My schedule is very busy these days. I'm hoping it settles down to something sensible sooner or later. Monday, for example, I had to be 7 miles from my house at 10am then 6 miles the other side of my house by 2pm then someplace else at 6pm until 9pm. Basically, an 11 hour day during which I never stopped. Today was equally busy and it started at 8am before concluding at 6pm. Tomorrow is another long day - 10am about 20 miles away then be 6 miles away in the other direction by 2 then somewhere closer to home until 9pm. Another 11 hour day. This is how my weeks are shaping up at the moment.
In terms of blogging, I'm just not getting much time right now. It's not just this blog but all of my blogs that are suffering. I might even just ditch my cable internet connection - I'm so busy that I'm just not using it. I'm using mobile communications far more frequently.
When all is done over the next 8 weeks or so, I should be in a better position to blog. There's just a ton of stuff I'm doing right now that should - theoretically - earn me a load more money. That will or should enable me to take a trip to Virginia for the fall colors if not this year then next. I keep saying next year and it never happens. I think I've been saying "next year" for about 10 years.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Monday, October 6, 2014
What is photography about?
Today I looked at one of those internet forums. It was a laugh a minute with all the ridiculous discussions going on. For all the world it looked like people were sitting at their computers, straining their minds to come up with ever more pointless discussions. It's almost as though the forum users are in competition with each other over banality. Perhaps there's some kind of prize for coming up with the most banal discussion?
A look at today's list of silliness on one forum:
- Are the days of the DSLR ending?
- Is carrying a DSLR suspicious now?
- I'm sick and tired of equivalence.
- Is there a crash test for cameras?
- Is this lens too damaged?
- I wish they made this silicone rubber jacket for my E2XF.
- Made in China.
- It's not the camera's fault. Is it mine?
- My dream full frame camera.
- How many zooms do we really need?
Seriously - none of those topics are anything other than gossip. There are no problems being solved. In olden days people used to write into photography magazines suggesting cheaper alternatives to developing trays. A popular alternative was seed trays. Then there were other cheaper suggestions including making one's own developers rather than buying pre-mixed developers and paying for the privilege. Similarly discussions abounded about making up one's own cassettes of film from big rolls that photographers used to buy.
The whole emphasis was on how to achieve the desired results at minimum cost. Discussions abounded about the cheapest lens to do a job and the best way to use it to achieve the maximum results. The emphasis was all about the photography.
Compare that to today. It has become a "mine is bigger than yours" contest. People now compete on the purchase price of their lenses. They buy the biggest and best that they can find and brag about their prowess. Gone is any discussion on how to get the best out of the cheapest. Gone is any actual skill in photography. Photos a bit blurry - get a new camera with a higher maximum ISO - has become the answer. Nothing about skill.
The master photographers of old would weep when they saw the philosophy of modern online photographers. I'm pretty sure they would weep, looking at the low standard of modern cameras which become more about pushing fiddly little buttons and playing with settings and less about actual photography as time progresses.
Generally, it seems best to steer clear of online forums and their silly nonsense. It seems pretty good to steer clear of camera clubs too as many of the members get into online nonsense too.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Arbeit macht frei or Wahrheit macht frei
Every schoolboy knows the infamous words above many of the Nazi Concentration Camps, "Arbeit Macht Frei" of which the most famous is the text with a backward letter above the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. Interestingly, the actual death camp is in Birkenau whereas the administration block was in Auschwitz as a friend discovered on a trip through the area. Had he taken the same history classes that I took in university, he would not have made the mistake of looking for the death camp in Auschwitz.
Needless to say, this is not about work making anybody free which is the meaning of "Arbeit macht frei" but rather about "Wahrheit macht frei" which is totally different. This means "Truth sets us free". Now while there was a Nazi slogan that did mention truth setting one free, it's applied in a different context here.
Truth and the internet can be strangers and nowhere more so than on internet forums. Quite often it's possible to read entries on this blog about the failings of internet forums and their users. Sadly the users of forums seem incapable of stepping back and viewing a wider picture. Were they able to do so then they would doubtless see how ludicrous adherence to some of the stranger viewpoints held would appear. Even more unfortunate is that when reality is introduced to such groups, the denial of reality is so strong that often the person that introduces reality and questions the strange and unrealistic views gets ostracised.
As many regular readers will realize, this blog often casts severe doubt over whether a "professional photographer" actually exists and argues that such a beast never has existed. Without requoting the case against the alleged profession (which is very strong), regular readers might be interested in a recent message on such an internet forum that was received by this author.
