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10-29-2016, 08:57 PM - 1 Like   #31
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QuoteOriginally posted by Alex645 Quote
Middle of the Sahara? I would LOVE to see a photographerʻs view of the nomadic life of people who live there. No I wouldnʻt want to live there, but I would love to visit and photograph it. Imagine That 70ʻs Show set in the Sahara with Muslim families and teenagers!
I dont know what your drinking at 9'oclock in the morning but I want some

10-29-2016, 10:09 PM - 1 Like   #32
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QuoteOriginally posted by ffking Quote
It's actually a total bummer - for what it;s worth,this was the conclusion I came to when I hit a buffer of my own - there's one thing I an do better than anyone else in the world, and that's be me, and shoot what I see, the way I see it. Probably won't improve your sales, but its a helluva lot more fun, and if you happen to find a voice which resonates with others then you might just get the sales you only dreamed of when taking perfect pictures. The thing that makes you pissed off is the thing that can make you a really good photographer - we live in an amazing world - go photograph it through your own eyes. That's what I tell myself, anyway - and I sometimes listen, and I sometimes do something unique.

Wow what an interesting thread. It sure has stirred up a lot of passion. I enjoyed reading this one quite a bit. I had a lot to say, but much has been said already.

I too have often questioned the purpose of the pursuit of photography. It can feel trivial. I think the purpose of anything we choose to do comes down to connectedness. Photography in itself is a great venue for slowing down, getting to know yourself and how you think and see. Its an extraordinary tool for connecting with nature by forcing us to study her and spend countless hours admiring her. It teaches us to see beauty in all people in all kinds of pass times and pursuits. It allows us to share a part of ourselves and can bridge the gap between us and those we happen to come into contact with--even for a 1/100th of a second on a street across the world.

Art has changed. Everyone takes photos. Go on trips to enjoy yourself. Sometimes bring your camera. Other times leave it at home and imagine shots. If you want it to be business in addition to pleasure, thats great. Make sure (as in any business) know and play into the market. Every person you meet is part of networking.

Being visually impaired, I really struggled with the opposite--not having the freedom to travel, even in my own city or its surroundings. One of the best things I learned even before i had a DSLR was to challenge yourself to find great images in your city, in your neighborhood, and even on your street.

Even if you sell your camera gear, spend every moment aware of yourself and your interactions with the human and natural patterns all around you. Savour it.

You caught me in a mood. But connection is what we all want most. That's why we have pets and surround ourselves with relationships no matter how hollow we let them get.
10-30-2016, 12:43 AM - 1 Like   #33
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Photographing what you know is probably a very good strategy if your ambition is art. Very few photographs (none really) from photo safaris will ever hang on the wall of large art institutions, unless you photograph the photographers. Those kinds of trips are explicitly for generating photographs similar to ones you've already seen. Thats the whole reason they exist.<br />
<br />
William Eggleston photographed Memphis and changed art photography. Huge artists like Fischli &amp; Weiss photograph airports, flowers and mundane urban situations The exotic end up in dubious commercial magasines where content and advertising is indistinguishable.<br />
<br />
That said no single photograph will ever make it into art institutions where it's often the context of a vast body of work that creates the meaning.
10-30-2016, 02:13 AM   #34
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QuoteOriginally posted by Driline Quote
I dont know what your drinking at 9'oclock in the morning but I want some
On weekends itʻs Hawaiian made: Lion Coffee. Jawaiian Lion Java liqueur vanilla caramel & coconut...medium roast. I never liked flavored coffees until I tried Hazelnut at a Panera Bread in San Diego, or was that Seattle, or maybe Boston?? Workdays I go for the straight whole beans like Seattleʻs Best Columbian Supremo or right now an organic Starbucks Yukon blend.

Is there a metaphor here between caffeine addiction, travel photography, and good beans? Of course not, but if our OP flies Hawaiian Airlines on his upcoming trip, the last US carrier that serves complimentary meals and wine to coach passengers, he will also enjoy Lion Coffee, not the best coffee, but possibly the best coffee served on an airline.

