How many drinks did it take, Richard, to write this post of yours? The world will miss you - and so will I. I had good laughs seeing your ego flying around, asking for veneration from the poor amateurs under you. Don't give up, ask for more! You need it.
"I do not intend to set myself up as some kind of authority on photography because I am not."
--Richard Boulware 2005-08-23 07:18 PST
I was waiting for your "Photographers Notebook" posts to start for some time now. What a disappointment this situation turned out to be. I too Richard am a retired professional photographer with a few awards under my belt, but I do not feel the same way as you do regarding teaching and "learning" as I read more from the forum than contribute, and this is where I find my pleasure.
The item in this post that I dislike the most is how you bring the late John Cook into it. John was a true gentleman and a giant. It was never beneath him to contribute to this forum, and you sir should not be allowed to mention his name regarding "advice" when deciding to make such an inflammatory post regarding the "hobbyist and weekend snap-shooters in LF".
"It's about seeing with new eyes."
Funny how some things start and end.
Okay, bye.
Just look at the many websites of the weekend photographers. I, and most on this forum, will never achieve the high level and beauty of their works.
Speaking from a professional writer's point of view; I would have to take exception to Richard's attitude toward the "weekend photographer". In a way, since I do the illustrations for all my books, I guess I qualify as a professional photographer as well; although only in a legalistic POV, since book illustration and the occasional magazine article shot make up my entire professional photo portfolio. However, I would suffer greatly if I took that attitude that my books on computer technology were only for professionals and I eschewed the computer hobbiest. A goodly number of these hobbiests own copies of my books and I welcome them. As much as I would like to read Richard's book, should he ever get it published, I don't think I would want to offend him by dirtying his book with my weekend hobbiest hands.
That said, I really don't think there is much point in resorting to name calling either. Last I checked, this was still the good ol' US of A. And so far, the Patriot Act still hasn't completely eliminated Richard's right to express his opinion.
I used to keep a notebook, but I couldn't read my handwriting. But it got worse: I was self-employed and fired myself because it turns out I wasn't a team player. So, I became self-unemployed. That worked.
I tend to agree with Kirk's assessment, but also read a fair amount of frustration just under the surface in Richard's post. With what, I'm not sure, but probably not all is with what he took aim at.
On a tangent, I actually think it is the "weekend photographer" who seeks the most growth and deepest vision. Professional photographers too often find what works and do what pays the bills. The nature of much professional photography demands the abandonment of risk for reliability. The ultimate goal is to please the client, sell the product. This is a bit harsh, as there are some professionals who do push themselves and grow; some are here on the forum. I respect them greatly for that, largely because they are the exception.
Amateurs tend more to be in it for the love of it. There are a few who are in it for their egos, but they tend to have the weaker work (in my eyes), so I doubt their egos really benefit that much from it. But I've seen a fair amount of work through the years by wonderful photographers and other artists who don't show or publish much, who do what they do because it is what they simply and truly want to do. These are the people who want to grow the most, and given the time, money, energy, and support, (which they need to find a way to give themselves), they will do much of the best work. It's sad that much of this work won't be widely seen, but it's reassuring somehow to know that this kind of work, too, is being done...
Mark Sawyer's comments rein in the heart of the matter.
The meaning of the word, amateur, has become negative over the past decades. Remember, it comes from amātor, a word for love. Perhaps amātor photographer is the term we should use.
People lucky enough to live in an urban setting, or a gifted smaller town, can probably hear and experience great music that will never be famous, possibly never recorded, and there have always been good, and some great artists who choose not to be professional at that level.
I have a feeling that Richard's comment was ill-considered and he would phrase it differently if he were to post again.
FWIW I didn't read Richard's post as being a slam against us weekend warriors. I am as enept as the next guy (probably more so) when it comes to flailing around the woods with my big camera. I do read the post as taking issue with the attitude that questions posed here are sometimes answered with more ego than charity. Citing One's credentials, photographic experience, or professional standing isn't being egotistical but rather gives me an idea of the value I can expect from advice being offered. Advice shared in the spirit of good will and charity is what I've come to expect here. OTOH opinions about art and philosophy(culture, if you will) illicit more passionate resposes, as they well should, however there seems to be far more dialogue regarding technical issues than the equally important and I find very interesting topics that deal with the 'culture' of photography. Maybe I'm mistaken, but what Richard proposed to do is to relate to us his experiences lived within that culture---a culture quickly becoming lost as the result of digital imaging which is a new and significantly different culture. We are heirs to the culture of photography by virtue that we practice LF. He stated His background so we could 'weigh' for ourselves what creedence to give His views. That seems to me as being more than fair and this place is certainly a worthy forum for such things, right?
Recalling the late John Cook seems quite appropriate here. He was, by most if not all of us, well respected and revered. His posts were always inciteful and entertaining and His conduct gentlemanly and charitable(not a bad role model, huh?) If you agreed with Him or not, theres no denying that, and since most all of His concerns were the result of His observations made over the passing of decades there really was only His conclusions to take issue with and His conclusions were I think, well thought out. Yet even He was sometimes the recipient of mean spirited critcism born from clearly egotistical rantings of the 'artsy fartsies.' Clearly, Mr. Cook was not an 'artsy fartsey' and niether is Mr. Boulware. I can't say that I blame Him for not wanting to share His 'Photographer's Notebook' with us since His detractors would deride the effort. That is clearly a loss.
"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
It's obvious that a forum in written text like this one is better suited for technical advice than for teaching highly abstract things such as "vision". We all value vision, but who can teach it using only the written word - it is pretty hopeless, I believe, and this is why this forum will remain mostly technical - at least with technical questions, there usually is an answer that can be put into words.
Accepting the limits of the media is the first part of the battle. If your forum is also to be mostly text, you'll face the same challenge.
The second part of the battle is accepting the fact that not all "weekend warriors" are snap shooters with no desire to improve. Yes, there are people which are more concerned with the ownership of a nice camera and the ultimate set of lenses than with actual pictures and some people who are so easily satisfied with everything they shoot that they won't get any advice, but I think that you'll find a higher proportion of those in the digital crowd - LF does very little for instant self gratification.
I actually believe that most weekend warrior care for sound advice and that many are getting so good that few people can actually give them. It's sad to see that one of the few who actually could has decided to seclude himself.
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