Himalayas

Hate? Why on earth do you say that? It's just a style I dislike in most circumstances, and I happen to think these are a particularly ill-considered use of the technique. No-one is obliged to dislike the style (let alone hate it) any more than anyone is obliged to like it. Most people can, I think, distinguish between hatred and dislike..

Cheers,

R.
 
Nothing wrong with what I see. Different, yes. And another look. Neither better nor worse than than the ' artists ' amongst us.

Regards.
 
Seems to be "flavour of the month" at the moment. It will run it's course and then die a death. It's not a flavour I particularly like the taste of either. Probably going to upset a few people saying this, but I find it all a bit gimmicky.

Here's another Photographer who's produced some wonderful work in the past but has recently started posting iphone instagram App pictures. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaipu/
I can't find anything in this style that makes me think it enhances the work in any way.
 
It's a generational thing. Lomo-holga hipstermatic 'togs were born in an era where the best film camera technology, materials, and processing was widely available at the most competitive pricing. They had perfection served to them on a plate.

Anyone who learnt photography and darkroom processes from any decade before the end of the 20th century had to work hard at making their pictures look good. Bad results were not respected because it was so easy to produce them ie. light leaks, scratches, off color photos, vignetting, etc. You get the drift.

Every generation rebels against their parents and opposes whatever their parents hold dear. If it's any consolation, perhaps the hipsters' children will start a back to the roots photography movement and bring early photographic processes back into fashion.
 
This photographer has done some amazing pics in Nepal over a long period. Another amazing photographer who has lived out there for a long time is Eric Valli. It's a very photogenic place.
These I don't like the look of though. Passing trend.
 
I was a bit jealous and annoyed that a photographer would have the opportunity to visit those places and choose to use an iPhone. But knowing that he's been there photographing for a long period makes me more indifferent than annoyed. I don't like the style, but as a pro sometimes you have to do something very different or counterintuitive to get published, and doing an assignment in the Himalayas with an iPhone is quite unique (?and brave?)
 
firstly, Tom is a great chap and excellent photographer.

i am going to both agree with the Roger Hicks camp and disagree (a bit). there is something about the way modern photography takes on a 'look' and then rarely strays out of it that bugs me. the square format, environmental portraiture where the subject was 1/3 (or less) of the frame and looking like a deer in the headlights thing ran to the point of sheer madness. i like Alec Soth but we don't need an Alec Soth era. the hipstamatic thing can be fun. i enjoy it at times. it has to be said though, that we are rooking ourselves (professional photojournalists) when we are embracing the elimination of the skill thing so willingly.

now on the other hand... this iPhone/hipstamatic/whatever thing is a visual narrative prevalent in our world. to explore and engage it seems quite 'artistic' (ugh) to me. to ignore it would seem overwhelmingly odd. restraint obviously has a role to play here.

who really knows what Tom was all about when he produced this work. maybe he felt like it was all a dream, which would fit with the images. how about i ask him and get back to you all?
 
I'm sure he didn't just bring his iphone all the way to Upper Mustang 😉

I've got no problem with the look when it's done well, but I don't care much for these... A couple of them I'd actually like better if they hadn't been cropped square. I do like his other work at the link.
 
I never realized before quite how much I dislike this sort of look. For me, the photography gets in the way of the subject matter.

what's with using grainy bw-film then..? quite a strong effect too. does photography get in the way of the subject matter there, too?

all in all i like the shown pictures. they are all well framed. i'm not sure about the processing now, but i think it's ok for me. not my prefered stile, but for sure it's unfair to blame the photographer to be a wanna-be, who wants to hide that fact by using hipstamatic.


personally i like it, when photographs somehow defamiliarize reality. they give you some possibility to take a step back and have room for your own thoughts than these hyper realistic clean pictures, which clash somehow right into your face.
and they are somehow more honest. "photography gets in the way of the subject matter", so they clearly show "i am a photography" and not "i am reality".
 
.. doing an assignment in the Himalayas with an iPhone is quite unique (?and brave?)

Whatever weight the 'tog saved bringing an iPhone instead of regular cameras is negated by the load of external clap-on backup batteries he'd have needed for the battery hungry iPhone. There'd be nowhere to charge batteries in the middle of nowhere unless he was hoping to leech off someone's truck batteries. I don't believe that solar battery charger technology has gotten to the point where the battery charges faster than the time it takes to drain it.
 
so, i sent Tom a few questions. maybe getting his take on things would be an interesting addition to the discussion. maybe his gear bag was stolen by some corrupt border police? not such a far fetched explanation really.

either way, Tom is far from a 'wanna-be'.
 
I don't care what format or effects a photographer uses, but I really don't think image-damaging special-effects should be chosen for use on a 'real' news website to show the rapid changes being forced on a society. I complained strongly, via the website contact-form, about what I feel is the inappropriate editorial choice made in selecting these specific pictures for that specific story. There would be nothing wrong with the images in another context - say a chocolate box or something like that.
 
Personally I would be more impressed if these folk pointed their phones at the occupying Chinese army or the enforced modernisation of what was a few years back one of the few mysterious places on earth ... a bit like they did in Spain in the 1930's or Indo-China in the 60's ... but then I'm probably getting bored and cynical about "cool stuff" in my dotage
 
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