Lion Coffee Home - Lion Coffee

10-30-2016, 05:37 AM   #35
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One of the biggest issues with travel photography is finding a good coffee.... just another reason to shoot local!


I home roast a pound or so a week

Last edited by noelpolar; 10-30-2016 at 05:53 AM.
10-30-2016, 06:44 AM - 2 Likes   #36
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QuoteOriginally posted by Fenwoodian Quote
How could I have ever have thought that in a few days in Hawaii (for example), I could capture better images than the many photographers who actually live in Hawaii and shoot images there 24/7, 365 days a year there? I couldn't hope to capture images in a few short days that rival the images these local photographers (many of whom have photo equipment at least as good, or better, than mine) take.
When stock photography first started, it was mostly filled with the out-takes from professional photographers who were sent on assignment to various locations and only spent a few days there. But those images quickly got out-done by pics from photographers who lived in the area and were able to go out in all conditions and create good photos. I think you are spot-on in your post because I had a similar eye-opening event earlly in my life. Back in the day, Arizona Highways was a benchmark publication. Its landscape photography was excellent! I used to buy each issue and dream of going to Arizona so I could take these same kinds of pics. So one year, a bunch of us loaded up and drove out to Tucson to stay with some friends. I went out into the same landscape I'd seen in Arizona Highways and realized, "Well, hell...this is just a desert!" That's when I came to appreciate that it was the photographer and the lighting that were making all the difference...not the location. I knew I didn't live in a desert, so from then on, I decided to adopt this quote from Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz as my mantra, "...if I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard"...and strive to show my home turf at its best...and that's what I do to this day. That's not to say you shouldn't go on vacation and try to make great pics! I just think folks shouldn't make that their primary goal for a vacation.
10-30-2016, 07:21 AM - 2 Likes   #37
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QuoteOriginally posted by Alex645 Quote
I live on Oahu (Hawaii). Every other year, I travel to my schoolʻs yearbook printing plant in Manitoba south of Winnipeg and north of North Dakota in the dead of winter.
There's a sign in Austin, Minnesota, near the Spam factory, something like:

"Austin, Minnesota, where Hawaiians come for vacation".

Until I saw your post, Alex, I wasn't ready to believe that sign!

10-30-2016, 08:51 AM   #38
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I concur with most of the mood in this thread. Although I have not been to exotic places, where ever I travel I now shoot very judiciously even since I've begun digital. I find without feeling like I have to produce a groundbreaking photo every time a camera is in my hands I'm freed up to enjoy the company I'm with and just looking around at a new place. When I look through the viewfinder I don't normally shoot a photo unless I feel I can produce something unique that's not a copy of the postcards I can buy. If the shot is not there I may shoot very little or nothing but my memory is intact so I don't feel like it's a wasted opportunity. My smartphone family can have the snapshots for facebook and I'm okay with that.
When I'm just on my own some place then solitude in nature is one of the goals even if I don't see photographic inspiration.
10-30-2016, 10:16 AM   #39
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I wonder...is it an affliction of semi-serious amateur photographers that they can't just take a snapshot for a souvenir like 'normal people', they instead feel the need to try to create a masterpiece? Is it not possible to separate the two and work on quality one day and take some holiday snaps another?
10-30-2016, 10:37 AM   #40
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The problem of "all the world" is already being photographed. Last may I visite New York for my birthsday I decided to take a camera, but mainly concentratie on some selfies........

