MosheR Loc: New York City

I hope this message finds everyone here well. I am a bit hesitant to post this, but something has been bothering me for some time, and I decided I had to get it off my chest. I am writing to express my deep frustration and disappointment with some of the members of this forum, specifically the disturbing trend of users who actively participate in discussions about equipment, techniques, and the intricacies of photography, but fail to share their actual work. They talk about GAS attacks, spend thousands of dollars they often claim they don’t have, on equipment they then don’t use. At least they don’t show us that they use it. As far as I can tell, they don’t post to any other forums either.

Photography is an art form meant to capture and convey moments, emotions, and stories. It is an act of creation, a way to connect and communicate with the world and with fellow photographers. However, a significant portion of our users seems to have lost sight of this fundamental aspect. Instead, they engage in endless debates about the esoteric details of lenses, shutter speeds, sensor sizes, file formats, and gear-related topics.

It is truly disheartening to witness such dedication to these technical aspects without a corresponding commitment to sharing the fruits of their labor – their photographs. Discussion about equipment and techniques is undoubtedly valuable, but they should be in service of the primary objective of photography: capturing and sharing images that inspire and evoke emotion.

As Theodore Roosevelt once said:
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

In the context of photography forums, the "man in the arena" should be the individual who actively captures moments, share his/her work, and invite constructive criticism. He is the one who truly contributes to the growth of the photography community. It's time for those who hide behind technical jargon to join the ranks of those who dare to share their artistic creations.
I urge all of us prioritize the sharing of photographs alongside technical discussions. By doing so, we can foster a more vibrant and inspiring environment for photographers at all levels of expertise.

Grahame Loc: Fiji

I really can't understand your concerns. This forum has a gallery where those who wish to display their pics can, of which contributions vary from the excellent works to mundane holiday snaps. It also has a 'Main photography discussion' section where members who want to discuss 'technicalities' can do that.

I see very little relevance to the difference in value of someone's sensible technical advice (any subject) based on how many pictures they post.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Moshe--

You raise valid points. There also some other points to consider. I am one of those who posts minimally here, although a few of my significant photographs can be found in the archives. They were posted before I made the decision to mostly stop. Several factors contributed to that decision.

Many of my photographs are high resolution images with a significant amount og fine detail. Some are stitched panoramas of multiple high resolution images. There is no way that my original intent survives the downsizing required to make them fit the forum's upload restrictions.

Most of the photographs I have taken over the past few years have been at school for the yearbook or other internal usage. I am not allowed to share images including students, and I will not violate the privacy of teachers by publishing their likenesses.on the forum.

I have still not completely decided whose opinions I trust and whose I do not, nor whose comments would be helpful and whose would just be distractions. Since I do have a cadre of trusted friends who are accomplished artists and historians and scientists and teachers, I have chosen them as my "share partners." We have open discussions of each others' work.

The pragmatic reason I don't post here is that I'm not interested in having my images scraped and circulated and perhaps having their ownership stolen.

As far as participating in discussions of equipment, technique, and process, the jury is still out on that. There are a number of subject areas in which deeply imbedded misinformation makes learning more difficult than necessary and performance less effective than reasonably expected. Fads and trends further complicate the effort to achieve best practice. Photography is one of those. I would really like to be part of correcting errors and making better photographers. I do not know that this forum is a reasonable place to spend a lot of effort to work to make that happen.

BebuLamar

I do not post or show my photography. I like to discuss about equipment with those who want to discuss. You want to show your photos go to the gallery. I never go there. I don't care about critism constructive or not. If you have problem with that tell the admin. Your suggestion isn't humble at all.

srt101fan

Do you actively support sections like “Digital Artistry” and “For Your Consideration”?

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I am not a good candidate to participate in Digital Artistry, at least not yet. I have visited For Your Consideration, but I am not yet a mature enough artist to be of help there.

