Confession, or Group Therapy?

[Gumby]

A friend of mine is an engineering manager and says, "engineers will tell you anything... they like to confess." My observation is that some of the stuff they talk about seems more like group therapy.

What is it with photographers who disclose personal information, opinions, likes/dislikes, etc - confession, or group therapy?

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Both... we have to admit we're hooked on gear, and then brag about how we shot the photos we have.

 

[Nh3]

Normal human social interaction?

Why does everything have to lead to freaking psychology - which is a pseudoscience anyway.


Nothing against you Gumby. 🙂

 

[Gumby]

Normal human social interaction?

Why does everything have to lead to freaking psychology - which is a pseudoscience anyway.


Nothing against you Gumby. 🙂

No offense taken. But to be honest... some aspects of "normal human social interaction" also leads to sociology. I suppose that, too, is a pseudoscience but what difference does that make? 😉

... or as Raid might say... this is a scientifically-designed questionaire that is based in statistics, which is mathematics. 🙂

 

[Merkin]

While there are certainly elements of both to be found, I think there is much more to it than that. The biggest reason I come here is to learn, and if, in that process, I happen to know a piece of information that someone else needs, I am happy to teach as well. Even when people are "bragging about how they shot the photos they have," like SolaresLarrave just said, one can often pick up a little tidbit, rule of thumb, or trick that can help improve your knowledge and technique.

 

[Gumby]

The biggest reason I come here is to learn...

Good point! I should have thought of that myself. Perhaps I should add a fifth poll option, "Intellectual intercourse".

EDIT: sorry, no matter how good of an idea it is I can't figure out how to edit the poll. Oh well, despite that your opinion has been registered.

 

[back alley]

how many of your 'real life friends' want to talk about the minutia of gear and science and art that goes on around here.

for those of us addicted to photography as a hobby there is a need to get together and share.
the internet is the new photo club, but we have to put up with the anonymous cowards who like to bully and preach and try to make others feel 'less than' as they would never have the courage to do that in person.

just my 2 cents.
joe

 

[crawdiddy]

Normal human social interaction?

Why does everything have to lead to freaking psychology - which is a pseudoscience anyway.


Nothing against you Gumby. 🙂

I voted for "idle chatter".

Btw, Nh3 (aka ammonia), if psychology is pseudoscience, then it's being practiced incorrectly. Are you a Scientologist?

 

[Gumby]

how many of your 'real life friends' want to talk about the minutia of gear and science and art that goes on around here.

Well, joe... that's a whole 'nother poll. But for me the answer would be one (1). Not even my wife has an interest in the stuff that gets discussed around here. I agree... it's nice to have a place like this, and some of the other photo forums.

 

[Nh3]

I voted for "idle chatter".

Btw, Nh3 (aka ammonia), if psychology is pseudoscience, then it's being practiced incorrectly. Are you a Scientologist?

I knew someone would say that. I'm not.

I actually got into a fight once with a Scientology guy who was stopping me from photographing their headquarter here in Toronto.

Anyway, one of the reason that I come here is because there are some really good photographers and some really knowledgeable members here, but in the process I have to put up with bitter gear addicts, middle aged angry guys and a couple of psychos - but its all in good fun. 😎

 

[crawdiddy]

I knew someone would say that. I'm not.

I actually got into a fight once with a Scientology guy who was stopping me from photographing their headquarter here in Toronto.

Anyway, one of the reason that I come here is because there are some really good photographers and some really knowledgeable members here, but in the process I have to put up with bitter gear addicts, middle aged angry guys and a couple of psychos - but its all in good fun. 😎

Psychology sometimes gets a bad rap, and for exactly that reason-- pseudoscience. Not strictly adhering to the rules. The subject is fascinating, but not all practitioners are rigorous. Anyway, there are plenty of "behavioral scientists" whose pursuits are interesting, and whose studies are rigorous.

Anyhoo, I agree there are many talented and knowledgable photographers here. Then there are folks like me. 😉

 

[Nh3]

Psychology sometimes gets a bad rap, and for exactly that reason-- pseudoscience. Not strictly adhering to the rules. The subject is fascinating, but not all practitioners are rigorous. Anyway, there are plenty of "behavioral scientists" whose pursuits are interesting, and whose studies are rigorous.

Anyhoo, I agree there are many talented and knowledgable photographers here. Then there are folks like me. 😉

The best way to approach psychology is through philosophy. Once you have a clear understanding of an approach to metaphysics and logic then you can wonder into the swamp of psychology and not get bogged down or lost.

The biggest damage that Fraud has done to human society was attacking the very essence of human innocence... And in the end of it there is absolutely zero empirical substantiation of anything that he said... Id, ego blah blah... these are all accepted facts without any scientific method of ascertaining them.

Psychologists are the modern day priests, coming down from a long lineage stretching thousands of years.

 

[Nh3]

Human innocence? LOL

Well, I'm not the greatest fan of humans but I think if a human being was brought up in complete isolation of human society and other human beings, he/she would be completely innocent.

 

[Merkin]

Well, I'm not the greatest fan of humans but I think if a human being was brought up in complete isolation of human society and other human beings, he/she would be completely innocent.

Define "innocence."

 

[MikeL]

Well, I'm not the greatest fan of humans but I think if a human being was brought up in complete isolation of human society and other human beings, he/she would be completely innocent.

You must be well fed. Innocence disappears when stomach gets too hungry.

 

[bmattock]

Define "innocence."

Blameless.

 

[Al Kaplan]

It's not easy trying to fulfill the function of shaman to a bunch of social misfits and psychopaths but it is loads of fun.

 

[Nh3]

Blameless.

Thanks. That's a great answer.

 

[Gumby]

This is a much more discussion than the poll (or pollster) ever anticipated. Thanks!

 

[bmattock]

A friend of mine is an engineering manager and says, "engineers will tell you anything... they like to confess." My observation is that some of the stuff they talk about seems more like group therapy.

What is it with photographers who disclose personal information, opinions, likes/dislikes, etc - confession, or group therapy?

Not always confession or group therapy, but sometimes it is just bragging, and in a rather unsubtle manner, too.

Example:

I just took delivery on my new Zeiss-Leica ZK4, the gold-anodized version, of course, which I had blessed by the Dalai Lama and the Pope who were both stoned at the time, and I've got the Noktonium f/.05 apoclimactic lens as well as the film made of light-sensitive lark's tongue in aspic (german, naturalich), and I'm about to undertake a year-long tour of the historic brothels of the Beeblebrox Dynasty with my school chum George Lucas and the corpse of Armand Hammer, and some druids who will be praying for our film and cutting themselves periodically in penance, and I was wondering - should I use a lens hood? I'll be traveling by personal zepplin, which is kept aloft by the dreams of 15,000 vestal virgins listening to Billy Joel songs. I deflower some of them when we wish to descend. Dirty job, but someone has to do it.

I read these and wonder how much they care about my opinion of a lens hood.