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Photo Mediocrity

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At the core, digital photography is still photography. It is an attempt
to paint a scene with light. A picture with poor composition, focus,
sharpness, light or technique will be poor with any medium. It does
not matter if it is an 8X10 or a 110 or a digital. The same exact rules
apply.

With that in mind, it is easier to learn (if you are so inclined) on digital
than film. Will learn the Sunny 16 rule or the "make it F8 and be great"
rule? Possibly. Possibly not. Are they required? Not usually.

So it is very possible to make stunning images with a "simple" 3MP camera.
You can also make stunning images on a Rebel/1V/F5/N80/K1000. It just
takes more work to get to the end result.

And a great image is a great image on ANY medium.

Steven

--
---
My really bad latest Gallery:
http://www.pbase.com/snoyes/tempephoenix
 
DavidP said:
You should've learned with a pinhole camera, and had to guess at
the exposure times.
Click to expand...
When I was cutting my teeth on pinhole cameras*, we had to walk five miles in the snow, barefoot, to get to the (unheated) darkroom. Uphill. Both directions. We had to make our own hypo out of chicken soup and the few fish-droppings that were left each week once the local trailer-park types were done picking through them.

Programmed auto-exposure, phooey.

(* Went through a lot of pinhole cameras that way, unfortunately.)
 
songmi keeps trying to post pictures, but they are always black. Should we tell hiim to remove the lense cap?
SongMi said:
Dave Deacon said:
I agree with you that talent is rare - in any field. That is good.
I enjoy their talents immensely. However, being mediocre is not
something to be ashamed of - it is normal. How could there be
talent if we were all talented? Really, you are simply stating the
'obvious' but in a way that seems to be intent on being provocative
  • to get attention...
Click to expand...
I personally dont believe that most human beings are mediocre,
rather, as very special creatures and perhaps most humans are
mediocre in photography or the craft of imagery, but doesnt mean
that humans in all aspects of humanity are mediore. I think you
will agree with me here.

The point i'm trying to make here is that the value or the quality
of art or the craft of imagery is eroding further to mediocrity.
As a culture we accept crappy things and CONTENT to things (food,
entertainment, art, etc...) mediocre and at least in these forums
people are more ear-ticklers to critiques rather than being
"offensive."

Hope this helps.
SongMi said:
Are you frutsrated that people do not take your work seriously? I
guess that many talented artists find the same - they have to die
to get recognised...
Click to expand...
Not these days, not necessarily due to the global communication
network. Van Gogh might have seen his fortune from Chinese art
collectors had he been recognized globally.
SongMi said:
Mediocrity here http://www3.photosig.com/viewuser.php?id=3626
Click to expand...
--
Have a good day!
Click to expand...
--
Dan Brown
http://www.pbase.com/wheatenman

'If nothing changes, nothing changes'
 
songmi keeps trying to post pictures, but they are always black. Should we tell hiim to remove the lense cap?
SongMi said:
After several several months observing these forums I'm pretty
happy to see so much "photo medicority." The photo mediocrity
exposes the vast wasteland of bad photography, poorly skilled
photographers (AMATEUR AND PRO), and the most cancerous of all, the
popular acceptance of mediocre photographs.

I will liken today's photography to screenplays. There are over
50,000 "new" screenplays written and passes through the big
Hollywood studios every year and only very very few makes it to the
silver screen and even those few stories selected among the vast
wasteland of talent are crummy.

Now some of you are as critical toward me as a critic as I am
critical to the junk photos posted here (and everywhere else). Some
of you are angered by my remarks and I have equally answered your
griefs, most of the time gently (sometimes I have thrown others
under the bus to get through the smoke of arrogance and pride).

First of all, I want to thank most of you for posting your mediocre
pictures to all the world so that I can be sure that good
photography is still a vast green pasture of opportunity. The
scornful mediocrity will always miss the green pasture and settle
for the parched valley and well, lets hope they still settle
themselves to tumbleweeds.

Now, for those who seek green pastures (not neccessarily for
profit) keep listening and follow to those "critics" who cry out in
the desert to show the wayward the way to the green pastures.

--
Have a good day!
Click to expand...
--
Dan Brown
http://www.pbase.com/wheatenman

'If nothing changes, nothing changes'
 
MikeA said:
David R Stout said:
Maybe SongMi should show us what isn't mediocrity.
Ideally, with examples of his own work.
Click to expand...
I've seen a number of posts of the SongMi variety in these forums,
but I have yet to see one such "critic" post examples of his own
work. Maybe this latest critic will be the exception to the rule.
Maybe he'll post photographs so gorgeous, they'll leave everyone
gasping for air.

