robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

'sb' mentioned burst and auto focus in birds and sports.

Those are a blessing to bird and action photographers.

40 years ago I wanted to do birds but getting a shot with wings in a good position etc. used up film and time and it was hit or miss. First I went to bulk loading film but the camera advance was still too slow. I couldn't afford a full fledged motor drive with a 50' or 100' film back, and yes those existed, used by professional sports, event and some wildlife photographers. So I bought a "power winder" that attached to the camera like a battery grip on a digital. 3 or 5 shots a second, I am not sure just which now and it ate through one of my home loaded 42 shot 35mm cassettes in no time. Film and developing were still more than a teacher, husband and father could afford. And expensive even if I did it myself - then I had to spend hours in the darkroom, hours I took from my family and job - so I stopped.

Then I got my first digital in the 90's. An Olympus 3.2mp fixed lens zoom. And it had auto focus, no burst but took shots as fast as I could mash the shutter - I could do action and birds at an affordable rate again. And I have since spent a ton of money on gear aimed at my favorite subjects. Next I got a Sigma SD10 with eventually 8 lenses and did even better and then right after I retired in June 2007 my wife got tired of me sitting and watching TV or reading and listening to music so she said "Why don't you get a new camera and lens and get back into photography. Get out of the house." So I got a Canon 6D, then lenses, then a 7DII, then an 80D and traded the 6D for a 5DIV and this year added a 90D.

Modern digital cameras are a blessing and outstanding tool for birds etc. Now I see a rumor that late this year for the holidays or early next year Canon may release 2 or 3 R series crop sensor models - And I hope one of them will be the R replacement for my 7DII.

They are tools, that is all, tools. Does 'sb' still use a hand saw all the time, or a hand cranked drill?

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

Having the right to earn yes, conning people to earn no.
Also no to generalizing all occupations. Some are hard earned, even underpaid.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The surest way to corrupt a novice is to explain the importance of SOOC.

Sidwalkastronomy Loc: New Jersey Shore

I find lot of photos here so color enhanced they look fake. I don't mind pp but keep it natural but it's your photo so process away

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

There seems to be some difficulty here in realizing that two people may view the same scene, yet perceive it in entirely different manners … and visualize just as differently the images they each will make of that scene.

Consider, please, the stringencies of documentation versus the creative latitude of artistic interpretation!

Dave

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

And an example of documentation. In 1971 I was the "camera nut" in a combined two university field school (Geography & Anthropology professors) in Mexico - Uruapan SW of Mexico City in the mountains. The Anthro prof gave me a small book on use of photography in the field, 3 days to read it and then a 1/2 day to present a class to the whole group. Basically that type of photography was "subject", too hell with composition or other "arty" aspects of photography - clear shots of the subjects and it noted that the film was the cheapest and easiest thing to replace so the rule was "Take lots of shots of everything, you may not see it again. Quality of the photo came second to getting the shot." Similar to the breaking news photographers - get the shot - getting an artistic shot was secondary and some did it better than others but for everyone it was "get the shot".

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So you’re putting the camera side of the equation up on a pedestal. And then you mouth BS about “art”. Daily news shots are 100% camera and usually 0% art.

For over 40 years I have done nothing with a camera EXCEPT to produce fodder for extensive further processing, and that INCLUDES the chromes. Only camera clubbers think chromes are a finished product. BTW I’ve done most of the jobs in this bidnez.

Bluntly put, I find your perspective to be extremely naive, parochial, and insulting.

David Martin Loc: Cary, NC

Yet there is a difference between getting the creative, artistic, well-composed-shot-documenting-the-scene in camera, versus creating it later in software, often cobbling together elements not present in the original scene.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

When we are talking about photojournalism, it's a given that it is unethical to make composite images. But for artistic/creative photography, there's nothing wrong with it. Photographers have been making composite images since the beginnings of photography. It was just more difficult to do in the darkroom than on the computer.

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As general conversation I can agree with what you say.

But you are replying to the opening post which addresses itself, even in its very first line line, to the topic of “creating great photographs”. Your contrasting of documentation vs art just doesn’t apply. Documentation was rendered irrelevant right up front :-(

So that leaves us with “art” (your word) or “great photographs” (OP’s word). And the OP doesn’t even really address “art” anywho, only just process. He’s plainly just pumping out bilge.

Bill_de Loc: US

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I hear ya !!! I used to hafta teach field engineers how to get useful images with P&S film cameras. They were always shooting the underside of structures and including way too much sky, thus they drastically under exposed the structure.

joehel2 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

We are heading toward having a SOOC section on the UHH forum.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Disclosure?

If you are posting or exhibiting your images for the purpose of teaching, instructing, critiquing or helping to solve a problem, it probably a good idea to furnish the details, settings, post-processing procedures, etc. All the data might be in the EXIF data anyway.

If you are entering a competition that requires this data, you need to furnish it or opt out of the competition.

If you are posting or exhibiting your images simply for others to enjoy, purchase at a gallery, provide samples of your work as a professional, etc, you are not obligated to disclose any technical or specific artistic information.

I am of the opinion that there are no deep, dark, inaccessible, secretes in photograhy- it's all out there in books, tutorials, classes, seminars, and online. Some of it requires more patience, sticktoitiveness and research to access or find out about- but it's all THERE! Some photographers feel their methods are kinda proprietary information and prefer to keep their ways and means close to the chest. I have even sat in master classes where the presenter was bragging his head off but will not disclose the one or two neuances that complete his or her method. That's where the common sense, sticktoitiveness and research kick in. Of course, each photographer has a perfect right to share or withhold this information. Some photograher want to hand down their experience others do not want to educate their competition.

George Nakash was Yosef Karsh's uncle. George is the man that brought his nephew Yosef to Canada and sent him down to the State to study with several masters. "Uncle Georg", as we affectionately called him, a great portraitist in his own rite, operated a studio n Montreal, Quebec Canada well in his 90s. I was working there at the time and our professional association would hold a birthday celebration for Geoge every year- The bonus was, we would invite Yosef to the party and he would kida give the group a lecture.

Yosef was a charming man and it was no wonder he could easily direct and capture the essence of very famous people. The lecture was extremely entertaining with great stories about Yosef photographing The Queen, The Pope, JFK, Churchill, of course, and everyone who is anyone. Never, however, a world about LIGHTING, camera technique, and all that good stuff. Many of my associates, cohorts, colleagues and competitors complained about the lack of technical information. Finally, I told them that anyone with a good set of eyeballs and a knowledge of traditional portrait lighing could easily figure things out. Then I laid the bad news on them. Even if they could replicate Karshe's gear, use his exact light methods and even if you could gain access to all the VIPS, his talent far surpasses the data and without his vision and manner, you are dead in the water with a bunch of rusty headwear! I advised that next time they attend one of his lectures LISTEN to what he said to his subjects, how he approached them, and how he engaged them in conversation to bring out their character and expressions- then bone up on your lighting!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

LOL. I can think of several prior community members that I'd immediately nominate as local admins for such a subsection.