There are almost 15 million images marked with New York at flickr......

https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=New%20york

Guess what....non of them where selfies with me in it and the rest is there.
10-30-2016, 10:53 AM - 1 Like   #41
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It is true that locals normally have better photo's of their surroundings. I've been trying to solve that by going back to the same region over and over again.
10-30-2016, 11:35 AM   #42
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QuoteOriginally posted by victormeldrew Quote
I wonder...is it an affliction of semi-serious amateur photographers that they can't just take a snapshot for a souvenir like 'normal people', they instead feel the need to try to create a masterpiece? Is it not possible to separate the two and work on quality one day and take some holiday snaps another?
Some can, some canʻt. Can a semi-serious amateur chef make pizza with a kit from Chef Boyardee? Or microwave a frozen dinner? Can an aspiring guitarist play a Rock Band or Guitar Hero video game? Yes, it is possible to separate the two, but for many of us, once youʻve opened Pandoraʻs box of knowledge and awareness, it is not easy to ignore a certain precision in composition, a mundane aesthetic, an emotional commitment.

Perhaps it is culture. Iʻve been ʻguiltyʻ of being in a situation ripe with photographic potential, but simply not in the mood or mindset, but wanted to capture souvenirs so I use an iPad mini. 95% of my friends "like" those images as much as my DSLR images, but they mean less to me because I put less into it. On the other hand, when I was a full time pro, I had many jobs that I hated. Partly from burnout and partly from doing photography for $$$ and not for art or for my own soul. Between gigs, I didnʻt want to take photos. I had a negative emotional response to the notion of picking up the camera.

I had to decide if I cared more about being a pro photographer or more about loving photography. I never thought Iʻd want to be a teacher, but at the age of 33 I discovered I loved to teach (art & design) and at 37 I finally found a full time photo/video teacher position that allowed me to share my knowledge and passion. So in response to the quote, it is really hard to think and act like "normal people" (non-photographer) once youʻve become a photographer, regardless of level.
10-30-2016, 12:06 PM   #43
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QuoteOriginally posted by Fenwoodian Quote
Everyone has their own reason for doing photography. My goal is to shoot a single image that is unique, special, considered a piece of art, displayed in a museum, and lives beyond me. So far, none of my images have reached that goal.

So, I only shoot RAW and use the best technique I can because the next image might be "the one".

Taking "I was there" shots have no appeal to me.

---------- Post added 10-29-16 at 12:44 PM ----------



With me it's just the opposite. Having a camera forces me to critically focus on my environment. With a camera in my hand, I will see many things that I otherwise would not have seen had I "put my camera down".
That's like me. I'm incredibly cavalier without a camera in my hand.

But since I'm always shooting locally, I tend to shoot time and place.

I'm in a place where thousands have been, very few with a 24 or 26 MP camera, and certainly none with the same spectacular sunset, I had the night I was there.

Once at a craft show a woman kept asking me where a picture was taken. That was very irritating given that there was a card with each image telling everyone who was interested where it was taken. Eventually I asked why she wanted to know. She said "I'm going to go and take the picture myself." My response as, "If you want that picture you have to buy that picture, that sunset with those colours in that spot is never going to happen again, no matter how many times you go. You'll be very lucky even to get something comparable." Some people seem to think if you go to that spot, you just automatically get the great image. I do agree with you about going places thousands of photographer have been. When you go to places like that, look at the post cards. If you still think you can do better, have at her.
10-30-2016, 12:13 PM - 1 Like   #44
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QuoteOriginally posted by Fenwoodian Quote
For about 20 years now, I've made brief photo visits to locations that had beautiful scenery.... I could have saved lots of time and money by just studying the famous artists and photographers of yesteryear and seen that most of them focused their creative energies in their own "backyards" (i.e. local areas).
I'm surprised that, in your original post above, you say nothing about what motivates your interest in photography in the first place. You speak of commercial success or lack of it, creative and social acceptance by others of your work, your work being accepted as art etc, but nothing about why you do photography for it's own sake.

At the end of the day what motivates you to pick up a camera, point it at something you think is photo worthy and pull the trigger without consideration of these other largely extraneous social considerations?
10-30-2016, 03:25 PM - 3 Likes   #45
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Studying great photos in books and online can be useful but does have its downside.
Others do help you learn but by comparing you will find every flaw in your own photos.
That's good when it's challenging; not so much when it becomes disheartening.

One of the great things about being an amateur photographer rather than a professional
is that your photos need only please one person - you!

Chris
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