Just kidding. :)
Click to expand...
I cannot help but wonder if his photos will be like his comments
here: pretentious and stupid. Full of hot air, et cetera.

Real, genuine "high art" photos that will be even worse than...
whatever.
 
Thank you for posting a link to your portfolio--I was quite taken with your photographs. I particularly liked Sunset Rock, Sequoia N. P. Do you sell prints of any of your photos?

(Tuba) Paul
Mike Spinak said:
I welcome honest criticism, no matter how severe, as long as it is
considered. Please feel welcome to review my portfolio:

http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=67986
Click to expand...
--

Mirafone S186-B, Cleveland Musical Instrument B-flat Sousaphone, USALINE Grand Rapids Instrument Company Silver E-flat, Yamaha YEP-642, Bach 42-B w/Sterling Bell and F-trigger, DEG flueglehorn, Holton cornet w/shepherd's crook... oh, and a few cameras.
 
... I think, were it photographs, poems, novels, paintings,
critique, speeches (London Hyde Park) or anything.

It could be that to get published in some areas you need
to be relatively better than on some others though.
Just my simple and mediocre opinion.

But still I agree you. One thing to become a better
photographer is to recognize mediocrity and get bored
about it.
Then you won't settle for anything than "good".

But there is mediocrity also in "goodness", watch for it...

Vesa
 
Why spend all them bones for a 1V, when an A-1 will teach the most basic and most essential elements of photography?
funanywhere said:
This where 35mm vs digital comes into play....everyone should teach
themselves true photography first on a EOS1v and then get a digital
1ds. That way they force themselves to learn how to take great
pictures instead of these horrible mediocre cartoonish photos!!!

just my 2cents!!!
SongMi said:
After several several months observing these forums I'm pretty
happy to see so much "photo medicority." The photo mediocrity
exposes the vast wasteland of bad photography, poorly skilled
photographers (AMATEUR AND PRO), and the most cancerous of all, the
popular acceptance of mediocre photographs.

I will liken today's photography to screenplays. There are over
50,000 "new" screenplays written and passes through the big
Hollywood studios every year and only very very few makes it to the
silver screen and even those few stories selected among the vast
wasteland of talent are crummy.

Now some of you are as critical toward me as a critic as I am
critical to the junk photos posted here (and everywhere else). Some
of you are angered by my remarks and I have equally answered your
griefs, most of the time gently (sometimes I have thrown others
under the bus to get through the smoke of arrogance and pride).

First of all, I want to thank most of you for posting your mediocre
pictures to all the world so that I can be sure that good
photography is still a vast green pasture of opportunity. The
scornful mediocrity will always miss the green pasture and settle
for the parched valley and well, lets hope they still settle
themselves to tumbleweeds.

Now, for those who seek green pastures (not neccessarily for
profit) keep listening and follow to those "critics" who cry out in
the desert to show the wayward the way to the green pastures.

--
Have a good day!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
John
http://www.pbase.com/mankman
Canon EOS D60
Canon 24-85USM
Sigma 50-500EX
Kenko 2x Pro TC
 
Some people, me being one of them have no desire to turn pro. I do this strictly for fun and knowledge. It is my hobby. Sure I want to improve but the day it turns into a job and stops being fun I will move onto to something else. When I used to bowl in a league there were the serious leagues and the fun leagues. It was a miserable experience when somebody got into the wrong league. I was an average bowler but once in awhile I would get locked in and shoot a big game. I feel the same happens with most weekend enthusiest. Be it photography, bowling, golf or whatever you get lucky once in a while. Most people that I know have enough work, stress etc in their lives so they take up a hobby. Sure most of us want to get better and sure most of us are mediocre, just as most golfers are mediocre. I saw the statistics one time and it was something along the lines that less than 1% of the bowlers and golfers were shooting par as an average. We are weekend warriors not pros. The few pros I know have never even heard of dpreview. I know there are a lot of pros in here just not the ones I know. As Mike mentioned they don't need to hang out here they are where they want to be or maybe because it is their job they don't want to be around photography in their free time. The few pro bowlers I knew very rarely wanted to talk bowling in their free time.

