"Photographers Notebook"

[Paul Kierstead]

I have a feeling that Richard's comment was ill-considered and he would phrase it differently if he were to post again.

Then perhaps he should. I don't know him, can't remember his posts; from the tone here, it appears lots of people give him the benefit of a doubt that they feel he deserves; for me, not having history, his post was extremely rude, condesending and much worse then much of what he is taking aim at.

Sure the forums all drive us crazy on occasion, but "I am taking my toys and going home"? Perhaps he had a bad day, or was exceedingly angry, or whatever, but I haven't seen any retraction or clarification.

As to criticism; surely, as a pro, he can stand some criticism (warranted or not) of his work. There are always assholes, always "Great job!" people and lots of people in between; some are constructive, some are not. Some make us angry, some stroke the ego (well, rarely here ....) and some mystify. From his post, I can identify which group he falls into.

[Marko]

What Paul said. I made a deliberate effort to re-read Richard's post several times, just to make sure I understood him correctly.

Well, I think I did and I still perceive it as incredibly pompous (as Kirk said) and rude (as Paul said). I would definitely add "condescending". It also made me re-read a few of Richards older posts and there is a layer of common feel to all of them.

What really makes some people great is not what they know, but how they use it.

[Kirk Gittings]

Marko I agree. I always sit and think real hard before I launch into someone as I did here, but after rereading his post a dozen times, I could come to no other conclusion. It was very pompous, condescending and rude and it made me really angry.

The plain fact is that this forum has many people who have a lifetime of experience, who simply log in every day and simply share their experiences from that lifetime. They earn the respect by their knowledge. They don't demand it with pronouncements about their vague past and private anonoumous club of "Heavyweights". They take the heat from some of the wackos that inhabit the forum, don't take it personally and keep comin back.

[Struan Gray]

The thing about John Cook is that he actually got on and wrote his wonderful, rambling, annoying, off-topic and inspiring posts. That he was also gracious, self-deferential and able to roll with the punches just added to the charm.

I have always believed that one should not expect too much from online forums, and be grateful for the impressively large number of gems that do appear amid the gravel. I also think that if a forum that I like enough to keep reading isn't headed the way I want it to, that's reason to post more, not less. Finally, I have very rarely come across well-written posts by the ill-informed: it is usually clear who knows what they are talking about and who doesn't without the need for on-file CVs.

I don't begrudge Richard his qualifications, or his stating of them. He is free to keep on posting about them. But they are not photography: they are not even his photography.

As the winged goddess of sports footwear puts it: Just Do It.

[Paddy Quinn]

Richard - why not just confine your little club to photographers who have recieved Guggenhiem Fellowships to keep the standard up?

You could then get - oh - maybe one taker from this list.

Would that be elitist enough for you?

[Shilesh Jani]

A few months ago I told a photographer friend to check out the website of another photographer because I was thrilled by the work. I got an email response back to the effect "nice photographs, but is it art?" This was followed by a long diatribe which included tons of famous name dropping. Ack! The little respect I actually had of this friend's work will forever be tempered because he deemed his own work was "art" while the other's mere "photographs". Pure self indulgence! As teachers, they only embrace adoration and worship. They run away from any challenge to their "way"

So....good riddence. There is more collective wisom in this world than one self indulgent, puny mind is capable of imparting to us.

[David Karp]

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