When good is good enough: a hobbyist perspective

Don Lacy · Jan 17, 2018

AlwynS said:
Don Lacy said:

I kind of find your premiss that because you are a hobbyist good is good enough to justify your decision to pursue BIF photography at a mediocre level to be wrong. Some of the best BIF photographers I know are technically hobbyist since they do not derive their primary income from photography yet they have a passion for both the outdoors and photography to want to produce amazing images. You simply do not have a passion for your hobby to pursue it at a higher level which is fine but there are plenty of amateur photographers who do it as a hobby who put in the time to produce stunning images.

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Don Lacy

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Thanks Don. And in reading what you have said perhaps I should have been more clear on the hobbyist thing. Yes: as a hobbyist I am not dependent on photography for my daily bread. Hence I can have a different attitude or approach than a professional would.

But in all hobbies (and with professionals actually), there are degrees of passion and time spent, as well as abilities. I am sure there are many hobbyists that are as passionate (maybe more...) than any pro. And also spend as much time (or more) on pure photography than any pro: they do not have to deal with customers and the business side of things after all!

AlwynS said:
And above all there are hobbysists that produce results that are comparable (or better) than any pro.

So I certainly did not mean to denigrate the quality of work that many hobbyists do.

That was all I was pointing out one is not limited by being an amateur or hobbyist in ones pursuit of nature photography.

AlwynS said:
Really my comments were about MY approach as hobbyist, fully knowing that hobbyists cover a wide spectrum of passion, time and abilities.

And your approach is fine if you are happy with what you produce and your time out in nature which really is the most important thing.

AlwynS said:
And as for your "mediocre" comment: even this word I think has different meanings to different people.

I struggled with using that word as I did not mean for it to denigrate you but then again the premiss of your post was that you know your images could be better but you where happy with what you where getting. I will admit that while I understand that sentiment it is complete apposite of my feelings when it comes to nature photography as I always strive to get the best images possible. Again for me it is a passion I will get up at 1am to drive four hours to get on location at sunrise, I might not be able to afford the best equipment but I can put in the effort.

AlwynS said:
While some understand it to be synonymous to "poor", I accept it as to mean average but not better. So to call something mediocre, one has to understand the spectrum of quality. For hobbyist photographers, the top is pretty much defined by the very best, comparable to the best pros. And the bottom is downright poor. And where do I believe I fit in this spectrum?

While I did say I am not striving for perfection, I still did say that I do try to get better shots. And I do hope I made it clear that I get a lot of pleasure when I get what I consider by my standards to be "good" shots.

So subjectively I consider myself somewhat better than mediocre: sort of "upper middle class" as it were!

And still enjoying it when I get something that is comparatively "good" by my standards.

But still trying to do better.

Hope this did not come across as too verbose

No it is not in the end I truly believe the most important thing about nature photography is being in nature to experience it and share it with others.

AlwynS said:
Or that I had my feathers ruffled

Or throwing a hissy fit!

I will try to put my best foot forward!

Cheers
Alwyn

You have some great poses on the SEO images but I know how much better they could be if shot with a camera and lens combination that would have thrown the BG completely OOF or at least rendered it in a more pleasing fashion its that knowing part that would drive me crazy if they where mine.

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Don Lacy

500px

500px.com

http://www.witnessnature.net/

Mr Garibaldi · Jan 17, 2018

AlwynS said:
Mr Garibaldi said:

Dennis said:

Don Lacy said:

I kind of find your premiss that because you are a hobbyist good is good enough to justify your decision to pursue BIF photography at a mediocre level to be wrong.

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Ok.

AlwynS said:

Some of the best BIF photographers I know are technically hobbyist since they do not derive their primary income from photography yet they have a passion for both the outdoors and photography to want to produce amazing images.

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Good for them !

AlwynS said:

You simply do not have a passion for your hobby to pursue it at a higher level which is fine

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How can it be fine and wrong at the same time ?

AlwynS said:

but there are plenty of amateur photographers who do it as a hobby who put in the time to produce stunning images.

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Again, good for them.

I think that what this thread is about is the simple fact that photography doesn't have to mean the same thing to everyone.

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True enough. There are a lot of people out there who consider taking blurry pictures of their pet cat to be the ultimate.

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Thank goodness there are so many perspectives out there. While neither blurry nor cat pictures are "my thing", I am glad if there are people who get great enjoyment out of doing that.

AlwynS said:

To me, pursuing a hobby implies that it is desirable to achieve a higher level of competence and quality than that, and by not doing so, the person is wasting their time.

