A gripe about repetitiveness (Page 5): The point is that the camera, lens, settings are all unimportant. The moment, the subject and the imagination of the photographer are the all...

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

DI Seller wrote:

Perhaps reply back with asking for the type of camera and lens that they used, and the settings. You might also want to find out how many pictures they had to take until they got in the one that was just right. Yes, it would be nice if they provided all that information up front

The point is that the camera, lens, settings are all unimportant. The moment, the subject and the imagination of the photographer are the all important issues. A man may be an expert with a chisel, and have the finest chisel in the world, but can he carve a "David"?

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

pentaxion wrote:

We have all seen thousands of pictures of the moon or egrets or great blue herons. Are we supposed to continue to admire the same old same old. I would like to see, instead of a demonstration of competence with tired subjects, something new in the photo section. Am I the only one who feels this way?

If you start the ball rolling, maybe others will follow?

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

There are a few gems here among the pebbles. There are pictures like the ones I take, there are others that I wonder why somebody would post them, and there are others that I am envious of. It's a grab bag but useful at times. For beginners, it's useful to be able to post a picture that says "Look what I was able to do" and then get some feedback.

sodapop Loc: Bel Air, MD

Now, that is really funny!

fotobyferg wrote:

My screwed up moonshot (still trying to figure out what happened) and a friend’s post after I bemoaned my photo inadequacies: (sometimes all you can do is laugh at yourself)

Papa Joe Loc: Midwest U.S.

pentaxion wrote:

We have all seen thousands of pictures of the moon or egrets or great blue herons. Are we supposed to continue to admire the same old same old. I would like to see, instead of a demonstration of competence with tired subjects, something new in the photo section. Am I the only one who feels this way?

Pentaxion, you bring up a good point, but something we (who have been on the site for some time), need to remember - there are NEW users joining daily and are sometimes inspired by what they see and want to try it themselves. (Remember when you first began... you may have been the proverbial 'sponge', soaking-up all the tips and suggestions you could find.) If I run into what you call 'repetiveness', I just skip over it.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

pentaxion wrote:

Hey, they apparently moved my start here. I don't know why.

You needed to include a photo of a heron to keep it in the photo section....

pithydoug Loc: Catskill Mountains, NY

pentaxion wrote:

We have all seen thousands of pictures of the moon or egrets or great blue herons. Are we supposed to continue to admire the same old same old. I would like to see, instead of a demonstration of competence with tired subjects, something new in the photo section. Am I the only one who feels this way?

Who is going to police YOUR standards? I hope you are the only one with this snobbishness.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

pentaxion wrote:

We have all seen thousands of pictures of the moon or egrets or great blue herons. Are we supposed to continue to admire the same old same old. I would like to see, instead of a demonstration of competence with tired subjects, something new in the photo section. Am I the only one who feels this way?

You are not alone. Unless they are REALLY exceptional I look but get quickly bored. There are also a lot of images of Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Ducks, Geese, and Sunsets. Hummingbird shots seem harder to come by and are usually of higher caliber. Flower pictures seem much more varied and I shoot a lot of flowers too. Often the same ones (flower species/variety) over and over until I get the "perfect" one. Which is often the first try! I haven't tired of Railroad images yet. Another subject I shoot.

But yet I can fully understand why some many people on the UHH post bird and moon shots, a feeling of connection to something and accomplishment, as do those of use posting flowers, horses, dogs, grand kids, etc. But yes, some specific subjects get to be cliche, or over done too often. Personally I'd like to see more thought put into composition and artistic photography. Personally I like and do a lot of abstract photography I rarely see on the UHH. So, like I believe others, I rarely post what I myself might like best. This is likely a divisive topic.

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

This long thread shows this topic is on a lot of minds. I judge many photography competitions and this question comes up frequently because it happens frequently in the photography world.

Regarding judging, if you are to be an impartial judge of photography your opinions should be based on the aesthetic content of the image in front of you here and now, not the totally subjective fact that you are tired of seeing certain subjects. You are asked to judge it for what it is. The other persons photograph isn't about you. It may be completely novel to them. Now you are of course allowed to factor in your photographic experiences regarding the subject in your judgements. That's what makes you a seasoned experienced photographer and judge. But always, judges are asked to judge and treat each image objectively on its own merits. It might be a better world if we all walked around with our "judging hats" on.

amyinsparta Loc: White county, TN

pentaxion wrote:

We have all seen thousands of pictures of the moon or egrets or great blue herons. Are we supposed to continue to admire the same old same old. I would like to see, instead of a demonstration of competence with tired subjects, something new in the photo section. Am I the only one who feels this way?

You are free to complain. But if it bothers you that badly, then by all means find another board that satisfies your refined tastes in photography. We will try to make it without you.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

gekko11 wrote:

Well I do hope that you realize that your posting ... (show quote)

Very cool image. Looks like it could be used for a (music) album cover! That is what (some of us) mean by different! That s ART!

DJO

[quote=pentaxion][quote=GoofyNewfie]Not my cup of tea either, but some are quite exceptional and I appreciate the skill involved in those.
If I’m not interested in something, I don’t look.
What do you like to shoot?[/quote

I would like to shoot what is distinctly my own vision. I haven't found that yet. That's why I would not post; I would not want to be another same old same old.[/quote]

I wish you luck, which in most instances is really the result of a lot of very hard work. I am fortunate to have found my vision. Be prepared to experiment, to risk incessantly, to be frustrated and to fail, time after time. Be persistent and intrepid. MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, pay absolutely no attention to what other people do or say.

Taped to the front of my computer is a quote from the great 20th Century American painter Edward Hopper:

"The only quality that endures in art is a personal vision of the world. Methods are transient; personality is enduring."

davyboy Loc: Anoka Mn.

May I suggest starting a new section for only really creative photos or super talented photographers wow

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

rmalarz wrote:

There are a few on here that are formulaic processors. Their photos look exactly the same with the same subject matter time and time again. I tend to skip over their posts for that very reason. My personal preference is landscape. However, there again, it's the same general subject time and time again. However, each scene is photographed differently and processed similarly.

Now, I'll put this question to you. What would you consider "something new"?
--Bob

Those are the ones who might put me on their Ignore List.

"Something New" for the UHH? Mammalian wildlife other than Deer or Elk. A Volcano, even if a dead Smoker/Cinder Cone in the Mojave Desert. Surfer images like old 1960's surf music album covers. Photos from or of Hawaii. Sea-life like Gastropods, Coral, Fish. Even collected Sea Shells like mine.

lsupremo Loc: Palm Desert, CA

I suggest that the image posters title their images in a way that tells us if they are birds or flowers or whatever so we don't have to open a post if we are not interested in the subject matter.