Do you ever get the idea that people that spend...

[Victor Samou Wong]

If you could make that work at the Indy, those pictures could be quite interesting, I think. There are hundreds of creative possibilities.

[Bob Younger]

Back to the original question, the defense of a decision, especially when that decision had high cost ($$, emotional, physical, or....) is called cognitive dissonance. It is a well documented phenomenom of social psychology. It has been documented in smokers, purchasers, and in experiments that resulted in physical or emotional pain based upon decisions. It's why people continue to look at the sales brochure after buying a car. People look for support for the decision. In large measure it's why the cigarette companies were so successful in deflecting the overwhelming research that determined cigarettes were harmful. Some of the early experiments determined that the higher the perceived price the more vehemently the decision was defended (both internally and externally).

[John_4185]

Cognitive dissonance arises when there is a challenge to what a person thinks he knows. It's not really about buyer's joy or remourse. I don't see how it applies to buying a camera unless it's done under duress - for example, your boss demanding that you own and use a POS digital camera for photographs, and your LF for a lunchbox.

[Lukas Werth]

I support the motion, and I think there is a lot to be criticised about all those consumer's dreams. Cameras are tools, worthwhile pictures take dedication and concentration, and are more about knowing how to do, including how to use available equipment, than about knowing how to obtain. More bluntly: consumerism has for a long time one of the biggest setbacks of photography as an art form.
Those dreams we dream about having that latest gadget are as stupid as those about the newest car. Yes, stupid, because it is not we who dream them. Dreaming them, we are the industry's string puppetts. Just stop for a moment to imagine how stupid commercial advertising really is. Is there *ever* anything learned, anything gained from it? They are made to lull individual drives and intellectual capabilities, and the people who make them make their money fooling people. The idea of the "free consumer" is an oxymoron.

[Bob Younger]

I agree that cognitive dissonance is different from buyers remorse, or joy. However, from the website http://www.answers.com/topic/cognitive-dissonance the following example. You can substitute the words, "very expensive photography equipment" for "washing machine." But the question asked about people who vehemently defend their decision in the face of questions about whether they have "the best."

"Once two cognitions are held and there is a conflict between them, one falls into a state of cognitive dissonance. This may be demonstrated by someone purchasing a brand of washing machine, initially believing that it was the best product to buy. One's cognition is that a good washing machine has been bought. However, after the purchase, one may be exposed to another cognition informing one that there is a better washing machine out on the market (for example, through an advertisement). This then leads to an imbalance between cognitions and a psychological state which needs to seek consonance between the two cognitions."

And, regarding the degree of dissonance: "Post-decisional dissonance may be increased by the importance of the issue, the length of time the subject takes to make or avoid the decision, and the extent to which the decision could be reversed."

[Ed K.]

Bet that grafmatic and whole rig wasn't the cheapest thing in town at the time it first sold.
The cool part about living in this time period is that we have so many choices. When a client
has their art director standing right there, and the job deadline is tomorrow, digital goodies
sure make sense. And for the artist to capture the moment or the method, how great to
use any old tool the artist finds useful! The only part that upsets me is the amount of
misrepresentation in some of the marketing, or a bit of frustration that I can't find
a particular tool I'm looking for at a price I'm willing to pay. Old fart, eh? You've got
at least 10 years to go before life really begins. I hear your pain though, however as
Clint Eastwood said the Marines line in "Heartbreak Ridge", "you adapt, improvise and overcome!".
Semper Fi! And get some great pictures while you can still lug that press camera around!

[Victor Samou Wong]

All of my working out has to be good for something. I would guess if anything, large format photography is a great way to stay in shape.

Life begins in ten years eh? I'll be looking forward to it!

Cheers

[John_4185]

vic Life begins in ten years eh? I'll be looking forward to it!

Now go to sleep like a good Rumpelstiltzkin (sorry to be so Grim as to spell it out for you), or like Snow White if that's your style.

[John_4185]

I meant RIP friggin VAN friggin WINKLE!

See what you have to look forward to in thirty years? In thirty years your skull will be drilled for internet access, cameras and sound, consciousness will be licensed, and democracy will be ... wait, it's already gone. So ferget that right now.

It must suck to be young.

[Guy Tal]

Interesting that this comes up in a forum where many members opt for ultra large formats, archaic processes etc. It comes down to a very basic tendency - people like to belong to exclusive elitist groups. Those who can't or won't get there based on exceptional personal achievement often opt to buy their way into them.

I have met too many people who feel their work is superior by virtue of the format it was captured on, the difficulty of their printing process, or the scarcity of their materials. By the same token - those who opted to pursue AZO will promote their prints as superior, those who lug around 16x20 behemoths will claim their negs are "better", and those obsessed with the MTF of a rare and expensive lens will scoff at any cheaper alternative. Are any of these claims ever put to an objective test? Whay would such a test be?

To the vast majority of people, a good image made on 35mm film, scanned on the cheapest flatbed, and printed on a desktop inkjet printer may very well "beat" an uninspired cliche captured in ULF and contact-printed by the most skillful master. What does that mean? In the context of art - a lot. In the context of social dynamics - absolutely nothing.

Guy
Scenic Wild Photography