View Camera Conference

[steve simmons]

Your conference sounds fine. I am sorry to be a continent away from it. Your announcement, however, is for an event that charges a substantial fee (not many people are going to attend the trade show and field trip without also attending the seminars), so please stop this silly pretense.

If you want suggestions for your periodical, I am sure that many contributors to this forum would gladly respond to a request (on another thread) with constructive criticism. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

There is no silly pretense. What I am promoting here is a free activity designed to promote large format photography. I get the same criticism when I tell people about free articles to help people get started in lf photography on our web site. The articles are free to everybody yet some complain when I refer to them as info. Why is there a problem telling people about free activities and articles? People can go to the conference trade show and/or the web site without any charge and not buy anything. In the case of the web site we do not track who comes and goes and do not send any followup solicitation.

Many people have called about just coming to the trade show. There is no better way to decide on equipment than to see it firsthand.

steve simmons

[Richard Fenner]

Steve, this isn't rec.photo.etc. This is a private forum - and our generous host has already said he agrees this thread is not in the spirit of the terms of usage. This isn't a matter of arguing over opinions of your post - it has been decided it doesn't belong here, in a subject much debated over many previous threads. I fully support notices of LF-oriented workshops, trade shows and conferences, whether paid for or free. But five is too many, and endangers the goodwill which allows such posts. I can imagine how frustrated MA Smith must be when he sees two, let alone five! I'm imagining Yosemite Sam jumping up and down shouting, 'I told ya to git off ma land - now stop arguing and git!'.

[steve simmons]

And is there a problem in my referring people to the free articles on the web site when the question is related????

steve simmons

[Andre Noble]

Wow!

Some of you people are really missing the big picture. We're a niche group to begin with. Steve is proactive for our interests. Sheet film will be facing extinction soon. Proactive people like Steve, Paula and Michael, etc. try to build respect with the manufacturers by showing the support that is out there for LF, and this conference is our chance do that.

I don't mean to stoop to a low level, but some people really need to stop the knee jerk censorship reaction and do some thinking!.

[Andre Noble]

And being born and raised in upstate New York with developed wit and sharp tongue, I do sense a bit of jealousy on the part of some for the real-world commercialism that is necessary to run ANY thing in this country.

Many of us LF’ers offered to give money to to QT Luong, et al as they took about a year to bring this site back online through solely volunteer work after it was shut down on the Greenspun site, (or whatever his name is).

I’ll say it one more time. If you need money to operate this site, ask for it. Don’t hold this martyr complex over our heads. I’ve already given money to Photonet, and would also give to this site. I feel Steve’s post is legit. Hell, he should feel free to post one more time in the week leading up to the conference as well.

Let’s air it out: Why has this site not recovered to its former glory?

[QT Luong]

Andre, can you elaborate a bit on that "martyr complex", and also on what it would take for you to consider that the site had "recovered to its former glory" ?

[tim atherton]

"Let’s air it out: Why has this site not recovered to its former glory?"

this message board and it's associated website for LF info seem to run quite happily on an entirely voluntary, non-commercial basis.

Photo.net by comparison seems to go down at least three or four times a week - despite scalping a good number of people out of money to further the owners adventures in web capitalism.

As for former glory - i'd say this list and it's associated website is where many mnay people now comes to both begin in LF and as a first port of call to find out any kind of info about working in LF. It's probably the premier site now for that. The list is both much more active and much more knowledgeable than the photo.net LF list (when you can get on it that is). It also functions more efficiently (i.e. you can sign up for emails of threads - not really possible on photo.net anymore since they "improved" it.

It's certainly now as good as the old greenspun list

[Donal Taylor]

"Wow! Some of you people are really missing the big picture. We're a niche group to begin with. Steve is proactive for our interests."

While Steve certainly does support the LF community he is also very pro-active in his own interestes - he has a commercial venture to run- his magazine. And the more publicity the better for his ventures. Same for his free articles - they are closely linked with his magazine - and are really a form of advertising for it - a billboard if you like.

Now I have now problem with Steve generating interest in/advertising his financial ventures, or pointign out to someone one of his free articles when it's appropriate to a question - as long as it's in the right place - and on this list - as long as it follows the established rules.

Currently I'm wondering exactly what part of "non-repetitive" he fails to understand...?

[Merg Ross]

Perhaps the term "non-repetitive" needs defining. Is it assumed that all of us in this "niche group", and that is an apt description, view this site on a daily basis? For those who do not, such postings as the one in question would not be repetitive.

[Francis Abad]

Here is a poll:

How many of those criticising and/or pointing out rules and regulations have spent the last week exposing at least 20 sheets of 8x10 film (developed and printed as well) and or the equivalent in 4x5, 7x17 etc.? Look at the greater good instead, please. The question one should answer every time someone advertises anything is: how does this affect my photography and my health.