An antidote to gear talk?

boomguy57

boomguy57

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I have been bothered lately by the sheer number of threads everywhere (including RFF) that are gear-centered. Now, I understand that I have GAS as much as the next guy; I also get that many people's personal experiences with various pieces of gear are helpful to others when researching for new lenses, films, etc.

With that being said, however, there just seems to be an imbalance when it comes to what is being posted and read here. Every time I log in to check the site I'm bombarded with "which M body for me", "do you hate the X-Pro 1?", "let's your (fill in the blank camera) shots", or "35/2 Summicron vs. 35/1.4 Summilux" threads. There are other good ones, and perhaps this is all simple perception on may part.

Does anyone else share the same groan and eye roll every time they log in and see the latest threads?

I wrote up a post on my personal blog today, which isn't totally related, but to a point it is. On one hand, it seems silly to regurgitate the same cliche about "less is more" and "gear doesn't matter"; on the other hand, it's obviously not sinking in. As I said at the top of the post, I am a GAS-addict myself (full disclosure), but I am trying to curb the habit. I want to make a point to stop buying, selling, trading, flipping, planning, thinking, talking, posting, comparing, and just generally obsessing about gear. For me, that starts here. No more classified section on RFF for me--I'm taking a break.

Here is the post I wrote up on my personal blog:

http://trevor365photo.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/moments-of-life/

It's not exactly what I wrote up here, but it's a good example of what photography is about. Or rather, what it should be about again. It's about the moments of life that we capture--at least it is for me.

So please, don't talk to me about gear...



...for now ;)
 
I know, that is the easy solution. But if it were so easy, more people would avoid clicking, and GAS would not be an issue, right?

Seriously though, am I the only one who is sick of seeing it everywhere?

Ken Ford said:
There is a simple solution: don't click on links to gear threads.

Seriously.
Click to expand...
 
To add to Ken's great suggestion, I'll suggest this: Most photographers enjoy talking about equipment as well as technique and the final images. Many of us also enjoy talking about the history of photography and art. There is nothing wrong with talking about all of these things. All artists, no matter what kind of art they do, talk about equipment. Yes, even painters, contrary to the common internet lie. I know because I went to art school and still spend a lot of time around painters. They do, in fact, talk about brushes, paints, pigments, the merits of different painting surfaces (cotton vs linen canvas, papers, types of wood, etc.)

If you want to talk about images, then post some. We'll talk about them. Join our other image conversations as well. Many of us here post images.
 
Agreed.

There are multiple dimensions to photography, and we can certainly discuss them all. What I am most annoyed with is the imbalance of those interests as manifested in the discussions. There are far more posts each day on gear than there on images, or the discussion of images.

Having never been a painter, is there a similar crowd that talks about the merits of various paint brushes and posts 100% crops of scans from canvasses they have painted? Is there an endless forum-debate on the particular mixture of colors to create a "true" representation of a certain color?

It feels like maybe I am the only one who thinks there is an imbalance...

Chriscrawfordphoto said:
To add to Ken's great suggestion, I'll suggest this: Most photographers enjoy talking about equipment as well as technique and the final images. Many of us also enjoy talking about the history of photography and art. There is nothing wrong with talking about all of these things. All artists, no matter what kind of art they do, talk about equipment. Yes, even painters, contrary to the common internet lie. I know because I went to art school and still spend a lot of time around painters. They do, in fact, talk about brushes, paints, pigments, the merits of different painting surfaces (cotton vs linen canvas, papers, types of wood, etc.)

If you want to talk about images, then post some. We'll talk about them. Join our other image conversations as well. Many of us here post images.
Click to expand...
 
boomguy57 said:
Seriously though, am I the only one who is sick of seeing it everywhere?
Click to expand...

And, if it turned out that you are the ONLY one sick of seeing gear talk, would that change your opinion? Would it change your photography?

Do you want to discuss something else? If so, what? What is your real question?
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
Most photographers enjoy talking about equipment as well as technique and the final images. Many of us also enjoy talking about the history of photography and art. There is nothing wrong with talking about all of these things. All artists, no matter what kind of art they do, talk about equipment. Yes, even painters, contrary to the common internet lie. I know because I went to art school and still spend a lot of time around painters. They do, in fact, talk about brushes, paints, pigments, the merits of different painting surfaces (cotton vs linen canvas, papers, types of wood, etc.)
Click to expand...

Well said and true. I'm not so sure where the notion came from that if you like gear, you cannot make great photos as well.

Now, for the OP... perhaps you are burnt out and need time away from RFF? You have to remember that there are new people here all the time and with new people come the same questions. It happens on every forum.
 
I don't think that at all, I just feel as if the obsession with gear shifts the focus from the photography to the equipment. Instead of them working together, the latter becomes the focal point, perhaps--but not necessarily--to the former's detriment.

jsrockit said:
Well said and true. I'm not so sure where the notion came from that if you like gear, you cannot make great photos as well.
Click to expand...
 
boomguy57 said:
Having never been a painter, is there a similar crowd that talks about the merits of various paint brushes and posts 100% crops of scans from canvasses they have painted? Is there an endless forum-debate on the particular mixture of colors to create a "true" representation of a certain color?
Click to expand...

