A casual amd even tempered rant
- Thread starter bajasurf
- Start date
Honu
lost on the mainland
I relate to the gear head he talked about 
often if I am working someone comes up and says wow nice camera that must take great photos or OH I have a X model ? trying to one up me
I usually say YUP I went into this restaurant and had the best dinner ever so I asked the chef what pans and knives he used ? and bought them but my food still taste the same
often if I am working someone comes up and says wow nice camera that must take great photos or OH I have a X model ? trying to one up me
I usually say YUP I went into this restaurant and had the best dinner ever so I asked the chef what pans and knives he used ? and bought them
but my food still taste the same
Michael Slade
Untitled
I just read that out loud to my darkroom film class. They all laughed.
smslavin
Adventurer
often if I am working someone comes up and says wow nice camera that must take great photos or OH I have a X model ? trying to one up me
I just had that happen to me this morning but I'm used to it when standing on the beach with my 500. This time he really annoyed me.
Him: "Really? You're just shooting with a 5D?"
Me: "Yep"
Him: "Mark II?"
Me: "No"
Him: "Why? Are you sure it's fast enough?"
Me: "Yes"
Him: "You really should upgrade"
Me: "Why?"
Him: "More pixels, video and stuff. Don't you want video?"
Me: "No, I'm a photographer, not a videographer"
Him: "Hmm. Are you cold?"
Me: "Do I look cold?"
Him: "Yes"
The other line I get a lot is...
"Wow, looks like that camera would take great surfing shots! Will you photograph me?"
The worst are the folks that just *have* to stop me as I'm running into the water, fins in one hand, housing in the other.
"Oh wow! What is that? Some kind of a camera?"
Most times, I'll stop and explain it to them which is usually followed by, "Huh, I bet that was expensive."
The best image I still have in my head is when I photographing the Pipe Masters one year. It was an off day and there were only a handful of white lenses between Ehukai and Back Door. There's a commotion behind me and as I looked around, I was frozen in shock.
This guy, dressed in complete khaki (photo vest, cargo pants, boots, wide brimmed hat) is huffing and puffing across the beach. Trailing him is his wife or girlfriend totally burdened down with gear bags. He had a very very nice tripod in one hand and over his shoulder was slung a Nikon with a 600. However, the shoulder strap was not attached to the lens. It was still on the body. The lens was banging against his leg as he walked. Every few steps it would slip and drag in the sand.
He stops and sets up within a few feet of me. This for some reason always annoys me. There's hundreds of yards of open sand. A bazillion different angles. And you have to come right next to me?
He starts to set up the tripod and the camera falls off his shoulder into the sand. The sand at Pipe is rather unfriendly. It's coarse, wet and sticky. Not the kind of stuff you want to have all over your $10k camera and lens.
His wife comes up and literally flings the gear bags into the sand.
He looks over at me and gives the once over. Hat, no shirt, board shorts and bare feet. Small backpack with film, sunscreen and water. He audibly harumphs at me and turns back around.
I stay and shoot for a bit longer. So far, I haven't heard a single shutter click from Mr. Awesome Nikon Guy. Every so often I can tell he's looking at me.
The light gets harsh and the wind goes on-shore. It's time to leave and come back at sunset. Pipe at sunset is nothing short of awesome.
I throw my backpack on and start to walk away and he calls out, "Hey, why are you leaving, it's just starting to good out there."
smslavin
Adventurer
Streakerfreak
Jan-Kee
The more people talk about what gear they used instead of the actual photograph, the more I become disinterested in photography. I could care less about what gear you have or your technical knowledge, if you can't see what's right in front of your nose and fail to see the beauty in everything around you what's the point of the gear you own. Technical knowledge means nothing if you can't properly frame a subject or think outside the box. Too many tech geeks and not enough artists.
AYIAPhoto
Adventurer
I recently had a similar conversation with a young lady at a bar I was doing promo shots for. It seems she had taken photography classes in college and thought herself a pro, or at least knowledgeable enough to become one.... To state the simple fact, I am not a professional. It's not my "bread and butter" and I don't foresee it paying my bills anytime soon. I'm just a guy who lucked into spending his weekends taking pictures of hot woman partying in bars and clubs....
Back to the story. I was using my *ist D:Wow1
yeah, a whopping 6.1MP) with a fisheye and an older FA 50MM. As she waxed poetic about dynamic range, MP and PhotoShop(a program she admitted to have bootlegged rather than bought) I knew I was in for a long night. She followed me around for quite a while trying to guess exactly what or who it was I was shooting. Then the subject of my gear came into question.Her:You should switch to Nikon.
Me:Why?
Her:That camera's outdated, plus Nikon has more lenses.
Me:Actually I can use legacy glass almost completely back to manuals from 1976. Yeah the camera's old but it still works.
Her:But it's only like 8MP.
Me:6.1 to be honest.
Her:The prints must be pretty grainy.
Me:With the right lighting techniques I don't need to go over 800ISO, besides, none of these photos will go anywhere but the bars website.
Her:All the pros use Nikon or Canon, not Pentax.
Me:Before digital, The Pentax 645 was a darling of fashion photographers.
Her:But you'd never be taken serious using that camera.
Me: (at this point I needed to get a little snarky)Funny how I'm the one getting paid to be here with a camera.
At that point a small argument ensued. On the plus side, I've been dating her for 3 months and now have someone to do a large portion of my weeding and editing work:wings:
Oh, now she wants a K5 or 7 so we can share lenses(really so she can use my assortment of lenses). I told her to sell her Nikon and trio of lenses and she can buy a half dozen manual Pentax's and a body.
That's the one downfall of digital photography. Coupled with the internet and sites like DP review, geeks started getting into it simply to brag about their gear. And if there's one thing I can't stand it's all the damn "pixel peepers". Though it does add lots of lightly to unused gear to the secondary market when they move on the the next "geek chic" obsession.
bajasurf
Explorer
Slavin. In 1961 when we first surfed the Pipeline there were 2 photographers present. John Severson and Bruce Brown and only 2 of us in the water. Phil Edwards had surfed earlier. Long story how this all happened and to long to bore everyone.
smslavin
Adventurer
What I wouldn't give to have been able to been there at that time. Golden years. I'd love to hear the story some time. Did you hear that Grannis died?
bajasurf
Explorer
Yes. I heard about his passing just yesterday. He took many classic photos of surfing and his shot of my best friend, Butch VanArtsdalen, at the Pipeline is one of those classics. If you anywhere near La Jolla come September 10th, join us for our annual WindanSea reunion. The new issue of Surfers Journal( I have been told by the author) has a great 9 page article about Butch and the crew at WindanSea. I haven´t seen the magazine but I understand there are a couple of stories about Butch and I.
Michael Slade
Untitled
Yes, there are MANY who would LOVE to hear that story! Put it down for posterity! :wings: