Board index Photography Artistic Questions Does anyone just take pictures of what they see?

Artistic Questions

Does anyone just take pictures of what they see?

Discuss style and artistic aspects of photography
vermivora_bachmanii
 
Posts: 1

Does anyone just take pictures of what they see?

Post Tue Sep 16, 2008 3:36 am


I was looking through photos today and was amazed at how many have been heavily photoshopped. Does anyone besides me take pictures of what they see and have them come out WITHOUT photoshopping them?
Methinks that there is far too much reliance on this program and not enough reliance on pure skill to make the photo come out. There's too much natural beauty out there to be creating artificial pictures. If you're going to do that, try using a paint brush. Trust me, it'll look more natural.

djwixx
 
Posts: 1360

Re: Does anyone just take pictures of what they see?

Post Tue Sep 16, 2008 1:17 pm


So if you're taking raw pictures how are you getting them from the camera to your PC in a usable format?

Good to see another person with an opinion and nothing to show to back it up.

brandproductions
 
Posts: 13

Re: Does anyone just take pictures of what they see?

Post Tue Sep 16, 2008 2:31 pm


djwixx wrote:So if you're taking raw pictures how are you getting them from the camera to your PC in a usable format?


You dont need conversion software when shooting with a polaroid. duh. Thats how 'real photographers' do it. :lol:

djwixx
 
Posts: 1360

Re: Does anyone just take pictures of what they see?

Post Tue Sep 16, 2008 11:05 pm


brandproductions wrote:
djwixx wrote:So if you're taking raw pictures how are you getting them from the camera to your PC in a usable format?


You dont need conversion software when shooting with a polaroid. duh. Thats how 'real photographers' do it. :lol:


Silly me - who would have thought doing the most in camera would reduce the need for any post processing or better simply using a polaroid!! That reminds me - I need to find some 127 film for my Kodak Brownie :D

People never did with film what you can do with software did they or use filters that changed the result, or film for that matter :D

Oh to be the purist that vermivora_bachmanii clearly is!!!!!! Did I say purist? It started with a P anyway!!!!

More importantly how "Does anyone just take pictures of what they see?" - cameras aren't capable of taking a picture of what we see, merely a version of what we see or our interpretation of what we see!!!!

mahowel
 
Posts: 1018

Re: Does anyone just take pictures of what they see?

Post Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:17 am


I can't afford photoshop I do all of my tweaking with the camera. But that still changes the results.....hmmm I guess not.
Maybe you should post a few example of pure photography. :D

brandproductions
 
Posts: 13

Re: Does anyone just take pictures of what they see?

Post Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:30 am


On a slightly different argument...

I would be so bold as to say that photography is an art. I dont think too many people will disagree with that statement. By definition, art is "the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance." So simply put, art is an expression and not exclusively a pure representation of reality but also representation of ones mind and perception of life. As far as retouching goes, Photoshop is simply a digital paintbrush and its not like people werent retouching photos before editing software was available. Only difference is that they used an airbrush and a razor knife. But yes, lets scrap the artificial photography and take the mind and soul out of the equation. Polaroid photography is better anyway. If only they still made the things.

~Kenny

Oh, and I cant afford Photoshop either. I'm a wannabe elements boy.

djwixx
 
Posts: 1360

Re: Does anyone just take pictures of what they see?

Post Wed Sep 17, 2008 2:27 am


I think it begs the question on how you define a photographer. I don't call myself a photographer (and my work(!!) proves the point), but I'm someone that has learnt (and is still learning) to enjoy playing with a camera and looking for opportunities to experiment with the limited set of 'tools' they can afford. I would guess 95% of people on Pbase aren't photographers and just enjoy the same thing. There are also a percentage of those who describe themselves as photographers, but I'd question whether anyone else would describe them the same way. Having the equipment, and even knowing how to use it doesn't mean you gets results anyone else gets wowed by.

Ultimately there's a tiny unseen percentage of people on Pbase who have a superior view of the technical and artistic requirements and insist on sharing that view without being seen, and without any understanding that some people merely enjoy the experience and want to share it, whether it qualifies as 'photography' or not. Personally I think that tiny percentage of people are small minded idiots who I suspect have a greater view of their capabilities than anyone else would, hence are never willing to stand up and be seen!!!!!!

From the photographers I know, they view other work and either offer help, or simple smile smugly, enjoy their capabilities and move on until they see something they like.

brandproductions
 
Posts: 13

Re: Does anyone just take pictures of what they see?

Post Thu Sep 18, 2008 2:00 am


Dave,

Ive seen some of your work and you perked my interest with your last post. Who would you consider to be a 'photographer?'

I would call myself a photographer because I take pictures both for fun and for a supplemental income from time to time. Dont get me wrong, I have a lot to learn about the art and I would consider myself at the bottom of the figurative ladder of photographic skill however, Im curious as to what your definition of the term would be. Especially after looking at some of your photos which I thought were pretty good. :)

~Kenny

djwixx
 
Posts: 1360

Re: Does anyone just take pictures of what they see?