Yes, except the 100% crop thing since few painters have the photo skills to know what that means. But yes, the merits of different brush brands and types is a big hotbutton issue among painters, as is the debate about how colors should be mixed. There are countless books full of color formulas artists can buy, but most professionals prefer to do their own mixtures.
 
Been a member here for a loong time - It comes and goes like the tide IMO, sometimes it seems all about gear, sometimes - not so.

My solution? - roll with it, just like the tide ;)

Cheers,

/Meakin
 
I understand that gear and photography are inextricably linked, and that an awareness and discussion of both is requisite to the medium.

Still, the initial post was about the imbalance. Those who collect camera equipment and those who make photographs needn't necessarily be different, but they aren't always the same either.

I feel like this issue hits home to a lot of people, and the temptation is perhaps to say, as Ken did, that it's my issue and if I don't like it, then stop looking.
 
Per what Chriscrawfordphoto wrote, gear is 1 thing all photographers have in common, the great leveller so to speak. There's a lot of diversity on the RFF (though like the internet generally, it's currently tilted towards the English-speaking world), & as heated as equipment threads can occasionally be, they're generally not as contentious as some of the other philosophical/legal/aesthetic topics that come up.

Personally, I have no problem w/all the gear threads, because this is the Rangefinderforum, after all (though it has expanded to include other types of cameras), not the "Photographyforum." That said, there are many subfora for non-gear discussions.


boomguy57 said:
I know, that is the easy solution. But if it were so easy, more people would avoid clicking, and GAS would not be an issue, right?

Seriously though, am I the only one who is sick of seeing it everywhere?
Click to expand...
 
The Rangefinder Forum, by it's nature is gear rather than photo centric. It's organizing principle is a type of camera. I find photos tend to be secondary perhaps due to the architecture of the forums because the gallerys are sort of segmented off. This is not necessarily a criticism just an observations. I don't keep one up since I maintain my photos is multiple other locations (portfolio, tumblr, flickr, etc).

I've fond other places, like for instance, some Flickr forums, tend to be more about images than equipment if you can find a refuge from the cat photos. Again I think the architecture of the site is oriented toward photos.

The web is a big place, I'm sure you can find somewhere else that better meets your needs which is not to say you can't check in here when you are out of GAS. This isn't to say if you don't like it leave, but rather a suggestion to think about the nature of the places you want to hang out on the web.
 
Gear as the common thread? That's a good point, and I hadn't considered that I suppose. In a site full of members with lots of interests, perhaps this is the one unifying principle?

furcafe said:
Per what Chriscrawfordphoto wrote, gear is 1 thing all photographers have in common, the great leveller so to speak. There's a lot of diversity on the RFF (though like the internet generally, it's currently tilted towards the English-speaking world), & as heated as equipment threads can occasionally be, they're generally not as contentious as some of the other philosophical/legal/aesthetic topics that come up.

Personally, I have no problem w/all the gear threads, because this is the Rangefinderforum, after all (though it has expanded to include other types of cameras), not the "Photographyforum." That said, there are many subfora for non-gear discussions.
Click to expand...
 
Worth repeating, imo:

Quote:
Originally Posted by foto_mike

I suspect if you get a group of writers together, amateur and professional, a good part of the conversation will center around the tools of their work. The same if you get a group of artists together.

I think it's because the actual process of writing a novel or a poem or painting a canvas is intensely personal. Every truly creative person I've known has his or her own way of working and isn't really interested in "picking up hints" or changing work styles. So they talk about the tools because it's easy and they share a common language and interest in them.
 
Again, I agree. Perhaps I was expecting too much from RFF then, and the frustration arose from my elevated expectations, rather than from some other issue?

nightfly said:
The Rangefinder Forum, by it's nature is gear rather than photo centric. It's organizing principle is a type of camera. I find photos tend to be secondary perhaps due to the architecture of the forums because the gallerys are sort of segmented off. This is not necessarily a criticism just an observations. I don't keep one up since I maintain my photos is multiple other locations (portfolio, tumblr, flickr, etc).

I've fond other places, like for instance, some Flickr forums, tend to be more about images than equipment if you can find a refuge from the cat photos. Again I think the architecture of the site is oriented toward photos.

The web is a big place, I'm sure you can find somewhere else that better meets your needs which is not to say you can't check in here when you are out of GAS. This isn't to say if you don't like it leave, but rather a suggestion to think about the nature of the places you want to hang out on the web.
Click to expand...
 
I agree. I love RFF for being a place with so many diverse people, who all possess different talents and interests.

I get frustrated when I see it so focused on comparisons of the X-Pro1's AF capability or the custom pink alligator leather on the M7, but perhaps that is the consensus that I'm hearing here: that is the one thing we can all talk about safely together.

FrankS said:
Worth repeating, imo:

Quote:
Originally Posted by foto_mike

I suspect if you get a group of writers together, amateur and professional, a good part of the conversation will center around the tools of their work. The same if you get a group of artists together.

I think it's because the actual process of writing a novel or a poem or painting a canvas is intensely personal. Every truly creative person I've known has his or her own way of working and isn't really interested in "picking up hints" or changing work styles. So they talk about the tools because it's easy and they share a common language and interest in them.
Click to expand...
 
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