Photography turning into a "fad"? - General

I don't really mind. I think a lot of people are wasting money though when they buy an expensive DSLR and just use the Auto setting without ever really learning the camera's real features.

[QUOTE=Vitreus;24563962]I don't really mind. I think a lot of people are wasting money though when they buy an expensive DSLR and just use the Auto setting without ever really learning the camera's real features.[/QUOTE] Yeah, that annoys the crap out of me, one of my friends does that, i showed him pictures of my €3,- full manual analog camera, he was baffled and i told him that he needed learn how to use his 150 times more expensive DSLR.

[QUOTE=TheRatKing;24558864]Not expertly. But I think that photoshopping can strip the reality of a photo. Think about it, what is a real authentic image when most are photoshopped? Just my 2 cents, but I'll be the first to admit I don't know shit.[/QUOTE] Well first of all a camera doesn't capture reality as it is. It captures reality to the extent it can process it. It becomes more blurry so you need to sharpen it, no digital thing is close to capturing the full range of colours real-life provide so the colours are often blander and washed out so you need to fix those, a photo is limited to it's frame so you might need to crop it to make it look better, a camera has only one focus and stands still whilst your eye constantly looks around in a 180 degree area and change focus now and then and your head bobs around, so you might need to isolate what you focused on in the photo or at least edit it to look better, your eye doesn't always catch all the details the photo does so you might need to remove them (or add some). Etc etc. There are many reasons why you will hardly find any professional photographer that does not edit his/her photo. It's because they too know that a camera does not capture real life perfectly, a camera does not have your mindset and can thus can't capture your subject 100% correctly as you wanted to, nor can it fully keep the atmosphere and colours you saw and felt. So you need to edit it in order to get that feeling and look you wanted and saw or imagined. [QUOTE=daijitsu;24559028]makes them a good editor. If they took a picture with crappy white balance (the reason for the color shift if it is what I think it was), they need to work on learning how to use their camera's settings.[/QUOTE] There is no real reason to pay close attention to the white balance, because that can be completely edited with the RAW converter, as long as it isn't over- or under-exposed and/or super warm or cold in the white balance then you can change it to what you wanted it to be. You should however capture it in the white balance you want in order to avoid lots of editing afterwards since the white balance usually changes a wee bit in each photo leaving a lot of individual editing on each photo. [QUOTE=daijitsu;24559984][img_thumb]http://www.alanranger.com/storage/lens_flare_advanced.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1264609922709[/img_thumb][/QUOTE] Hahahahaha, oh man. I do like how the lens flare creates a line for the horizon though, making it look like it's a space fish.

Photography has always been a tool for hipster douches to use to call themselves [i]deep[/i]. Occasionally you'll run into someone who's actually good at taking pictures, but otherwise it's just a teenager with enough disposable income to buy a camera and a folder on their facebook page called 'ediiiits'.

Hrm. Since we're talking about photography..what kind of camera would you recommend an amateur photographer to get? Something that isn't a point-n-shoot...I like having a little manual control.

It's not the photography that's becoming a fad, its just that camera's are becoming cheaper and cheaper to buy.

[QUOTE=Blackizzle;24550587]The only thing I hate more then fads is people who say "I was into that before it was cool"[/QUOTE] I disagree. At least it shows that they didn't start doing it because everyone else did.

[QUOTE=daijitsu;24561570] [img]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4707313902_ccd0de2eb4_b.jpg[/img] (seriously, that's how it looked after the shot. Flash'd her so she imprinted hard, then let the light from the DIMLY light clouds seep in over 20 or so seconds) [/QUOTE] Now that's totally awesome, I can't believe it's not photoshopped. [editline]02:38PM[/editline] [QUOTE=veribigbos1;24565636]It's not the photography that's becoming a fad, its just that camera's are becoming cheaper and cheaper to buy.[/QUOTE] I guess not, but these people [i]do[/i] like to call themselves 'photographers'.

If you bought a camera and use it regularly - you're a photographer. A photographer is a person who takes photographs using a camera. :\ And whether you're good or bad with it, all that really matters is that you have FUN with it, like all other kinds of art.

