Technique instead of Hardware

[Far Side]

Internet forums are a great source of information. Everyday, I read 6 Photography forums and viewed hundreds of photos, many of them exulting the quality of their equipment and lenses. Thousands of dollars and euros are spent in an effort to improve image quality and photos of all sorts are posted as proof, including endless views of babies by proud parents.
After considering the photos, effort and expense involved, I have concluded very few of them match the quality of Pekka’s original G1 gallery (my favorite is the night panaroma of the snow covered street). Please don’t take this personal I just want to express my feelings that the most important element of good photography is the photographer and his or her ability to take and process an image to its fullest potential. In this day of “new is better” my opinion is that’s not necessarily true. A lot of equipment out there is not being used to their full potential.
Digital photography offers the average photographer ways to process and enhance photos that never available before.
Instead of talking about this widget is better than that widget, why can’t we have more posts like “How I manage without an “IS” lens” or “This is how I improved my photo”. I think the general readership would benefit more from this type of exchange in information than “A lens sees 5 dots and B lens only sees 4 and A lens only costs 2,000 more.
What do you think?

[jim9tan]

Absolutely agree.

[gorham]

I also agree. I'd welcome knowing of a newsgroup or forum that emphasizes the technique end if you should locate one.

G.

[JR92]

I agree as well. Besides when I savor a picture I have taken I like the feeling that it was something I did. I am the one who waited for the perfect light, I am the one who hiked three miles to get it and I am the one who ran from property owners after trespassing while taking pictures of their awesome flowers. The camera just helped me.

[Leighow]

Dear …Far Side …. Jim9Tan … Gorham
*********************************

WELCOME:
Well guys, as luck would have it, you have landed on the right forum.

PEKKA IS OPEN TO NEW IDEAS:
You have complete freedom to present and talk about any subject that you want. If what you see posted under share or critique photos is not meeting your needs, then make that point. I am sure that fellow members will respond. Indeed, if a new topic area is required, I am sure that Pekka will construct same to better serve all of our needs.

TWO WAY STREET:
Of course, any board is a two way street. You too must post some of your own work. For all we know, you are professionals, or highly skilled amateurs whose abilities may exceed the members of this board. Should that be the case, this forum may not be able to advance your skills and techniques.

HERE’S YOUR REQUEST :
Seems to be that you wish to know more about;
“How I manage without an “IS” lens” or “This is how I improved my photo”.

HERE’S MY “Leighow” RESPONSE
I have mothballed my Minolta SLR in favor of the G2. The G2 is a point and shoot camera and you do everything without an IS lens. Just look at my recent “Dusk on the Bruce Pit" post and you will see how close I get to a small shore bird! I submit, that what Far Side has asked for, is precisely what I have attempted to do in all of my posts.

Did you check any of my posts out?

If so, I did not receive any of your feedback. So, I must assume (given your current stand) that either you did not read my explanations, or that I met your expectations, or that you only glanced at my posts but were not interested the subject matter, or that you glanced and had a different photographic concern in mind.

HERE IS MY CHALLENGE
So guys. Pick anyone of my photos and tell me what you would like me to explain and I will try. But I should add that if you follow the threads in our posts you will find considerable response information that may meet some of your expectations.

I post the following URL’s for your examination.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=4018
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=4219.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3742
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2766#11622

THE BALL IS IN YOUR COURT
Pekka’s site is a micro- society. So, if you can lead the way toward improving the structure and content of our posts, we will all be the better for it. So its over to you.

HOWIE (Ottawa, Canada)


PS: But, don’t you think that the technical subjects can live parallel lives

[Karl]

...ONE OF THE REASONS I started www.photogathering.com.

Each photo that is uploaded can be rated and commented on.

Far Side, we could use the likes of you rating/commenting on various photos :)

-Karl
http://www.photogathering.com

[gorham]

Hi Howie,

I'm not sure I would have recognized that a technique thread was in the making from the titles and that could maybe explain the lack of response.

But I'm not really looking for a photo critique or "how it was done" forum. I *think* what I'd like to see is more along the lines of theory; which may well also include examples but, I think, wouldn't necessarily start with photo postings. Granted, these also have appeared in the various existing forums, especially along the lines of the low-light focus issues and use of flash. Those are good.

But, call me lazy, actually I'm often too busy to wade through sometimes obscure topic titles to find the threads I'd really like to read and, if inclined, participate in. Which I guess is also a wake-up call to me, at least and maybe to all of us to maybe create better thread topics to help each other find the areas we need to or are interested in participating in.