Post Thu Sep 18, 2008 2:27 am


brandproductions wrote:Dave,

Ive seen some of your work and you perked my interest with your last post. Who would you consider to be a 'photographer?'

I would call myself a photographer because I take pictures both for fun and for a supplemental income from time to time. Dont get me wrong, I have a lot to learn about the art and I would consider myself at the bottom of the figurative ladder of photographic skill however, Im curious as to what your definition of the term would be. Especially after looking at some of your photos which I thought were pretty good. :)

~Kenny


You have to bear in mind that I tend to be self denigrating which makes me far more critical of what I do than maybe I should be. Personally I don't think that's a bad thing, because it means I always strive to improve and never get smug about my capabilities in anything I do. I see a lot of people calling themselves photographers and to be fair they see and take good pictures but when you look at the exif essentially the camera is doing the work to capture what they see, i.e. auto or P mode - not that there's anything wrong with that, but I wonder if they could do better relying on a little more knowledge and setting the camera up themselves? I believe the quality of a photographer is the passion they have for the subject, and my problem is I don't have any specific subjects I'll spend hours waiting to capture, so you could question whether that lack of passion results in mediocre 'make do' shots. If you want me to pick someone who immediately springs to mind on Pbase I'd say Ian Cameron (search Google for transient light), but there are numerous others, so apologies if anyone feels excluded. Please note that I do appreciate there are numerous forms of photography so the example I've given is probably something aspirational rather than a generality.

The google listed definition for photographer is;
"A journalist who takes photos.
Someone who takes photographs professionally "
and given that I don't make a dime taking pictures means I'm excluded by definition :D

You may like some of my shots (and I thank you) but you won't find a single shot of mine that draws you in and gives you that 'I wish I was there' feeling - in my opinion!

jypsee
 
Posts: 1247

Is the photo the settings used to make the picture?

Post Thu Sep 18, 2008 7:49 pm


or the picture? Someone who uses an automatic setting and makes a good photo is a photographer in my definition. Someone who makes a good photo and sets the camera manually is also a photographer in my definition. Likewise, someone who knows what the various settings on a camera are, but who can't produce a photo worth looking at is a techie/gearhead in my definition.
As for the issue regarding photoshopping a "photo" into existence, I'm all for post processing, which has been done in wet darkrooms for as long as people have been exposing chemicals to some sort of support and then tweaking in the enlarger or toning the print, etc. See this link for a wet darkroom photog who makes stuff that can be done in PS without all the "dark."
http://www.uelsmann.com/

Mary in MI til hurricane season is over in FL

heatwole
 
Posts: 2

Re: Does anyone just take pictures of what they see?

Post Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:34 pm


Unfortunately, I have yet to find a camera that actually captures of what I "see".

mnoble
 
Posts: 135

Re: Does anyone just take pictures of what they see?

Post Fri Sep 19, 2008 4:56 pm


I will paraphrase Ansel Adams. He once said "What I give you is not reality; it is my interpretation of reality." As has been stated, photography is an art. Art implies interpretation. The tools that are available to us today are incredible. If AA were around today, he would be using them - and probably a lot better than the rest of us.

However, I will say that there are some who do over-Photoshop their work. My effort in using post-processing is to create an image that is my interpretation of what I saw and to do it in a way that is effective and subtle. It's what I try for! 8)

sean_mcr
 
Posts: 493

Re: Does anyone just take pictures of what they see?

Post Sat Sep 20, 2008 2:43 am


Photography is not an art; Photography is a vehicle, it's not a destination; Some people are capable of using photography to create art but photography is nothing by itself. A photograph simply describes an event or place and its success depends on the photographers insight; That's where the art lies and both photoshop and the darkroom have been used to replace insight with contrivance.

It''s like trying to describe bad porn, it's not always easy to explain, but you know it when you see it
What uses having a great depth of field, if there is not an adequate depth of feeling? -

W. Eugene Smith

mnoble
 
Posts: 135

Re: Does anyone just take pictures of what they see?

Post Tue Sep 23, 2008 12:09 am


sean_mcr wrote:Photography is not an art; Photography is a vehicle, it's not a destination; Some people are capable of using photography to create art but photography is nothing by itself. A photograph simply describes an event or place and its success depends on the photographers insight; That's where the art lies and both photoshop and the darkroom have been used to replace insight with contrivance.

It''s like trying to describe bad porn, it's not always easy to explain, but you know it when you see it


Photography includes the photographer. The camera, the processing, the artist. The combination is
"photography" and the interaction creates the art.

sean_mcr
 
Posts: 493

Re: Does anyone just take pictures of what they see?

Post Tue Sep 23, 2008 12:58 pm


A vehicle and a destination is a pretty good combination. But unless you know where you're going, you're just going to end up on a road to nowhere. Driving isn't difficult and nor is learning how to use a camera

Flickers two billionth photo

http://flickr.com/photos/88646149@N00/2000000000/


I'll quote Bresson

"Photography is nothing, it's life that interests me"
What uses having a great depth of field, if there is not an adequate depth of feeling? -

W. Eugene Smith

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