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Once again: thanks goodness there are so many perspectives out there. This means you are completely and utterly free to do this. And nobody should criticise you for it. But then neither should you put down anybody who does not conform to your view to be wasting their time.

AlwynS said:

A hobby should be something that one is, to a degree, passionate about. If a person is happy churning out mediocre pictures, then they aren't really practising a hobby, they are just wasting hours of their life that they will never get back.

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And if someone is happy doing that, who are we to criticise?

Mr Garibaldi · Jan 17, 2018

Dennis said:
Mr Garibaldi said:

A hobby should be something that one is, to a degree, passionate about. If a person is happy churning out mediocre pictures, then they aren't really practising a hobby, they are just wasting hours of their life that they will never get back.

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hobby

an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.
"her hobbies are reading and gardening"
synonymsastime, leisure activity, leisure pursuit;

You're entitled to make up your own definition of hobby, of course, but it doesn't really matter whether you think someone is wasting their time.

Though I do have to wonder how spending time taking pictures in the pursuit of taking better pictures is any less a waste of time ... if anything, one would suppose you're simply wasting MORE hours of your life that you'll never get back.

- Dennis

Dennis · Jan 18, 2018

Don Lacy said:
I understand that I was just pointing out the fact that being a hobbyist or amateur photographer has no baring on the quality of your images or the effort you put into photography.

Oh, definitely not ! I agree with that 100% (and I suspect the OP would, too). Speaking only for myself, my mediocrity is only satisfactory because I make a conscious decision not to spend more time on photography (at the expense of other things) ... not because I think that my status as a hobbyist means I shouldn't do better.

- Dennis
--
Gallery at http://kingofthebeasts.smugmug.com

Dennis · Jan 18, 2018

Mr Garibaldi said:
Dennis said:

Mr Garibaldi said:

A hobby should be something that one is, to a degree, passionate about. If a person is happy churning out mediocre pictures, then they aren't really practising a hobby, they are just wasting hours of their life that they will never get back.

Click to expand...

hobby

an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.
"her hobbies are reading and gardening"
synonymsastime, leisure activity, leisure pursuit;

You're entitled to make up your own definition of hobby, of course, but it doesn't really matter whether you think someone is wasting their time.

Though I do have to wonder how spending time taking pictures in the pursuit of taking better pictures is any less a waste of time ... if anything, one would suppose you're simply wasting MORE hours of your life that you'll never get back.

- Dennis

--
Gallery at http://kingofthebeasts.smugmug.com

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In your world, making any attempt to improve yourself is a waste of time?

What a sad commentary that is.

My last paragraph above was not a statement of my belief. It was an attempt to play devil's advocate - to point out that it's trivially easy and totally useless for anyone to suggest what constitutes a waste of someone else's time. "One" could (as in someone - anyone) say that you're wasting time pursuing photography passionately as a non-paying hobby. I DON'T make that argument. But it's no more or less valid than saying that pursuing it casually is a waste of time. My own belief is that pursuing it in whatever way you enjoy it is a good use of time. Some people could not be satisfied without pursuit of perfection. Some people can't be satisfied without external confirmation of their accomplishments. Some need to get likes, show their work, enter competitions. Some don't care if anyone sees their pictures. There are millions of people taking pictures for millions of reasons. To suggest that any of them is wasting their time because they're not doing it according to your personal credo is simply elitist. I'm not "defending mediocrity" ... I'm defending the idea that millions of people find millions of valid ways to use a camera.

- Dennis
--
Gallery at http://kingofthebeasts.smugmug.com

MichaelFrederickPhoto · Jan 18, 2018

Great Bustard said:
AlwynS said:

Great Bustard said:

You are happy with the photos you take and enjoy taking them. Unless you are a working pro, no more justification than that is needed.

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Thanks Bustard.... hhmm, that sounds a tad rude putting it that way...

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Hmm. I don't see how that could be considered rude. I mean, if you're happy, then you're happy, right?

Great Bustard said:

You are focused on exactly my objective. I LIKE happy!

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Sounds like you're happy, though, so you're all set!

I didn't find that to be rude at all, message was simple if you are happy with the end result then that's ALL that matters.

I am taking pics that I THINK are cool, if you like them too then cool if not, the sun will rise tomorrow.

--https://www.instagram.com/themb3life/

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Nikon D50 with Nikkor 18-200mm lense. Hand me down and 1st DSLR

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When good is good enough: a hobbyist perspective

Don Lacy

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