In Which Group Are You? (Page 6): I think this is true of all activities where equipment is involved in the activity; sky diving, scuba, bicycling .. the list goes on. I have been an...

JD750 Loc: SoCal

rmalarz wrote:

I recently watched an interview with a professional photographer. Unfortunately, I didn't note who it was but my money would be placed on Daniel Milnor. The statement was made that beginners and beginning amateurs tend to focus on/discuss equipment. Advanced amateurs and professionals tend to focus on concepts/techniques. So, as the question was posed in the title, in which group are you?
--Bob

I think this is true of all activities where equipment is involved in the activity; sky diving, scuba, bicycling .. the list goes on.

I have been an avid motorcyclist all my life and I have seen the same thing there. Younger riders want to know which motorcycle is the fastest? The fact is if you go to the track with 5 riders and 5 bikes, the fast guy will be the fast guy regardless of which motorcycle he is riding. That is because the motorcycles are all very close in their performance, and the skill of the rider dominates. Jason Pridmore (and his father Reg before him) used to demonstrate this at their track schools. In the afternoon Jason would give “rides” demonstrating technique. He would be riding a simple motorcycle like a Suzuki Katana. We nicknamed it “the can of tuna”. Compared to the specifications of the sport bikes ridden by students, the “can of tuna” couldn’t hold a candle. Not even close. Yet Jason would pass everyone, riding 2-up.

And I think there is a third group as well. That is the group that is knowledgeable, experienced, accomplished, in the art-form and they enjoy the activity for themselves without worrying about the technique/concepts or the equipment. Perhaps it is more of a “Zen” level, which means there are no levels, only acceptance of where we are, and continuing to learn. That is where I hope to be when I grow up.

Jimmy T Loc: Virginia

JD750 wrote:

I think this is true of all activities where equip... (show quote)

Very well put JD750.
Thanks to Bob for posting such an interesting and thought-provoking question.
Smile,
JimmyT Sends
Bravo Zulu

cahale Loc: San Angelo, TX

I tend to phocus on the subject. Misspell intended.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Group three, I now have my camera waiting and ready for Bigfoot or an alien from space to go with my picture of Elvis coming out of the Walmart in Memphis last year.😜

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

rmalarz wrote:

I recently watched an interview with a professional photographer. Unfortunately, I didn't note who it was but my money would be placed on Daniel Milnor. The statement was made that beginners and beginning amateurs tend to focus on/discuss equipment. Advanced amateurs and professionals tend to focus on concepts/techniques. So, as the question was posed in the title, in which group are you?
--Bob

I am an artist first, photographer second.

Bill_de Loc: US

cahale wrote:

I tend to phocus on the subject. Misspell intended.

---

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

rmalarz wrote:

I recently watched an interview with a professional photographer. Unfortunately, I didn't note who it was but my money would be placed on Daniel Milnor. The statement was made that beginners and beginning amateurs tend to focus on/discuss equipment. Advanced amateurs and professionals tend to focus on concepts/techniques. So, as the question was posed in the title, in which group are you?
--Bob

I guess advanced amateur. I don't think about new gear constantly or even own much that is current. Mostly work at improving compositions and lighting.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

CHG_CANON wrote:

When I was just a little boy, my parents used to t... (show quote)

You must be joking of course. You say your dad thought about pixel sizes. How old are you and him? My Dad was born in 1922, nothing digital then.

azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

rmalarz wrote:

I recently watched an interview with a professional photographer. Unfortunately, I didn't note who it was but my money would be placed on Daniel Milnor. The statement was made that beginners and beginning amateurs tend to focus on/discuss equipment. Advanced amateurs and professionals tend to focus on concepts/techniques. So, as the question was posed in the title, in which group are you?
--Bob

Provocative question, with equally curious answers from the crowd. I think if you do not have your feet planted in both groups, that you are missing out on growth in either direction. While I am learning new techniques and lighting, and growing a client list, I am simultaneously drooling at the possibility of an A7 IV!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

rmalarz wrote:

I recently watched an interview with a professional photographer. Unfortunately, I didn't note who it was but my money would be placed on Daniel Milnor. The statement was made that beginners and beginning amateurs tend to focus on/discuss equipment. Advanced amateurs and professionals tend to focus on concepts/techniques. So, as the question was posed in the title, in which group are you?
--Bob

I straddle the fence. Advanced amateurs and pros likely do, too.