[QUOTE=Lyoko774;24565744]If you bought a camera and use it regularly - you're a photographer. A photographer is a person who takes photographs using a camera. :\ And whether you're good or bad with it, all that really matters is that you have FUN with it, like all other kinds of art.[/QUOTE] Nope. You don't know the difference between taking a picture and taking a photo. Photo Graph. Photo, a.k.a photon, a.k.a light Graph, a.k.a a visual drawing of sorts. To photograph means to draw with lightning. To take a photograph you need a clear understanding of why you did what you did. A camera only takes in the light in the area you have chosen it to take it in from. If you take a picture you just hit the button and get what you pointed the camera towards without it being much more than that. If you take a photo you take use of the light that is in the scene, composite the image with a subject and hit the shutter button. You don't just look at something pretty and hit the shutter button, you look at something and find the best angles, best placement for the subject and best light source (both in what the light comes from and where it comes from).

[QUOTE=dgg;24565785]Nope. You don't know the difference between taking a picture and taking a photo.[/QUOTE] Uh..Alright then, what's the difference? One's a hobby, one's art? Sorry, posted before you edited. Is it just me or is Facepunch being shit slow today?

[QUOTE=Lyoko774;24565838]Uh..Alright then, what's the difference? One's a hobby, one's art?[/QUOTE] You can break it down as simple as that too, yeah. Though it doesn't have to be a hobby.

...Honestly, you're look a bit too far into it, IMO. Like I said, I think unless you're a professional photographer who does it for a LIVING, the only thing you should care about is having fun and taking good pictures. Yes, it does help a LOT to know what exactly the camera does, and knowing what functions of a camera does what, but it's not required to be a photographer. Although I do agree that people who are like "B&W picture with me in the mirror LOOKIT ME IM CREATIVE" are stupid and annoying.

[QUOTE=Lyoko774;24565945]...Honestly, you're look a bit too far into it, IMO. Like I said, I think unless you're a professional photographer who does it for a LIVING, the only thing you should care about is having fun and taking good pictures. Yes, it does help a LOT to know what exactly the camera does, and knowing what functions of a camera does what, but it's not required to be a photographer. Although I do agree that people who are like "B&W picture with me in the mirror LOOKIT ME IM CREATIVE" are stupid and annoying.[/QUOTE] Not really, photographer and artist are both careers. It is required to know how shutter, aperture and ISO works if you want to be classified as an amateur photographer. The only thing [I]most people[/I] should care about is having fun and taking pictures, yes. But if you want to be a photographer and classified as one you need to learn the basic guidelines of photography.

[QUOTE=Perfumly;24559460][img_thumb]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/4952714087_0d494187dd_b.jpg[/img_thumb] Just finished processing this one of a friend for class. He brought a gas mask for some raisin but it looked cool anyway.[/QUOTE] Hey look, black and white, I am artistic. Reflection kinda makes it look meh too.

And I just wanted to take pictures of nice scenes. [img]http://www.freeclipartnow.com/d/41384-1/trashcan-dont-pollute.jpg[/img] Now for my next idea...

[QUOTE=Kaelnukem;24566341]And I just wanted to take pictures of nice scenes. [IMG]http://www.freeclipartnow.com/d/41384-1/trashcan-dont-pollute.jpg[/IMG] Now for my next idea...[/QUOTE] It's not fair! [IMG]http://www.tseardhoekstra.nl/wp-content/2009/06/calimero.jpg[/IMG] Also, some more blurry, analog goodness for this thread: [IMG]http://i54.tinypic.com/szztps.jpg[/IMG]

I think I agree with this whole fad thing. Cameras are becoming cheaper and more available to everyone so it makes all of them think that by buying a $300 camera they are suddenly a professional photographer, and they're not. I don't mind them taking pictures, I just hate it when they boast about how good they are, when they're really not. Also, Auto settings = I rage hard I recently bought a Nikon D5000, just a step up from the D3000 because it was on sale, 100 bucks off actually :) I am currently in Croatia on vacation here for a month and that's the main reason I bought the camera, and so far I have taken great images of the places I have gone to, but I do not think I am some kind of special photographer, I just want pictures of my own to edit ;) Last night I attempted a time exposure image of the Milky Way and it turned out pretty good I think for a first try....I did have to increase contrast and brightness because it was kind of washed out...but have a look though [img]http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/3227/dsc0267gu.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=Dark-Energy;24566671] [img_thumb]http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/3227/dsc0267gu.jpg[/img_thumb][/QUOTE] What the fuck? How come I never see any of this. All I see is moon and one star in the sky :(

My highschool is crazy about photography. Hell even the teacher won an award for it. I just hope my metal-shop doesn't turn into a fad.

