it all wrong, I need to move my dial from "M" for moron, to "P" for professional.

I had many opportunities before to watch this, but I passed on it based upon what you fine folks commented. How could I have been so short sighted. :

Actually, her bubbliness kind of creeped me out.