The three stages of PotN (New Member Process)

If so let me explain to see how true this is.

Stage one - Digital camera bodies

Newbies rejoice! We finally found a "FREE" photography forum site. Well time to post away with our new canon xs. Hmmm my pictures don't look like the canon 7D ones..... well time to post should I keep my canon xs or buy a 7d that will give me better pictures...... I finally bought the 7D, but what is all this talk about full frame (I will stop here you guys get my point)

Stage two - Canon lenses

Now after the new member finally settled down with a camera a few months later after doing research etc. It's time for him to start getting rid of his apc sensor lenses since he/she finally thought full frame would make their pictures look better. They make a post, so I noticed i'm using the same camera as you guys, but for some reason I don't see the magical pop full frame has. I know it must be the lenses. Should I buy a canon 50 1.8 or 50 1.4. /enters Potn vet. Search they have over 100,000 post relating to those lenses.

Stage three - Lighting

The new member is rock solid with his gear/lenses now he want to over power the sun etc. "You guys get the point"

Yup, I agree 100%. I went through the "Posts you started" and you're a stage 2.

so where does the Title Fairy fit in?

Wow, what a totally needless and nasty post!

Brutal. After the new mbar process some take various paths like getting stuff that ain't canon kind of paths. You know...

Even though it's kind of a pointless and derogatory post, I did get a chuckle out of it. Although it probably shouldn't be in the EOS camera section.

IngersonPCD wrote in post #13068635
=Ingerson"PCD";1306863​5]Yup, I agree 100%. I went through the "Posts you started" and you're a stage 2.

lol i'm in stage 3 now

You left out the most important stage. Stage 4 is where you realize to get those great shots posted here, it's not the camera, lens or lighting equipment alone but the knowledge and skill you must acquire to use those tools properly. From the initial setup to the final post processing of an image the hardware is only a small part of capturing an enduring image.
Stage 4 is investing in yourself so you can use those tools successfully.

I did get my morning chuckle out of the way reading your post though.

Downs Photography wrote in post #13069184
lol i'm in stage 3 now

I'm in a constant rotation through all three of them. It just depends on the mood that day. Today I'm stage one. See you tomorrow. Who knows what stage that will be.

I think one stage was left out that tightly follows lenses.....filters.

No matter how much it is repeated that all you need is a very good CPL......new folks want UV on every lens, a stack of ND/GND, ,.....etc,

Regarding filters the old addage kicks in... “"Experience is the best teacher, but the tuition is high."


I think we can all use this thread as a humorous way to poke fun at our own growth paths. How many of us fully understood from day one how important our knowledge of exposure and composition were compared to which piece of equipment we were currently using?

It is natural for new folks to lock on the most visible parts of photography...the equipment. Equipment can be purchased in the shop today. Technique is learned...over years.

Never had the stage 1 and 2. Directly into stage 3. Just bought what I could afford when I started out. That was a 30D with kit lens, not much to think about.

Stage four:
You finally realize here is more then one forum, not just camera forum.
For example, general talks forum.
I guess OP hasn't reached to this stage yet

Kind of rude to post this in my opinion. People are always going to ask simple questions, and it'll never change. They would rather have a conversation with someone to get the answer they need because that's what a social forum is... and that's what POTN is. Granted, the search button does work rather well, but that also takes away from the aspect that, again, this is a social forum. *sigh*

By the OP's theory, because I'm new and only have 46 posts, I should be in stage one still, asking tons of questions about camera bodies, and that I don't know jack. Well, I'll be the first to apologize that I don't have the knowledge and experience that you do, and I'll definitely go out of my way to make sure I have EVERY single answer to EVERY question before I even come back here, so as not to bother you with stupid newbie questions. /sarcasm.

I'm getting ready to go to school for photography, will be starting my own business eventually, and buying a decent amount of gear (a lot of which I currently have very basic knowledge on how to use, but that won't stop me from doing it), so I will be learning a lot a long the way, and have the tools to do it. But if I have a question that I feel hasn't been answered, and I cannot find that answer using the search button within a reasonable amount of time, I'm going to start a new post, or find a post relatively close to my question, then ASK that question. I don't know if you know this, but there's hundreds beyond hundreds of hours of posts to read through on some topics... something of which I don't want to sit through, especially if someone (like a lot here are) is more than happy to tailor the answer to my question to ME and MY needs for MY knowledge and MY advancement in the craft because THEY WANTED to help.

Sorry, just ranting. I'm done now.

I think everyone needs to relax. People don't make a thread like this without personal experience at each stage. (usually current involvement)

IT'S FUNNY!

tracyc wrote in post #13068997
Wow, what a totally needless and nasty post!

I agree. One of the reasons I enjoy this place so much is because we dont often see crap like this.