Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/12/15

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Subject: [Leica] NYTimes.com: The Do-It-Yourself Economy
From: filippini at theramp.net (The Filippini Family- Matt & Blaise)
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:02:30 -0500 (EST)
References: <4137125.1260852718415.JavaMail.root@wamui-hunyo.atl.sa.earthlink.net> <FE956233-60E3-47F3-BC1E-B55A84AA09B0@mac.com>

It is, of course, all a matter of perspective.

"Part of this is because the current technology does deliver "decent"
results with far less skill and effort.
Drawing a fine line of a specific width with a rapidograph pen
required skill..."

As an architect who was trained using ruling pens, the rapidographs
provide inferior quality to ruling pens and require, comparatively, no
skill.  For those unfamiliar, ruling pens consist of two bladed points,
adjustable to any width within their limits, which actually incise the
paper as they deliver the ink, resulting in a perfect line.  One drop of
ink is loaded into the pen at a time.  Mastering them to draw a line is
difficult, and preparing inked building plans with them is quite the
endeavor.

Drawing a fine line with a ruling pen requires skill, the rapidograph
requires (relatively) no skill but provides "decent" results.

Now, of course, we architects draw next to nothing except quick hand
sketches.   All else is on the computer.  Potentially perfect lines with
ease (but people still mess up).

Matt

> Also (hopefully) true Doug.
> And I've already responded how my efforts with the blacksmiths have
> developed positively.
>
> Yet, I see the trend moving towards "good enough"
> and away from "we need the best."
>
> The examples in the article: stock photos and footage for a couple
> dollars, voice overs for ten or thirty dollars.
> Back in the day - voice overs, photos, and footage meant royalties
> for the talent for the life the spot.
>
> Part of this is because the current technology does deliver "decent"
> results with far less skill and effort.
> Drawing a fine line of a specific width with a rapidograph pen
> required skill;
> as did reading light and color temperature meters and actually
> focusing a camera and knowing the DOF.
> Auto white point, and auto focus in a decent P&S camera or drawing a
> line in Illustrator - not so much.
>
> There will always be those who know and care about truly professional
> results.
> But I think that they're a smaller group than they once were.
> Four of my (once major) clients have moved design, copy writing and
> photography "in house;"
> where for previous decades that was all ad agency and free lance work.
> There are also many more people going after the work in every market.
>
> Again - no complaints - just the way it is (or appears to me).
>
> Regards,
> George Lottermoser
> george at imagist.com
> http://www.imagist.com
> http://www.imagist.com/blog
> http://www.linkedin.com/in/imagist
>
> On Dec 14, 2009, at 10:51 PM, Doug Herr wrote:
>
>> George I believe that in time this will be part of the up side.
>> Along with teaching in-house skills you can illustrate how much it
>> work takes to produce top-quality results.  Not all in-house staff
>> (I bet very few) will be willing to put that much work into the
>> photos.  You can show them that superior results are possible and
>> that you can deliver those results.  Some day they will need your
>> superior photos.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>




Replies: Reply from mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner) ([Leica] NYTimes.com: The Do-It-Yourself Economy)
Reply from philippe.amard at sfr.fr (philippe.amard) ([Leica] NYTimes.com: The Do-It-Yourself Economy)
Reply from r.s.taylor at comcast.net (Richard Taylor) ([Leica] NYTimes.com: The Do-It-Yourself Economy)
In reply to: Message from wildlightphoto at earthlink.net (Doug Herr) ([Leica] NYTimes.com: The Do-It-Yourself Economy)
Message from imagist3 at mac.com (George Lottermoser) ([Leica] NYTimes.com: The Do-It-Yourself Economy)