An antidote to gear talk?

When I have something worthwhile to share with the lovely people of RFF, I will do so...



ferider said:
There are lots of gear threads, and I'm as guilty starting them as the next one ....

Still there is another side to RFF, and that is the gallery. Many outstanding pictures posted there. I suggest to post there, too, and contribute to Critique, W/NW, and other pic threads, as for instance the weekly pic of the week.

Roland.
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Trev, you can fight it, but it'll keep returning. Gear is an attraction to a photographer. It's what we pine about or talk about (along with technique, like Chris said) when we can't be out shooting.

I know that I do my own fair share of gear talk and read the discussions, but when I'm out somewhere shooting, I enjoy making my frames. It's usually when that joy is hampered by a gear-related let down, that I return and rant online :)
 
99% of people that stop me on the street to talk about "photography" really just want to talk about cameras.

A couple weeks ago someone actually wanted to talk about photography instead of "Buy buy buy, shop shop shop shop. Money money!" It was pretty dreamy <3
 
To each his own! To be particularly post-modernist (though admittedly, the term is problematic), everyone can do what they like and there is no wrong...or right, for that matter.

I wasn't critiquing anyone with my initial post, just ranting about frustration that has been boiling over lately. A good part of it was a rant at myself and my own GAS-related gear chatter, no doubt.

jsrockit said:
and even if this is true, which I'm not so sure it is, there is nothing wrong with that...
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PKR said:
You can own all the cameras and take all the pictures you like and it's really cool with me..really it is..
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After your comments, my energy for photography has been ruined! It is now a camera fondling night instead. :D (or maybe it is that I'm stuck at a desk until 5pm! that ruins my photographic goals for the day)
 
I think you may have hit on something...perhaps those whose livelihood is to make images spend less time obsessing since they are too busy with shooting and editing (?), while those who are "stuck" doing other things for an income have to waste time at our computers, leading to a gear obsession (?). Just a hypothesis...

jsrockit said:
After your comments, my energy for photography has been ruined! It is now a camera fondling night instead. :D (or maybe it is that I'm stuck at a desk until 5pm! that ruins my photographic goals for the day)
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When I was a painter, I became so obsessed and centered in the world of art, that it became self absorbing. At one point it was all I knew that I could talk about, but I really didn't know what was going on in the real world around me. LOL.

Previously, I use to be just a Nikon SLR shooter until about three years ago when I discovered this forum. Now in addition to my SLR's I have a killer Leica kit and also shoot lots of medium format. This forum I atribute to making me a better photographer due to the exploration of all the possibilities of pursuing GAS.

But I'm at the point now where I have more gear than I ever need or that is practical. I need to cull down to the most needed to pursue my art, but I appreciate that I could explore and learn what is right for me, and I feel especially fortunate to finally learn what I really want and need.

The antidote for for GAS for me was to first have a raging GAS attack and live through all the possible gear that I might only otherwise dream about, and now I'm in the process of going back to the basics and will cull down, but in the end this pursuit of gear made me a better, more rounded out, more experienced photographer.

The only new gear that interests me now is possibly a M10 that I could fund by selling gear. I'm O.K. with that because I have hit the saturation point.

Cal
 
PKR said:
Take photos at work.. post prints in the coffee room.. take pictures of your drive or walk to and from work..
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I do all of the above... except the coffee room thing. I don't think it's a good idea to constantly photograph around the office... I'm supposed to be working. ;)
 
boomguy57 said:
I think you may have hit on something...perhaps those whose livelihood is to make images spend less time obsessing since they are too busy with shooting and editing (?), while those who are "stuck" doing other things for an income have to waste time at our computers, leading to a gear obsession (?). Just a hypothesis...
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Yes, I agree... I spend a lot more when I'm near the internet. and those that do it (photography) for a job, may not do it for fun.
 
boomguy57 said:
I think you may have hit on something...perhaps those whose livelihood is to make images spend less time obsessing since they are too busy with shooting and editing (?), while those who are "stuck" doing other things for an income have to waste time at our computers, leading to a gear obsession (?). Just a hypothesis...
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Plus one. I have a boring day job. I use the internet to help stay awake. I agree my job is a waste of time. LOL.

But I live to shoot: gear obsession is secondary because when I'm not shooting its the next best thing.

Cal
 
boomguy57 said:
So please, don't talk to me about gear...

...for now ;)
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This is an interesting thread.

I posted a set of photos in the W/NW section a couple days ago.
78 people (as of this time) took a peek, none commented.

Even if my photos are as bad or bland as it could be, why don't people who claim that there's too much gear talk start a discussion anyway?

If only to point out why the photos are not interesting for you personally. Or how would you handle the same situation / scene / subject better?

IMPORTANT NOTE: I only mention this as an obvious example, to point out the irony. I'm not plugging my thread nor am I desperate for comments. I've grown out of that a long time ago :D
 
Writers do argue/complain about word processing software (e.g., this article: http://www.slate.com/articles/techn...nt_and_obsolete_it_s_time_for_it_to_die_.html), & back when they still used typewriters, different writers did have their preferences in brands & models. I'm a lawyer, not a writer, but we use word processing programs, too, & in the days before Word took over, I do recall debating w/colleagues the merits (or lack thereof) of that program v. WordPerfect v. Xywrite, etc. Same goes for research tools like WestLaw v. LEXIS.

PKR said:
I've worked with a number of writers over the years and I honestly can't ever remember them ever dicussing typewriters or word processing programs..
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I myself realized a while back that I actually enjoy camera porn, gear talk and me myself dreaming about more gear (even though my collection overwhelms me with stuff I never use).

I just chose to see it as an interest different from my photography. Seeing as I often use my simpler cameras to take the pictures I like rather than too use the cameras I like to take pictures it seems to work out just fine.

It also explains to me why the rolls in my Minolta AF-C seems to fly through all of the time, while the few frames in my Mamiya Universal sometimes last forever (except for the rare occasions when the universe is in harmony and five rolls just roll by in an hour or so, and somehow makes it all worth it)
 
This is certainly what I recognise in myself. My job and family eat up most of my time - if I escape for a couple of hours to take pictures at the weekends I'm doing well. Reading RFF and buying and selling gear is displacement activity for me, and makes me feel I'm spending time on my hobby when I'm not, really - I don't think I'd do as much of either if I was out shooting every day.

I've been through quite a lot of RFF fuelled GAS over the last few years, but as other people have said it's given me the chance to play with a lot of cool stuff at minimal cost (buy used, sell on) and I'm now starting to cull back down again.

boomguy57 said:
I think you may have hit on something...perhaps those whose livelihood is to make images spend less time obsessing since they are too busy with shooting and editing (?), while those who are "stuck" doing other things for an income have to waste time at our computers, leading to a gear obsession (?). Just a hypothesis...
Click to expand...
 
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