"You must have a really good camera" [slight rant]

netgarden · Oct 10, 2008

and they had not one shot to keep! So equipment does matter.
There is some truth to excellent cameras and the best lenses.
Although on the other hand I've seen some bad photos with the best equipment.

I just tell them it's a commitment to the learning curve, and the ability to make the best of what you have.

I admit though, I am a little envious of someone with a 500f4 taking the same shots next to me. I do love the challenge though. I won't help people anymore that want a free ride to success without the effort.

This opens up a ton of canned worms, like processing, buying your way into interesting photo shoots, etc....the list goes on. Bottom line if they don't appreciate your efforts that make good photos, they don't know much.
Enjoy the joy!
--

Linda's space~ http://soulswithin.u.yuku.com/
~~You don't take a photograph. You ask, quietly, to borrow it.~~ Author Unknown

Japanese scientists have created a camera with a shutter speed so fast, they can now photograph a woman with her mouth shut.

Sezzi · Oct 10, 2008

Same thing kinda happened to me tonight. But I got the (which I think is even worse) good old "your camera takes some really nice pictures huh!".

...

sure, yeah, my camera takes wicked pictures! ... it also cooks, cleans, and shops for me. GRR.

...

But what can I say really... I don't wanna be the angry person here, I never like that role, so I just kinda let it pass with the knowing they just don't know better. It's a shame yes, but hey..

After the comment the same people went on to discussing cameras in mobile phones. "Oh how good they have gotten now! Just so much better than they used to be. Did you see his? It has so many megapixels!"

--
nandeyanen!

Earthlight · Oct 10, 2008

John Seymour said:
Like other forms of art, the merit of a photograph is in the eye of
the beholder. But sad thing is most people who say such things
wouldn't recognise a "good photograph" if it smacked them in the face
anyway.

I too find such comments irritating, uninformed etc., etc., but even
when they do 'get the point', I don't think they really believe it!
And they're not the sort of people who would appreciate any kind of
photography enough to buy it...

"After all, what skill can be in creating anything that only takes
1/1000th sec..." :-|

Yeah, that's true. Many new artforms and even sports are looked down upon like that. People are insecure. It's fun to diss other peoples' efforts.

Earthlight

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Mostly harmless

Earthlight · Oct 10, 2008

malc350 said:
Mind you why bother with all that, all I need is a "great camera"......!

Yep. You push the button, we do the rest.

Earthlight

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Mostly harmless

glasswave · Oct 10, 2008

....most folks that take wonderful images, do have a very nice camera. OTH, those very same people would probably get some very nice images with any camera and other people seem to know it.

I have often been asked to take snap shots for folks w/their P&S's because they have seen my pics before or simply the camera I'm carrying.

Earthlight said:
Hi guys and gals,

I know I'm beating a horse that's been dead for nearly a century
already, but I have got to vent.

Within two days, as people look at my photos, I have heard twice the
comment "you must have a really good camera!".

What will they say once I upgrade to 5DMkII? Most of them should
probably hyperventilate immediately upon realising what an
extraordinary camera I used to capture the image.

Well, you know, how many people does it take to capture one
extraordinary photo?

The answer is 50. One takes the shot and 49 say "I could have done
it" (provided they had the same camera I suppose...).

Earthlight

--

Mostly harmless

--

There is simply too much beauty in the world to photograph it all, but I'm trying.

Rob Kircher · Oct 10, 2008

John Storjohann said:
grin Just wait until a friend that has made that comment has had
you over for a meal...and afterwards, say "Wow...that was great. You
must have REALLY nice pots and pans!".

Well actually I do have really nice pots and pans and a great set of knives. I also have a great stove/oven, along with a professional mixer and other such things.

Are those things responsible for my ability to cook decent meals? Of course not, but they sure as heck help. For example, there are something’s a professional oven can do better than an apartment style oven.

Same holds true for this conversation. Of course it’s the skills behind the camera that makes the great photo but the good equipment sure does make it easier in many cases. My 70-200L f 2.8 IS on my 1D Mark III takes a far better picture than my 70-300 on my 300D.

The point is there's nothing wrong with being proud of you tools. Any good craftsmen will seek out and buy the best tools possible for his/her craft and more times than not the better tools do make a significant difference in the end product.

My usual answer to the comments presented by the OP is, "Yes I do but there a considerable amount of skill that goes into it as well." Most times the person I'm talking to actually does realize that fact.

--

Rob Kircher
My Stuff: http://www.rrkphotos.com
http://blog.rrkphotos.com
http://www.pbase.com/rkircher

Sezzi · Oct 10, 2008

Yeah but there's a big difference between that question and the so called "compliment" of:

"Hey, I just love your pics. Your camera takes some great photos eh!"

Because that comment straight out says that you did not have anything to do with the quality of the pictures, only the camera is important (and anyone who has that camera will take exactly as good photos).

Mike Scott said:
When you see a great image it's natural to ask "what camera / lens
did you use". It doesn't matter if you're a P&S Holiday warrior or a
die-hard enthusiast.

Mike

--
nandeyanen!

Sezzi · Oct 10, 2008

Hehe.

Same here though, I find all my faults, every time. Just recently I've managed to not always have the "tack sharp" demand on every single one of my pics (that are not meant to be blurred, that is). Noone else is gonna 100% view my photos anyhow, so what the hell...

Todd Meucci said:
I'm my own worst critic.

Sezzi said:

IMO a very nice sentiment! It's exactly like that I have chosen to
view my photography - I do it for me, and when someone else likes it
I just get happy

Click to expand...