Quoting word for word: "Jun 2, 2014 10:49:36 Moderator Note: Do not troll other members. Continued trolling may result in a ban. There is no need to respond to this message. Thank you." This was pretty strange as no "trolling" had ever taken place. Injection of reality was the only offence this author is ever likely to do. It seems trolling and reality are the same thing on forums. Needless to say, the strange message was responded to with the question: "Jun 2, 2014 11:53:41 Where and when did I do something you consider to be trolling? " No response was ever received.
Today, another cryptic message was received, despite not having posted anything on the forum for a week and more. "Sep 29, 2014 12:49:11 Moderator Note: We're done with the trolling of professional photographers. Next time I see it it will be a week ban. After that, it may be made permanent. We have many respected professional photographers on these forums. There is no need to respond to this message. Thank you. " My question is - putting reality to one side for just a moment and dipping into the most fevered imagination - assuming that a "professional photographer" actually existed, why would somebody whose job was to take photographs want to spend their free time playing around on an amateur's internet forum? It just doesn't make any sense. Do bankers spend their free time on Banker chat groups? Do policemen spend their free time on police chat groups? No - none of them do. Work is work and free time is for something different.
As far as being threatened with a "ban" from some little "forum", can I just say that I'm shaking in my boots? (from laughing so hard) Really - how childish! This is just saying "you're telling us something we don't like so we're going to call it something inane with a lot of syllables and blame you for being wicked and then we'll stick our fingers in our ears and shout la-la-la". If only the people on these daft little forums could step back and see how ludicrous they all looked.... I just find the idea of being banned from forums for speaking the truth to be hugely entertaining and a damning indictment of the lack of intelligence of the vast majority of internet forum users. Perhaps the internet has now become the opiate of the masses? Do I even care if somebody sticks their fingers in their ears and screams la-la-la? Not in the slightest. It's hugely entertaining to watch.
Needless to say, this is not about work making anybody free which is the meaning of "Arbeit macht frei" but rather about "Wahrheit macht frei" which is totally different. This means "Truth sets us free". Now while there was a Nazi slogan that did mention truth setting one free, it's applied in a different context here.
Truth and the internet can be strangers and nowhere more so than on internet forums. Quite often it's possible to read entries on this blog about the failings of internet forums and their users. Sadly the users of forums seem incapable of stepping back and viewing a wider picture. Were they able to do so then they would doubtless see how ludicrous adherence to some of the stranger viewpoints held would appear. Even more unfortunate is that when reality is introduced to such groups, the denial of reality is so strong that often the person that introduces reality and questions the strange and unrealistic views gets ostracised.
As many regular readers will realize, this blog often casts severe doubt over whether a "professional photographer" actually exists and argues that such a beast never has existed. Without requoting the case against the alleged profession (which is very strong), regular readers might be interested in a recent message on such an internet forum that was received by this author.
Quoting word for word: "Jun 2, 2014 10:49:36 Moderator Note: Do not troll other members. Continued trolling may result in a ban. There is no need to respond to this message. Thank you." This was pretty strange as no "trolling" had ever taken place. Injection of reality was the only offence this author is ever likely to do. It seems trolling and reality are the same thing on forums. Needless to say, the strange message was responded to with the question: "Jun 2, 2014 11:53:41 Where and when did I do something you consider to be trolling? " No response was ever received.
Today, another cryptic message was received, despite not having posted anything on the forum for a week and more. "Sep 29, 2014 12:49:11 Moderator Note: We're done with the trolling of professional photographers. Next time I see it it will be a week ban. After that, it may be made permanent. We have many respected professional photographers on these forums. There is no need to respond to this message. Thank you. " My question is - putting reality to one side for just a moment and dipping into the most fevered imagination - assuming that a "professional photographer" actually existed, why would somebody whose job was to take photographs want to spend their free time playing around on an amateur's internet forum? It just doesn't make any sense. Do bankers spend their free time on Banker chat groups? Do policemen spend their free time on police chat groups? No - none of them do. Work is work and free time is for something different.
As far as being threatened with a "ban" from some little "forum", can I just say that I'm shaking in my boots? (from laughing so hard) Really - how childish! This is just saying "you're telling us something we don't like so we're going to call it something inane with a lot of syllables and blame you for being wicked and then we'll stick our fingers in our ears and shout la-la-la". If only the people on these daft little forums could step back and see how ludicrous they all looked.... I just find the idea of being banned from forums for speaking the truth to be hugely entertaining and a damning indictment of the lack of intelligence of the vast majority of internet forum users. Perhaps the internet has now become the opiate of the masses? Do I even care if somebody sticks their fingers in their ears and screams la-la-la? Not in the slightest. It's hugely entertaining to watch.
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