You have to understand which equipment choices can enable completing the job *for you*, but you also have to have valid concepts behind the images you make, and understand techniques required to make them work. Photography is a technical craft that makes a point, or expresses an attitude, or offers a point of view. What am I "saying" with my image? To whom am I showing it? Why am I showing it? How do I show it best? When and/or where is it most relevant, and the viewer most receptive? What do I want the viewer to do, feel, or think as a result of seeing my images?

I was an AV producer, back in the 1980s. We used multiple slide projectors synchronized with a sound track via a computerized control system. Producing and presenting a show involved a ton and a half of equipment, but producing a show that had an *effect on an audience* involved a lot of research, creative brainstorming, planning, writing, and project management. The MESSAGE was the all-important key to success. If we were going to spend, say, 25,000 – 1983 dollars to produce and stage a 20-minute show (that we could re-use many times over the course of a year or three), it had to effect changes in behavior or attitude or performance of some sort. We might have 960 slides in a show. Each had a specific role or purpose in supporting the message. So our team was rather deliberate in our approach.

The most effective creative people I know are on a mission of some sort. They use good equipment, but more importantly, they use good taste, good technique, and skills honed from lots of experience. The equipment does not do the job for you. It's just a conduit for your purpose, process, and performance. Pros let their purposes drive their purchases.

ronpier Loc: Poland Ohio

rmalarz wrote:

I recently watched an interview with a professional photographer. Unfortunately, I didn't note who it was but my money would be placed on Daniel Milnor. The statement was made that beginners and beginning amateurs tend to focus on/discuss equipment. Advanced amateurs and professionals tend to focus on concepts/techniques. So, as the question was posed in the title, in which group are you?
--Bob

I’m a combination of both. Love discussing techniques but enjoy gear discussions too.I think they go hand in hand with any hobby.

capewrl

I dislike labels, it seems some people have a need to cubbyhole everyone else, people don't neatly fit into categories.

elee950021 Loc: New York, NY

rmalarz wrote:

I recently watched an interview with a professional photographer. Unfortunately, I didn't note who it was but my money would be placed on Daniel Milnor. The statement was made that beginners and beginning amateurs tend to focus on/discuss equipment. Advanced amateurs and professionals tend to focus on concepts/techniques. So, as the question was posed in the title, in which group are you?
--Bob

Longshadow wrote:

I'm in Group 3.
I don't discuss what I have or want or why I have or want it; how I do what with what I have; or the best this or that. I just take pictures.

JD750 wrote:

...And I think there is a third group as well. That is the group that is knowledgeable, experienced, accomplished, in the art-form and they enjoy the activity for themselves without worrying about the technique/concepts or the equipment. Perhaps it is more of a “Zen” level, which means there are no levels, only acceptance of where we are, and continuing to learn. ...

I'm in group 3 also. Ideas and concepts are a dime a dozen. It's the execution of these ideas into images, so like looking for the perfect wave, I keep shooting!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. Be well!

Ed

bonjac Loc: Santa Ynez, CA 93460

Seems like a false dichotomy to me.

JohnR Loc: The Gates of Hell

rmalarz wrote:

I recently watched an interview with a professional photographer. Unfortunately, I didn't note who it was but my money would be placed on Daniel Milnor. The statement was made that beginners and beginning amateurs tend to focus on/discuss equipment. Advanced amateurs and professionals tend to focus on concepts/techniques. So, as the question was posed in the title, in which group are you?
--Bob

Many concepts and techniques are equipment dependant thus consideration/focus on equipment is needed.
JohnR