--
nandeyanen!

Hush M · Oct 11, 2008

John Storjohann said:
"Wow...that was great. You
must have REALLY nice pots and pans!".

Well, yes. A good chef usually has REALLY nice pots and pans.

Earthlight · Oct 11, 2008

Bernard Languillier said:
But is the 5DII going to help you take better images?

No -> then why do you upgrade?

Yes -> then they will be right...

This is a good point. I know you're partly pulling my leg but this really does capture the essence of this debate.

In my case hopefully the mkII will enable me to better capture some stuff that the 5D (not to mention 20D) has struggled with. The biggest test for me will be a 30s exposure at ISO800-1600 (RAW --> tungsten WB --> 16-bit TIF) and the prominence of line noise in the dark gradients of the sky even if I expose to right.

If the mkII presents a major improvement on this, I will update so fast that my bank account won't know what hit it...

So the camera does indeed matter. But importantly it doesn't amount to a point where the photog can no longer be attributed with any contribution to a successful shot.

Bernard Languillier said:
Just pulling your leg.

Haha, good that you did!

Earthlight

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Mostly harmless

Earthlight · Oct 11, 2008

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Earthlight · Oct 11, 2008

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Earthlight · Oct 11, 2008

and the alarm clock, good feet, patience...

Earthlight

--

Mostly harmless

Earthlight · Oct 11, 2008

MGrayson said:
.. who said his violin sounded so beautiful. He would hold it to his
ear and say "I don't hear anything."

Excellent!

MGrayson said:
I wonder if he would be so smug if someone responded by "Well you
wont mind if I do THIS then.." and smashed it to splinters....

True also.

We're dealing with a balance here. A good cook is able to realize the potential of his or her pots and pans. Similarly, a good photog is able to exhaust the potential of his or her gear. But it does not add up to a point where the input from the chef or the photog would be insignificant. Far from it.

MGrayson said:
Honestly, guys, they mean it as a compliment.

You're probably right. In some cultures it is also probably difficult to compliment the other one direcly as he or she might feel embarrassed and not know how to best avoid appearing smug about it. I know this happens in Finland. Silent, serious people and all...

MGrayson said:
(..but I love the Alarm Clock line...)

[chuckle]

Earthlight

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Mostly harmless

Earthlight · Oct 11, 2008

gdanmitchell said:
On one hand it is possible that the person is suggesting that your
"really great camera" is the cause of your wonderful photograph.

Yes.

gdanmitchell said:
On the other hand, you may be misinterpreting. It may be that they
simply assume that a person who is capable of such impressive
photographs and who has such a great eye for visual beauty probably
is very serious about his/her art and likely uses tools commensurate
with this.

Correct also. It's something like an indirect compliment. --> Also see my reply to MGrayson.

gdanmitchell said:
And that is a Good Thing.

Yep. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. This turned out to be a very nice and rewarding thread after all.

Earthlight

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Mostly harmless

Earthlight · Oct 11, 2008

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Mostly harmless

Earthlight · Oct 11, 2008

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Mostly harmless

Earthlight · Oct 11, 2008

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Mostly harmless

Earthlight · Oct 11, 2008

netgarden said:
and they had not one shot to keep! So equipment does matter.
There is some truth to excellent cameras and the best lenses.
Although on the other hand I've seen some bad photos with the best
equipment.

It's true that subjects requiring bags of focal length and wide aperture are available only to those who make the commitment to get the right gear.

netgarden said:
I just tell them it's a commitment to the learning curve, and the
ability to make the best of what you have.

This is true.

netgarden said:
I admit though, I am a little envious of someone with a 500f4 taking
the same shots next to me. I do love the challenge though. I won't
help people anymore that want a free ride to success without the
effort

Some people are really like that. I've met one particularly annoying case.

netgarden said:
This opens up a ton of canned worms, like processing, buying your way
into interesting photo shoots, etc....the list goes on. Bottom line
if they don't appreciate your efforts that make good photos, they
don't know much.

Yep. Plus some people are just so alienated from their cameras that they really don't realise how much a photog can do in order to reach a certain visual goal.

netgarden said:
Enjoy the joy!

You too!

Earthlight

--

Mostly harmless

Earthlight · Oct 11, 2008

Sezzi said:
Same thing kinda happened to me tonight. But I got the (which I think
is even worse) good old "your camera takes some really nice pictures
huh!".

Haha!

Sezzi said:
sure, yeah, my camera takes wicked pictures! ... it also cooks,
cleans, and shops for me. GRR.

Exactly. Some people probably really think that it's their camera that takes the pic since they have zero input save for pressing the button. But they fail to notice, that they pick the time and place for the shot (even if it often random and unplanned) and could do a heck of a lot more in order to come up with a successuful photo.

Sezzi said:
But what can I say really... I don't wanna be the angry person here,
I never like that role, so I just kinda let it pass with the knowing
they just don't know better. It's a shame yes, but hey..

Yes, there's little one can do but to smile back and say yes... unless one is prepared to deploy some of the brilliant sarcastic comments presented in this thread. Depends on the situation I guess.

Sezzi said:
After the comment the same people went on to discussing cameras in
mobile phones. "Oh how good they have gotten now! Just so much better
than they used to be. Did you see his? It has so many megapixels!"

That just sums it all up - those people just are not informed / interested enough for us to expect anything else I suppose.

Earthlight

--

Mostly harmless

"You must have a really good camera" [slight rant]

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