Cause your eyes don't have 5 minutes exposures? [editline]05:48PM[/editline] [QUOTE=dgg;24565446]There is no real reason to pay close attention to the white balance, because that can be completely edited with the RAW converter, as long as it isn't over- or under-exposed and/or super warm or cold in the white balance then you can change it to what you wanted it to be. You should however capture it in the white balance you want in order to avoid lots of editing afterwards since the white balance usually changes a wee bit in each photo leaving a lot of individual editing on each photo.[/QUOTE] Most consumer cameras don't capture RAW's, even so adjusting the white balance on the spot can be really important in preserving the atmosphere as it appears right there and then.

I love how I got daijitsu and Perfumly into the discussion :D Today while at lunch, I saw a kid taking pictures with his camera he got from my Yearbook class. He was just pulling it out and taking pictures from halfway across the room because he was too afraid to come up to the people and ask to get their pictures and make it look like they are doing something instead of posing and staring at him. It was just a plain 'point and shoot' shot too. straight across, horizontal and stuff. First of all, it is rude just having a guy stand in the middle of a crowded room trying to take a picture without saying anything, second of all, he is just a total idiot. Bless him though :) Nobody even has their cameras at school that they checked out yet because, well... there is nothing to take pictures of except 'candids'. I have to take pictures of the Band, Football Games, Cheerleaders, Tennis and the dance we are having. and that is for the next 9 weeks. Then we move onto our winter assignments. On top of that I have to design a layout for my yearbook class for the Freshman section, Band, Homecoming and Junior sections. Now here is some guy I know. I don't like him that much because he probably just does this because this girl he likes, her mom is into photography. so... but he is actually pretty good. [img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs408.snc4/47128_1555052404592_1483666982_1420733_4752444_n.jpg[/img] the black line wasn't me editing out the watermark, he just got it there himself. I heard that is a shutter problem since my dad has sort of the same thing going on with his. He also doesn't use Photoshop. he uses GIMP!

I really don't like editing pictures at all. Especially not if it involves the absolutely mediocre image rape that is your average digital photo manipulation software.

[QUOTE=BmB;24567062]Cause your eyes don't have 5 minutes exposures? [editline]05:48PM[/editline] Most consumer cameras don't capture RAW's, even so adjusting the white balance on the spot can be really important in preserving the atmosphere as it appears right there and then.[/QUOTE] If you did stars for 5 minutes, you'd get streaks. It's best to leave it to under a minute and use a fast lens or high ISO (if your camera isn't noisy at high ISOs). Or you could always get a motorized equatorial mount for your tripod.

Here in the Netherlands it's mostly 50 years old thinking they'll be a pro when they get a DSLR, they'll ussually end up for sale on marktplaats (dutch Ebay) for like half price or something. :psyduck: Some more analog goodnes though : took 2 extremely average point and shoot pictures of our garden but i did not wind the film properly, behold! [IMG]http://i53.tinypic.com/b3jy4k.jpg[/IMG]

since everyone decided to post their photos: [img]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4006/4410423572_15cc3d0056_z.jpg[/img] [img]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2532/3977243749_6f98c7f868_z.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=Dutchlike;24569999] Some more analog goodnes though : took 2 extremely average point and shoot pictures of our garden but i did not wind the film properly, behold! [IMG_thumb]http://i53.tinypic.com/b3jy4k.jpg[/IMG_thumb][/QUOTE] There is nothing good about this though.

[QUOTE=johan_sm;24570197]There is nothing good about this though.[/QUOTE] Yeah, but the suprise you get when you pick up your film, and get that kinda stuff in it, but as i said in my post it is indeed, just a run of the mill snapshot. A better thought out shot on the same roll would be this (keep in mind: plastic lens, my ilford is much better) : [IMG]http://i52.tinypic.com/15s3iux.jpg[/IMG]

no we aren't posting our photos, we are just discussing and giving examples.

[QUOTE=daijitsu;24560510]paper and an exacto knife work, as do those cheap craft store design hole punchers. ...and that marks pornography slip number 5[/QUOTE] I apologize. :v: