Back to Film.

That desperate sense of panic and fear is called getting old. It happens to everybody :bang:.
Jokes apart, it does sounds like an old man rant against the last new thing. I agree with back alley, why such a manichaean view of things? It's not black and white, some changes are good, some perhaps not so good, but the fact is, society constantly change. You don't have to either embrace it all, or condemn it all. If there' is something good (and there is - otherwise it would NOT become popular), take advantage of it. Technology is a tool, not an end in itself.
The internet is a funny place - it always divide people on every topic in two groups - and then the fight starts.
Anther funny thing - how did a "back to film" thread ended up as a "society is failing - it's the end of civilization" - tirade?

zauhar said:
One thing I have come to realize in the last few years - there is a subset of the population (people like me, and I guess Dave too) who are sensitive to what is happening to people and society, and have an almost desperate sense of panic. It's like "Invasion of the bodysnatchers", you see people gradually being assimilated, and changing in ways they don't realize.

When people say vapid things about how "change has always been with us", or even worse make some snarky dismissal, you want to punch them. It's not hate at all, it's fear, and the recognition that they have an urgent need to have their head extracted from their ass.

Randy
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i like facebook. it allows me to keep up casually with my grown children - and many friends - in their daily lives. it is NOT where we have deep face-to-face conversations. that is a whole 'nother level - and a profound joy.
 
My issue with Facebook and other social networking sites is that you pretty much give them a free licence to use any photos you upload. I primarily use Facebook to see people's photos, but I'm reluctant to upload any of my good ones.
 
I think Facebook can bring out the worst in people, I'm quite amazed sometimes at the sheer self-involvement and narcissism of many people on it. However, that's a problem with the people, not the website, and back alley's example shows that it can be extremely valuable.
 
There are certain things that one cannot attain with digital imaging (i.e. digital cameras/cellphones). The one big thing, I believe, has got absolutely nothing to do with the image itself. It has nothing to do with sharpness, image quality, bokeh, FPS, Multi-Matrix metering, Clean 12,800 ISO, or the ability to shoot movies AND stills. The one thing that you can't get with digital imaging is that undeniable feeling of anxiousness/surprise that you get after you've finished shooting a roll/sheet of film and wait to see, upon development, if you got what you thought you got :)

From a recent wedding (Leica M7, Tri-X in Xtol 1:1, and I believe the 90mm Summicron pre-ASPH):
5976608788_7346743c71_z.jpg


Cheers,
Dave
 
Facebook is great. I have lived abroad for over ten years and facebook is a great way to catch up with people and see what they are doing in their everyday lives.
 
Stuart John said:
Facebook is great. I have lived abroad for over ten years and facebook is a great way to catch up with people and see what they are doing in their everyday lives.
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It is like that. I also use it and keep in touch with my first son. I also travel a lot and spent 12 years in Hungary, 14 years in Bulgaria, 7 years between Lithuania,Latvia, Finland and Sweden. With FB I can stay in touch with all the friends I have and newly made.
Regards,
b.
 
dcsang said:
The one thing that you can't get with digital imaging is that undeniable feeling of anxiousness/surprise that you get after you've finished shooting a roll/sheet of film and wait to see, upon development, if you got what you thought you got :)

Dave
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It can be hard to manage your surprise or disappointment when you are getting instant feedback. Sometimes it is nice to concentrate on your subject while you are with your subject, and concentrate on photography when you are making prints or selecting images. More multitasking is not a recipe for improving any particular part of the process.
 
A good discussion, here, actually, in what basically started out as a cranky rant.

As I said, I just see Facebook and any social networking as a tool. Some tools work for people, others don't. That's life.

Ranting and bellyaching about it is pointless, and just makes one look like an old person sitting on the front porch yelling at the kids to get off his lawn. All that matters in the end is that we do the best *we* can do...that we create and share and grow as artists/photographers. I'll put my respect with someone who has a roll of Tri-X and a 50 year old camera -- but pours their hearts into terrific work -- over someone with the latest DSLR and software who is stagnant.

Or is that too 'childish' and 's****y' to say for some peoples' moods..?
 
rogerzilla said:
Facebook is utterly horrible. Most of it is vacuous goissip about how drunk people are or daft games and I shudder to think how they're going to monetize it - it can't merely consist of a few ads to justify the much-touted $100bn market value of the company.
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The things you read on facebook are the things YOUR OWN friends post. It is not broadcast media like CNN.
 
back alley said:
so many haters...

social media is here to stay folks wheather you use it or not. it is a great tool for staying in touch with loved ones who live far away or down the block. it spreads information like wild fire and it can aid in cultural revolutions...

just because you may not have a use for it is no reason to go all playground bully on us.

i love facebook...it got me in touch with my son...after 30 years!
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Where are these 'haters'? Who says it's going to go away? Who is trying to stop you using it? Who is the playground bully?

I had been thinking of investigating Facebook further, precisely to see whether it might be of any use in my business. The reactions I've seen here from those who like it do not encourage me, let alone the reactions from those who don't. I really am a bit puzzled by this.

As someone else pointed out, it ain't 'all or nothing'. Some people I know use Facebook a lot (and have yet to persuade me of the advantages) and some use it a little. Quite a few don't use it at all. And even if one were to dismiss Faceboook as unremittingly pointless and shallow, which I don't think even I have done, what of it? I have even less time for (let is say) football or opera than for Facebook. This always upsets opera lovers, too.

But no-one is obliged to like what everyone else likes. I could spend as much time on Facebook as I do on RFF, but I'd not enjoy it as much, and I certainly don't fancy trying to do both. If you like Facebook, fine, but I find it hard to believe that it is 'essential', or, from what I've seen, much use for most businesses. As I said earlier, it probably suits some people in some businesses, but some of the protests here do sound as if people are trying to justify Facebook time as much to themselves as to anyone they're arguing with.

Cheers,

R.
 
Colin Corneau said:
A good discussion, here, actually, in what basically started out as a cranky rant.

As I said, I just see Facebook and any social networking as a tool. Some tools work for people, others don't. That's life.

Ranting and bellyaching about it is pointless, and just makes one look like an old person sitting on the front porch yelling at the kids to get off his lawn. All that matters in the end is that we do the best *we* can do...that we create and share and grow as artists/photographers. I'll put my respect with someone who has a roll of Tri-X and a 50 year old camera -- but pours their hearts into terrific work -- over someone with the latest DSLR and software who is stagnant.

Or is that too 'childish' and 's****y' to say for some peoples' moods..?
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Or to turn it around, praising it to the skies, calling it 'essential' and complaining about those who don't like it is much like being a kid who does stupid, pointless things because they're 'cool' -- including making bloody nuisances of themselves. When they grow up, they may change their minds.

Or they may not. One of the keenest Facebook users I know is a friend I've known for 40+ years. If I want to talk to him, I telephone him.

I'm not calling you or anyone else childish. But you might care to reflect that it is the mirror image of your complaint. And equally pointless, in that both rely on mindless stereotypes, except that perhaps you had not considered that there are often two sides to an argument, and even to an insult.
 
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Dear Roger

I wouldn`t know if Facebook would be an asset to your business or not.
I do however note that agencies such as Magnum have a presence on it.
It appears to be to give notice of forthcoming events and new publications although they do post pictures from featured photographers.
Hard to say if that brings in any additional business however.
One or two RFFers also seem to use it in this way also.

Regards
Michael
 
Michael Markey said:
Dear Roger

I wouldn`t know if Facebook would be an asset to your business or not.
I do however note that agencies such as Magnum have a presence on it.
It appears to be to give notice of forthcoming events and new publications although they do post pictures from featured photographers.
Hard to say if that brings in any additional business however.
One or two RFFers also seem to use it in this way also.

Regards
Michael
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Dear Michael,

Sure. I did say, "some people and some businesses." I also said that I'd been thinking about investigating it more closely. I'm just a bit surprised at the virulence of some the responses from Facebook fans.

Cheers,

R.
 
Dear Roger

Well yes people do seem to feel strongly about it .
Its clear though that for some it has been of value.
As for me , it`s kept me in touch with distant relatives .
Other than that I use it for posting pics of the "Fiona wins first prize on Paddy" type to peoples pages.

They then crop the pictures to death and use them for their profile :)

Regards
Michael
 
Roger Hicks said:
Where are these 'haters'? Who says it's going to go away? Who is trying to stop you using it? Who is the playground bully?

I had been thinking of investigating Facebook further, precisely to see whether it might be of any use in my business. The reactions I've seen here from those who like it do not encourage me, let alone the reactions from those who don't. I really am a bit puzzled by this.

R.
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Imagine if a Roger Hicks set up personal or professional accounts on FB or even twitter. Imagine the number of people who would follow what he's doing, gear reviews, photoshoots, travel etc. Imagine linking these to the professional site; the FB and twitter info would be a teaser to shunt them to the professional site.

I imagine it would just mean more exposure?
 
Thardy said:
Imagine if a Roger Hicks set up personal or professional accounts on FB or even twitter. Imagine the number of people who would follow what he's doing, gear reviews, photoshoots, travel etc. Imagine linking these to the professional site; the FB and twitter info would be a teaser to shunt them to the professional site.

I imagine it would just mean more exposure?
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Dear Thomas,

Well, that's why I was considering using it. Even getting a young friend in, to teach me more about it. But the reactions here have not swayed me towards doing this.

Perhaps I am insufficiently narcissistic or self-confident, or maybe it's that I get paid to be narcissistic and self confident (weekly and monthly columns), though I'm damn' sure that if I were as narcissistic and self confident as most of what I've seen of Facebook, nobody'd buy anything I wrote. I may still give it a try, but you can see from some of the above reactions why I might be hesitant. There is, after all, a certain amount of work involved in making one's pages worth following, rather than mindless drivel, and I'm not sure it's worth the effort.

Interestingly, very few people so far have made the slightest attempt to persuade me by rational argument, relating to my situation. Thanks.

Cheers,

R.
 
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