jj:
Right you are!
How about that "Myth of The Cave?" Would that have been ULF or what??? :-)
jj:
Right you are!
How about that "Myth of The Cave?" Would that have been ULF or what??? :-)
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
John, are you suggesting the philosophical analogy of a man who lives his life under a dark-cloth, perceiving the world only as an image on the ground glass? "Plato's ULF," hmmm, I like it...
This is an oft debated subject, and I am sympathetic to both sides. I think most of us start out using the trial and error method, and evolve towards a more technical approach to solve specific problems. A trial and error approach will provide all of the information needed for a given set of conditions. This kind of limited understanding is adequate for those whose work is limited in scope, but when faced with unfamiliar working conditions, the trial and error process must begin all over again. Let me be clear, I'm not suggesting that there is anything inherently wrong with working in a limited scope, in fact, my own work is 90% portraiture. Wether I learn about effective Aperture and bellows compensation by trial and error, or by memorizing the applicable formulae, the result is the same, so long as my working conditions are the same. However, if I decide to do some table top work at greater than 1:1 magnifications, my trial and error experience with portraits will be of little use to me, while the formulae used to calculate Effective Aperture, and magnification, etc., will be just as useful as they were for portraiture.
The technically astute often treat those who prefer a more intuitive approach as inferiors, and those who prefer the intuitive approach often suggest that too much technical knowledge can interfere with creativity. I think both reactions are defensive and inaccurate. Everyone working with photographic materials must possess some degree of technical expertise in order to produce satisfying work, and that expertise does not preclude intuition and creativity, but enhances them.
Jay
Trial and error at least for me facilitates learning in a different manner. I have a hard time learning about something new that I don't have any experience with. Generally I screw around with something until I mess it up, and then i read the directions. It's just easier for me to learn this way.
"At f/16 with a circle of confusion of 1/225 inch, your depth of focus is about 0.14 inches."
so can we all agree on 'f/16 and be 0.14 inches from there' ...?
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