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

I couldn't agree more!!!!!
I am currently in between locations and haven't posted much lately...But I will resume posting when that makes sense. In the mean time, many of my past posts are available for viewing for anyone interested.
I don't have many heroes, but TDR is one of those few!
GREAT POST!!

mindzye Loc: WV

[quote=larryepage]Moshe--

"The pragmatic reason I don't post here is that I'm not interested in having my images scraped and circulated and perhaps having their ownership stolen".

Bingo.
I have some images I quite frankly don't know what to do with - socio/political, religious.

With a couple of them, when I was with a former photography group with some Excellent fine art photographers, graphic artists and media personnel, i.e. professionals, within one showing at a month's end critique, one of the more experienced members, as he got to presenting and critiquing my effort, said " I've been waiting all evening to get to this one. An image hasn't moved me as this one has in quite some time".

This is not an attempt at bragging as I have been honest in my assessment of others' beautiful and gorgeous work; both in color and b&w. With the current system of holding on to presented images to 'time infinitum', I don't care to have my work copied, distributed, or stolen: either domestically or foreign. And allowing such MB sizes allows for download theft. Simple. Maybe in time I will reconsider and start with a couple of more mundane images.

The purpose of my involvement here quite simply is to learn what I don't know, and to help where I'm able to the extent of my abilities, at whatever level I'm at.

To say that not to post images is unsupportive, I heartily disagree. Yet, as in any forum, I take opinions to heart as we all see things from varying standpoints. Gee, that's what makes us photographers, no? This is simply my take.

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

Right here is some discussion that approaches what you were seeking. So do you see? You can create discussion around what you are interested in, while other folks can post about what they are interested in.

Folks here post and discuss what interests them in this hobby, and you can do that too. Part of the interest in this hobby around here is the artistry, and there are whole sections for that. But a big part of the interest in this hobby is the gadgetry. And of course they can post about that to their hearts content.

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

It's called having skin in the game!

Timmers Loc: San Antonio Texas.

A visit to any decent library in the us not using the Dewey decimal system can help clarify this problem. Photography is located between the section on science and on the other side of the photo books those of the fine arts. A pretty great way to defuse tis whole issue, as some will go toward the 'science' side while others go to the 'art' side. And while your at it, you will find that devil Ansel Adams to either sider, science and the fine arts.

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

Some people like to talk about things that interest them. Things like equipment, photography techniques, post processing or asking questions about things they don't understand. That is the primary reason for the Main Photography Discussion. When I was 17 I couldn't wait for that Friday night when I could cruse down to the drive in, open the hood on my '49 Ford and show off my new Edelbrock manifold with the 3 Stromberg 97s. If I had the money now to buy a high end mirrorless camera and I wanted my piers to know about it, I would probably post it in the Main Photography Discussion section.

However, if I wanted my piers to think I had improved my photography skills, I would say nothing about the new equipment. I would use the appropriate bells and whistles that came with the new camera and post the resulting photos in the appropriate section. And yes, I don't care what the experts say, I believe that up to a certain experience level it is first the camera, next the lens and finely as skills outgrow the hardware then and only then is it the photographer.

Finally, it my belief that a substantial number of posters to UHH have obtained the level of competence where equipment no matter how high tech it is exceeded by their skill.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

It's because folks spend thousands of dollars on equipment and still take dull uninteresting images that they could have got with a point and shoot.
As I have always said, the photographer takes the image, not the equipment. Skill, knowledge, practice and experience will always win the day.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Not everyone feels the need to share/post photos.
Some don't shoot every day, or even every week or so.
Some are more interested in the information/camaraderie available.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I know what you mean, and I've read comments like this before. Basically, it doesn't matter. I do a lot of posting, but I've posted relatively few images. So what? Thousands of pictures are posed here, some looking better than others. I've always enjoyed photography, especially the technical/hardware aspect. That doesn't mean that I'm a great photographer. I wouldn't ever win a photo contest.

Looking at this another way, every great performer, in any field, has people who help him improve. Those coaches aren't world-famous performers, yet they can help others to improve. I'm not claiming to be an expert photography coach, but I enjoy the subject, the gear, and the discussion.

If this were simply a photo display site, it would be different. It's just a forum where people can discuss photography and other topics.