I take my job seriously, photography is fun it is not a matter of life and death. I enjoy the comrodery and tips I fine here.
Mike Morbach
Mike Malloy said:
I don't think it's really a "popular acceptance of mediocre
photographs", as much as it is back patting. The comrodery and
sharing something in common. A falsehood? perhaps. Detrimental to
some in becoming better than they really are? quite possible.
Motivating and ego boosting with a feel good attitude which is
taken with them to there next shot with anticipation in sharing it
with us, making sure it is better than their last shot? for
me...Most Defiantly!
Click to expand...
 
Bah! Our darkroom was a cardboard box in the middle of a lake. Every morning we had to get up and clean the lake... Etc...
(If I may interject a little monty python reference humor)
MikeA said:
DavidP said:
You should've learned with a pinhole camera, and had to guess at
the exposure times.
Click to expand...
When I was cutting my teeth on pinhole cameras*, we had to walk
five miles in the snow, barefoot, to get to the (unheated)
darkroom. Uphill. Both directions. We had to make our own hypo out
of chicken soup and the few fish-droppings that were left each week
once the local trailer-park types were done picking through them.

Programmed auto-exposure, phooey.

(* Went through a lot of pinhole cameras that way, unfortunately.)
Click to expand...
 
Hi Janusz:

C'mon now, showing off is a fun thing to do (well, maybe not now). Sometimes I get a little lucky and post those "mediocre lucky" shots. Now I'm waiting for some "good lucky" shots to post, so I keep trying harder and hoping to get luckier. :-)

Believe me, Janusz, I really do give a darn, but not about people like the originator of this thread who appear to have a bloated sense of their own importance or opinions. However, it looks like I got drawn into his/her trolly little web just like a bunch of other folks.

Tom
Janusz Strzelecki said:
Janusz Strzelecki said:
Tom
http://www.pbase.com/tomrok
Click to expand...
Darn good clicks, though.
But I’ll say mediocre so, you know I meant business and you
will try harder….on the other hand, you just might not give a
darn.
These are good (well, very good) pictures, either way.
Janusz
Click to expand...
--
Tom
 
that way you can show them how ridicules they look now, twenty years from now :> ) I have a photo of myself as a teenager hanging in my fire department locker that keeps me in check. Along with the lyrics to "almost cut my hair" by CSN&Y. My wife tells me I grew up to be one of those people I despised. One thing I have to say is it is much easier to cut your hair than to remove a tattoo.
Mike Morbach
tim martin said:
Jason M. Stone wrote:

I am 41, and I am already starting to look at 26 year olds with rings
in their eyelids, and thinking, "wow... how bizzare". And I wasn't
exactly a total straight arrow when I was 26... but...
Click to expand...
 
SongMi said:
After several several months observing these forums I'm pretty
happy to see so much "photo medicority." The photo mediocrity
exposes the vast wasteland of bad photography, poorly skilled
photographers (AMATEUR AND PRO), and the most cancerous of all, the
popular acceptance of mediocre photographs.
Click to expand...
SongMi should know about mediocrity. His photographs are really mediocre.

And so is his attempt to start a meaningless thread by posting the same idiotic message simultaneously to the Canon SLR forum, the Nikon SLR forum, and the Fuji SLR forum.

People like SongMi remind me how fortunate I was to graduate high school.

Andy Frazer
http://www.gorillasites.com
 
To everyone else:

I am posting once and only once...wasn't even going to post this however...

Stop now. Do not feed this frenzy anymore. This is only taking up bandwidth and it isn't even a discussion worth reading ( I read 4 posts and that was enough to figure this person out).

Good day.
 
SongMi said:
Capture a wildlife action such as a bear catching a salmon with
its mouth - yeah, few photographers have done such pics, a few.
Click to expand...
Wow. Talk about a cliche shot!

I saw a photographer at a recent Art & Wine festival had an entire booth of those shots (all taken at the same waterfall as all other bear-catching-salmon photographs, and all taken arm-to-arm against a dozen other photographers trying to get the same shot). Everyone was stopping by to admire them...nobody was buying them.

We're still all waiting to see some of your snapshots, SongMi.

Andy Frazer
http://www.gorillasites.com
 
SongMi said:
After several several months observing these forums I'm pretty
happy to see so much "photo medicority."
Click to expand...
--

I totally agree. After all these folks are too busy testing, comparing, whinging and posting to waste time actually creating. Would be great to line the users up with a digital 'Box Brownie' each and compare their creative skills side by side! Maybe dpreview should do a test - oh no! Here we go again!

David Myers
 
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