Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/12/06

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: [Leica] Jim's Brickbats was: I commend to your attention
From: "SonC (Sonny Carter)" <sonc@sonc.com>
Date: Thu, 06 Dec 2001 10:07:06 -0600
References: <LPBBLMODPGDGLIJJINOAMELDFFAA.straightline@btinternet.com>

Steve and Brian,

I was at first miffed about Jim Brick's remarks but when he compared
the PAW project to first one, then to another professional
photographer who's working on assignment,  I realized that he just
doesn't get it.

The people who shoot PAW are, (I think) people who also have other
jobs, or commitments, not professionals. They scrimp for their
cameras,  they spend money and time shooting scanning and posting, for
the love of the craft.

Brick sez that our Nepali vacation guy's work "is every bit as good as
95% of PAWs . . ." then says,  "I have generally stopped looking at
web pictures because unless they were
done at a very high level (good scanner/good Photoshop/good web
layout/good...) even great photographers look lousy."

So, if he has generally stopped looking, how does he know?  And if he
does look, and "bites his tongue," instead of commenting, why bother
to comment now on the general state of the PAW in favor of some
vacation photographs?  There are a number of people who comment, not
always favorably on these pictures, but the comments are always
welcome.  Sure, it feels good when the shot is commended, but if
there's honest criticism, then it helps us grow as photographers.

And I for one would much rather look at someone's best effort for a
week than read pages and pages of opinions on the color of the metric
distance scale on a lens.

Regards,

Sonny
http://www.sonc.com






- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian McCarthy" <straightline@btinternet.com>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2001 9:05 AM
Subject: RE: [Leica] Re: I commend to your attention


> > Jim Brick tells us what he thinks:
> >
> > > Well... my opinion is that these photographs are every bit as
> > good as 95%
> > > of the PAW prints that are deluged on us weekly.
> >
> > > Every time I look at the
> > > PAW's, the "my web site is finally up", the "please look &
> > comment", etc...
> > > I have to bite my tongue.
> > >
> >
> > I wonder if I should stop taking pictures, based on the above
comment.
> >
> > sl
>
> Steve
>
> Yes, it does make you think doesn't it!? But then, some of the
people who
> make this kind of remark don't seem to be sharing their photos on
the same
> basis. The PAW project is not about being a genius and producing
'yet
> another masterpiece' every week - it's about trying and doing your
best at
> that time (well it is to me anyway). We do our best with what the
week
> offers us and present it - sometimes we are pleased with what we
present,
> but others opinions may differ. Sometimes we feel that we are
putting up
> something that maybe is not so good, and opinions will still differ.
The
> point is that hopefully , we will learn something one way or the
other from
> the criticism invoked.
>
> I gave up announcing my PAW's on the LUG a long time ago, as I felt
that it
> was a waste of time, but I have maintained the project and there are
still
> many people around the world who give me their opinions - I find
them most
> useful and I have found the PAW thing a very worthwhile pursuit.
>
> Keep on PAWing!
>
> brian
>
> Brian McCarthy
> brian@imagespace.co.uk
> www.imagespace.co.uk
>
> --
> To unsubscribe, see
http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html
>

- --
To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html

Replies: Reply from Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca> (Re: [Leica] Jim's Brickbats was: I commend to your attention)
In reply to: Message from "Brian McCarthy" <straightline@btinternet.com> (RE: [Leica] Re: I commend to your attention)