Category: the fora

all that stuff people say online

The Way

Posted on Posted in the fora

One Thread, Unraveled

In prep for a piece on effects and side bars, I re-examined one thread. Here, I’veextracted the names of the respondents in just one thread. They are listed in order of response, that is why you see some names many times. A time interaction drawing is even more revealing (in the talk)

koh303 pierre506 bob carnie Will Whitaker climbabout Gudmundur Ingolfsson Kimberly Anderson Darin Boville ImSoNegative ImSoNegative Light Guru Matsushime koh303 ImSoNegative ImSoNegative Henrim Randy Moe Michael E Randy Moe Darin Boville Gudmundur Ingolfsson koh303 koh303 bob carnie Peter Lewin Randy Moe koh303 Kirk Gittings Regular Rod Zndrson climbabout koh303 Kirk Gittings Monty McCutchen Kodachrome25 DrTang Randy Moe Peter Lewin Mark Sawyer Kodachrome25 Kirk Gittings Kirk Gittings Monty McCutchen Kodachrome25 Kirk Gittings koh303 koh303 Randy Moe Jerry Bodine Jim Galli Randy Moe Winger Eric Biggerstaff Kodachrome25 ImSoNegative ImSoNegative ImSoNegative ImSoNegative Eric Biggerstaff Jerry Bodine Kodachrome25 Greg Miller Kirk Gittings Greg Miller Winger koh303 joe freeman Eric Biggerstaff Vaughn Greg Miller Eric Biggerstaff Ari Greg Miller jcoldslabs Dhananjay Steve Sherman Ari Kirk Gittings Kirk Gittings Randy Moe Kirk Gittings Randy Moe Corran Randy Moe Corran koh303 Randy Moe TXFZ1 Peter Lewin Kirk Gittings Kimberly Anderson Kirk Gittings Kodachrome25 Kirk Gittings TXFZ1 Kodachrome25 Kirk Gittings Kodachrome25 Kodachrome25 Jerry Bodine ImSoNegative Kodachrome25

It Seemed Simple

someone posted a link to a video showing a “master” photographer. In the video he is shown walking, smoking, working… From the video there is a link offering a contact print for low price purchase (as I recall $30). That was it. The responses then proceeded to dig at the concept “master”; the photographer’s habits, skills, entitlement; finally, each other

Other

thread title:

Master photographer Joe Freeman talks about shooting LF and contact printing

Those who responded the least, didn’t change their mind. Most of the single comment people liked the video, and the photographer in the video.
A further view: big cameras, bigger gripes… around Laredo it would be said simply:

more belt than cowboy

Get Career Advice

Posted on Posted in the foraTagged

Just because it is convenient doesn’t mean you should do it… skip asking the online photz for career advice .. this is like going getting

career counseling from those in the unemployment line

What I Have Against the Fora

Posted on Posted in da net, dumbo, the fora, visual mind

Do I have something against those online talk groups?
What, or why does it matter?

They are found, pointed out by people and bots. Google is the major router, since it is a simple minded algorithm,  it directs traffic the way traffic is already heading. They are unaware of a broader use of the mechanics they spend so much time on. They are, at best, a bad adult ed center, focused on keeping the bodies coming; yet without motive… nope, their is motive, they are believers. They believe that photography, as applied by limiting range of subjects, becomes an art. Further, more by neglect than by plan, they reduce the options under discussion, limiting it to a vantage point which peaked in the mid 60’s.

This means that as you frequent them, you become them — you, too, become a true believer, and avoid discussion encountering or encouraging work beyond those early foundation choices. This limits vocabulary, which reduces the range of visual mind. They clutter the field seemingly knowledgeable, but they purposely limit discussions– they miss, and cause you to miss the alternate skills … skills not found, nor likely to be discussed on Format Forums –too much background knowledge needed — knowledge formed by a different experience of the world

Why it matters to me? If you had wider range of aesthetic choices, you would have several possible answers. One of which is that you could matter more

childhood ends — but mature action isn’t next, that comes even later

They limit palette, and vocabulary, while reducing your choices. This means that I have to wade through more imagery to locate work that has grown past the camera stage.

Photography Grew

By 1970 photography had established its own history; its own courses, syllabi, as well as an alternate market scheme. As it matured it stalled, almost certainly to regurgitate what photographers had already formulated. At that point photography was saved from itself by being accepted as a medium by painters and sculptors. In the 70’s, photography was almost annexed by other artists. If the glory boys, so adored by the Formatoria, hadn’t devoured themselves, photography would have stay stuck on the Sierra trails, showing itself only in the National Park Concession Stands.
That didn’t happen. Photography was saved by the young counter-photographers.

and so it goes…

An alternate version – updated, here in summary of other pages on this site –

FORA OUTLINE  NTS:fora

  • tale of two chicagos
  • architecture photographers — local / location
  • chicago randys
  • generically dangerous
  • cycle of increasing awareness

There was a source of PROs- people who were both proficient, and productive. They shared by showing, both in studio and school labs. We are further from that source information, so most of what the forums provide is wrong, or lies. perhaps bullshit

Forums As Bullshit

bullshit bookFrankfurt presents a definition specific to its use in communication: bullshit can be neither true nor false; hence, the bullshitter is someone whose principal aim—when uttering or publishing  bullshit—is to impress the listener and the reader with words that communicate an impression that something is being or has been done, words that are neither true nor false, and so obscure the facts of the matter being discussed. p.61, On Bullshit.