Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...Peter Lik. Under The Canopy?!?

arizonadesertrat said:

Ok, you win the idiot of the thread award with that post.

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What, show some compassion man

Have you asked for it? Just sayin.

--
Fiat Lux

Your post is pathetic.

It's a shame that you're leaving Roman. That said...you're not missing much when you really think about it.....then you get attacked by a bunch of people with nothing but cat test photos to their names.

Wish you the best....and hope to meet you in a gallery setting one day to see your work live.

Thanks for sharing your photographs with us over the years.

arizonadesertrat said:

It's amazing how mean some people can get to a guy that's been contributing here for 8 years. Some people have an uncanny ability to go from zero to Thermo Nuclear Warfare in a single post. No benefit of the doubt, no mercy, no compassion for a guy that said hey, I was too quick, I made a mistake. Right for the jugular they went. It would never happen face to face, but hey, the keyboard is a great courage builder.
Sad.

Banned said:

Wow, in 2 days you went from a standard rant to completely quitting the forum, all in the same thread. That's a feat.

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--
Fiat Lux

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Agree. Of course they wouldn't, they are keyboard warriors, no more, no less. They'd get their n*ts kicked in if they spoke to me like that face to face, no matter what I said.

Faintandfuzzy said:

It's a shame that you're leaving Roman. That said...you're not missing much when you really think about it.....then you get attacked by a bunch of people with nothing but cat test photos to their names.

Wish you the best....and hope to meet you in a gallery setting one day to see your work live.

Thanks for sharing your photographs with us over the years.

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Agree with Faintandfuzzy. Roman got hit by the worst, made a daft mistake no more no less. I do notice the rise of folk on here shooting test charts...interesting use of your lives...

Fair well Roman.

Actually, this whole thread has made me think much more about this place in general...

I very much enjoy photographing - and I realise daily how NOT easy it is

But, I also make music, I have written a couple books, and sorry, these things are at a totally other level of difficulty. For one, most people can't do it. But many kids with a camera can produce good to even great results.

I think photographers take themselves WAY too seriously. And I think the reason they do, is because they know how much less effort is involved in their craft.

Pros? Yes, of course, in any pursuit, the difference between a pro, and a gifted amateur, is that both can reach a high level of performance - but only the pro can pretty much guarantee it.

Again, I'm not saying that photography is easy - I'm just saying, come ON, let's not have any photographer taking themselves too seriously. If they start doing that, then all people who do something more complex and requiring more artistic vision, will have to become unbearably snobbish.

The mere fact that you can write something like, "you don't understand", says it all.

What a load of Cr@p???

antoineb said:

Pros? Yes, of course, in any pursuit, the difference between a pro, and a gifted amateur, is that both can reach a high level of performance - but only the pro can pretty much guarantee it.

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Pro's make money, amateurs don't (or just a little). I am in between, but registered as a pro (but don't call myself one).

The amateur pictures I sometimes see here are of very high standard. on which many pro's can dwell (or copy).
Not sure if Roman is a pro, but his pictures are always of very HIGH standard.
If you don't take your self seriously, that's fine!

but to me it's the way forward. Being snobbish is not the same as being serious craftsman.

Still it's nice to live life not too seriously,... that I DO agree on

antoineb said:

Again, I'm not saying that photography is easy - I'm just saying, come ON, let's not have any photographer taking themselves too seriously. If they start doing that, then all people who do something more complex and requiring more artistic vision, will have to become unbearably snobbish.

The mere fact that you can write something like, "you don't understand", says it all.

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Where does one "register" to be a pro? Just curious.

badmoose said:

Where does one "register" to be a pro? Just curious.

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If you have to ask.....

After thinking about it, maybe that's something one can do in Holland. In the U.S. it seems you only have to buy pro lenses, bodies, declare yourself a pro, and then you am one. You are then afforded very special status in the DPR forums.

I'm asking because I don't know. I'm not talented enough to be a "pro" but I'm interested in knowing about the registration process.

Well actually it's something along those lines.
I am registered at the chamber of commerce as a photographer.

Also in NL if you have 2 (semi) pro bodies and a couple of lenses Nikon accepts you in their Pro program.

however, I did not know I could get a special status in DPR?
Do I get my name in capitals? Do you have it? how much was it ;-)

badmoose said:

After thinking about it, maybe that's something one can do in Holland. In the U.S. it seems you only have to buy pro lenses, bodies, declare yourself a pro, and then you am one. You are then afforded very special status in the DPR forums.

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260684 said:

Actually, this whole thread has made me think much more about this place in general...

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People do get pretty snarky on here. There has just been a general lack of civility for a while now, and it's driven a number of good photographers away. It used to be more fun here.

--
Craig
http://www.cjcphoto.net

The first step is to look for any opportunity in your posts to subtly inform people you are a "pro".

For example - "Why don't you just cut the top off that Tokina lens and use it as a flower pot. If you want quintessential sharpness get a Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 vr II. This is the lens us real pros use. I know what I'm talking about because I'm a real pro." Stuff like that. Eventually some moderator on DPR will take notice and program your logons to play "When the Saints go Marching In" on everyone else's PC. Be prepared for the pro groupies though. They'll follow you everywhere, and quote every utterance.

Also, never, ever offer advice in the printing forum on unclogging print heads. Whatever advice you give will not work and your status as a "pro" will diminish. Good luck in your quest.

I agree with the point but I've also seen some good photographers on here drive away some not so good photographers just the same. It really has nothing to do with the skill or experience level of the photographer but rather basic common courtesy.

While I think Roman made a big mistake in the way he handled this situation, I also look at his history for at least as long as I've been visiting these forums and the good certainly outweighs the bad.

after reading all those answers I kinda feel that it is easier to bash someone behind his computer than help him out like human beeing should do. Yes Roman maybe overreacted but this is his right. Now, as I said, this location is well known & the world belongs to anybody. If the shot was a 1:1 copy of a street scene or creative shot, I would support the author at 100%. In this case, the shot has been done 10'0000 times.

BUT, the world is sadly gangrened with loads of opportunists. Those opportunists may not be directly the creators themselves but more, their entourage. Money attracts money, so if a very well known photographer winns a price, there may be some help behind it. Celebrity attracts envy as well, it is very good for a magazine or a brand to promote a famous artist by "letting him winn" a "prestigious price". Those techniques have always existed. It is also good to "fabricate" an artist so that

afew investers expand their capital & keep it in a close circle. The flagrant example is someone like Lady Gaga or other billionaire kids.

Tons of artists (& certainly the best) will be simply forgotten. But everything will also become dust one day or another

Hi Roman, sorry to see you leaving the place. Hope you will change your mind.
Yes, the marketing.....

I found in last 20+ years: you don't have to be the best in something, but you have to be the best to sell your product or yourself.
See this in any form of art.

It happened to me about 18 years ago, almost the same. But I couldn't do anything against and I put it in my history diary...

Well Roman, I did enjoy your images, the very accurate compositions, trying to achieve the maximum always ...
Good luck, and still hope I will see you back.
Joe
http://joecan.smugmug.com/

Roman, Liks photo had the white hotspot and flare which I thought was distracting and not as nice as yours, yeah he's got a big MF cam and a TV show but so what his image is not as good as yours. Don't get worked up over this as it is nothng. The sun will rise and set and this will all be forgotten.

There were 24 people posting on your congratulation post which you did not initate but there are 97 posts that are on your coincidence thread. Many of the posters could not get enough of your blood. It is not out of the question to ask if the most prolific of the posters have a vested interest in Mr. Liks sucess. They could be relatives, freinds, business associates, members of his church or whatever. We like to think that the internet is bigger and broader and more just than everyday communication or interaction with our fellow man. That is probably wishful thinking on our behalf. Just as corporations monitored newspapers with clipping services in the past I am sure they monitor net traffic now. I would guess the firestorm seen here has lots of people with a money stake in Mr. Liks sucess.

If I were you I would have not stayed for the full beating, but I know by your past history that you reply to each poster. When you let them wipe their feet on you then they knew they could use you as a door mat, And they did. Will they feel shame? Unlikely, some smelled blood and moved in for the kill others were probably jealous of your photo skills, and others had unkonwn motives that would compell them to kick you while you were apologetic.

If you left this forum for good it would be a great loss as you are one of the few who acutally do photography. The rest of us just talk about it. Reconsider please.
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Dennis

frankly