So. I'm surely not asking Pekka to make another forum but if anyone should happen on a truly digital *technique* forum, especially if devoted to DSLR, I'd love to know about it. If not, I'll keep wandering through when I have a chance and appreciate the availability of the fora already here. Pekka and Rob have done the digiphoto world a huge service and I'm very, very grateful.

That's just me and my tuppence worth. Please send the change to charity.

Gorham.

[Far Side]

I think you missed the intend of my post. It was not ment to comment on posted photos, we already have one of those. It was more an expression of exchanging ideas on methods of producing pictures and presentations.



Leighow wrote:
Dear …Far Side …. Jim9Tan … Gorham
*********************************

WELCOME:
Well guys, as luck would have it, you have landed on the right forum.

PEKKA IS OPEN TO NEW IDEAS:
You have complete freedom to present and talk about any subject that you want. If what you see posted under share or critique photos is not meeting your needs, then make that point. I am sure that fellow members will respond. Indeed, if a new topic area is required, I am sure that Pekka will construct same to better serve all of our needs.

TWO WAY STREET:
Of course, any board is a two way street. You too must post some of your own work. For all we know, you are professionals, or highly skilled amateurs whose abilities may exceed the members of this board. Should that be the case, this forum may not be able to advance your skills and techniques.

HERE’S YOUR REQUEST :
Seems to be that you wish to know more about;
“How I manage without an “IS” lens” or “This is how I improved my photo”.

HERE’S MY “Leighow” RESPONSE
I have mothballed my Minolta SLR in favor of the G2. The G2 is a point and shoot camera and you do everything without an IS lens. Just look at my recent “Dusk on the Bruce Pit" post and you will see how close I get to a small shore bird! I submit, that what Far Side has asked for, is precisely what I have attempted to do in all of my posts.

Did you check any of my posts out?

If so, I did not receive any of your feedback. So, I must assume (given your current stand) that either you did not read my explanations, or that I met your expectations, or that you only glanced at my posts but were not interested the subject matter, or that you glanced and had a different photographic concern in mind.

HERE IS MY CHALLENGE
So guys. Pick anyone of my photos and tell me what you would like me to explain and I will try. But I should add that if you follow the threads in our posts you will find considerable response information that may meet some of your expectations.

I post the following URL’s for your examination.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=4018
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=4219.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3742
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2766#11622

THE BALL IS IN YOUR COURT
Pekka’s site is a micro- society. So, if you can lead the way toward improving the structure and content of our posts, we will all be the better for it. So its over to you.

HOWIE (Ottawa, Canada)


PS: But, don’t you think that the technical subjects can live parallel lives

[slejhamer]

Far Side: Thanks for clarifying. The "Talk About Photography" board could be used for your purpose, but seems underutilized at present. Right now it's more "How do I ...?" instead of "This is how I ..." so I encourage you to lead the charge. And if the topics lean toward DSLR methods, that's fine - I can still lurk and learn, just as I do on this board. :)


Far Side wrote:
I think you missed the intend of my post.

[D30Photo]

I'm in full agreement with you. A similar forum on www.DPReview.com dedicated to "Lighting" was created to fill such specific needs.

As we all know, lighting is the backbone of photography, and such a forum can be created here.

Unfortunately the contributions and responses will be small for such a forum because the majority of users are more interested in gears talk. It's the "my gun is bigger than yours" talk that grab people. I don't know why. It's just is.

Since you have been around many forums, you will notice threads that compare camera/lens A vs camera/lens B including the occasional putdown/flames get more responses than the "critique" or "gallery" threads looking for contructive feedbacks.

When many of us take a BAD photo, we want to improve upon it. Many (not all) feel the solution is in front of the viewfinder where it's what BEHIND the viewfinder that need improvement.

[Far Side]

slejhamer wrote:
Far Side: Thanks for clarifying. The "Talk About Photography" board could be used for your purpose, but seems underutilized at present. Right now it's more "How do I ...?" instead of "This is how I ..." so I encourage you to lead the charge. And if the topics lean toward DSLR methods, that's fine - I can still lurk and learn, just as I do on this board. :)


Far Side wrote:
I think you missed the intend of my post.



Thank you for pointing out to me there is a forum here that is more technique oriented. No need to "lead a charge" or reinvent the wheel. I'll leave this one to the hardware collectors.