Internet Experts: Who to listen to?

Jamie123 said:
I haven't heard of half the blogs you mention but for the few that I have heard of I can say that none of them gives any kind of photography insight whatsoever. They all seem to be about camera gear. There's nothing wrong with that and I like to read about gear and technical stuff as much as the next guy but I would hardly label that as 'solid photography insight'.

I find www.americansuburbx.com to give a very good collection of all sorts of different photography insights. Lots of Galleries, Interviews and Essays about great photographers. As I said, it's a collection of information, not a blog.
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I second Americansuburbx. The best way to learn is to study the masters. Read interviews and watch videos of photographers talking about their work. Spend time viewing the magnum in motion videos. Take it all in and mold it to your own style. It's better than one person, who is probably mediocre, talking about what suits them best.
 
Hamel said:
I second Americansuburbx. The best way to learn is to study the masters. Read interviews and watch videos of photographers talking about their work. Spend time viewing the magnum in motion videos. Take it all in and mold it to your own style. It's better than one person, who is probably mediocre, talking about what suits them best.
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Sod the videos. Look at the still pictures and read the books. At Arles this year I bought a 1952 'how to' book by Willy Ronis, Reportage et la Chasse d'Images. Last year I bought Derriere l'Objectif de Willy Ronis.

If you want to see why I think he's a genius, Google Ronis Provencal Nude and go from there.

Cheers,

R.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll keep analyzing the images that move me and figure out what makes them do so.

Outside of understanding the basics (aperture/dof, shutter speed, exposure), is there anything else technically that will help make my photography better to learn?

Most of what I learned about photography I learned from film cameras, what sort of technical kind of things should I learn to make my digital output better? (and this is not an invitation to a film versus digital debate)
 
Thanks Roger for mentioning Willy Ronis - can you recommend one book of his work?

Apart from well reproduced books of photographers whose works you admire (a good photography bookshop is a great place to spend a few hours - and don't forget the latest additions to your library thread here on RFF), I would also suggest looking at lots of art, analysing what you like and why you like it, as was earlier suggested for photographers' works. Analysing a book like this can teach you a lot about composition, lighting, and the use of colour.
For a comprehensive technical discussion of digital photography I can recommend this e-book. Others here may have alternative suggestions.
Cheers,
 
C.Hudson said:
According to Wikipedia:"In general, an opinion is a subjective belief, and is the result of emotion... Opinions are never right or wrong they are merely a figment of what someone believes".

Do you concur Mr Hicks?
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Haha, you should get into politics. Your selective quoting is funny :)

Here's the whole quote from Wikipedia including the parts you omitted:

"In general, an opinion is a subjective belief, and is the result of emotion or interpretation of facts." and "Opinions are never right or wrong, they are merely a figment of what someone believes. However it can be reasoned that one opinion is better supported by the facts than another by analysing the supporting arguments."

So basically that's exactly what Roger was saying.
 
C.Hudson said:
Roger stated that wiki was unreliable and mostly wrong.

The OP is looking to improve his photography. I, and many others in this thread have advised him to look at art that he likes and study it. I posit that he doesn't need to know which camera was used or whether it has a Hungarian patent. He can form an opinion of the image, whether he likes it or not, without knowing "facts". An opinion is subjective and can not be right or wrong.
If the OP likes a particular photo he should not be told that his opinion is worthless or invalid, by someone who has written over 40 books and knows all the facts.

That is my opinion.
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So you believe that everyone's opinion is equal regardless of their knowledge or experience?
 
C.Hudson said:
Roger stated that wiki was unreliable and mostly wrong.

The OP is looking to improve his photography. I, and many others in this thread have advised him to look at art that he likes and study it. I posit that he doesn't need to know which camera was used or whether it has a Hungarian patent. He can form an opinion of the image, whether he likes it or not, without knowing "facts". An opinion is subjective and can not be right or wrong.
If the OP likes a particular photo he should not be told that his opinion is worthless or invalid, by someone who has written over 40 books and knows all the facts.

That is my opinion.
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I don't think Roger stated that Wikipedia was mostly wrong. All he said was that there are often some mistakes to be found in Wikipedia articles therefore it is not completely reliable.

As you will see if you read through the thread, I did make that very point about looking at photos one likes and studying them in order to improve one's photography (Btw, I can't find any post of yours making that point.) But if I read the thread correctly that's not what Roger's comments were related to. The discussion went off on a tangent about opinions and whether or not some are more valid than others. Roger used knowledge on camera patents as an example why some opinions that are interpretations of facts might be better supported by facts than others. I didn't see him make the point that technical knowledge is a prerequisite for appreciating aesthetic qualities of pictures.

By the way, while opinions cannot be right or wrong, they can be worthless and the arguments supporting them can be invalid. Let's say I'm a bigot and I say that I don't like some ethnic group. Now unless you think I'm being sarcastic or I'm lying you will probably not contest that I don't like that group but you might ask me why I don't like them. And when I then present you with arguments that are based on false prejudices you will, most likely, contest those arguments. And you will, rightfully IMO, think that this particular opinion is worthless. An ignorant person's opinions are not wrong, they're stupid (i.e. it is stupid to have them).

Anyways, to make a long story short, Roger and I have merely argued that just because truth conditions don't apply to opinions, it does not follow that all opinions are of equal worth.
 
I could recommend the nice bloke from Texas, Ted Forbes. He's totally about how to improve as a photographer, and has little time for equipment talk. His podcasts/videos are on his website, http://theartofphotography.tv/

I beg to differ from opinions expressing cynicism towards the breadth of information available on the Internet. I've seen before the Internet, and I've seen the Internet. The second one's better.

Use your own judgement to improve signal-to-noise ratio.
 
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C.Hudson said:
To answer your self and Jamie: One does not need a degree in politics in order to vote. All opinions are equal and valid.
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This is a view that seems to have become more and more dominant lately. It is interesting to note how, for example, in news reports a 'balanced view' of opinions always has to be given.

When scientists present a report which took years of analysis and study, the balanced view on things means reporters often start looking for any random person who happens to believe the opposite or has some anecdotal expierence on the subject. And then s/he gets equal screentime, journalists scrambling to present 'both sides of the argument'.

I have a very hard time seeing how these two opinions could be equal in any way.

However, I do have a bit more sympathy for what you originally stated about photographs, since it is hard to base these opinions on facts. De gustibus et coloribus non disputandum est, as they say. When it comes to cameras, history, physics of photography... the moniker does not apply though.


PS. Specifically on the voting part, it might be interesting to read Tocqueville's 'On Democracy in America'; which contains some insightful thoughts concerning the tyranny of the majority over thought.
 
C.Hudson said:
To answer your self and Jamie: One does not need a degree in politics in order to vote. All opinions are equal and valid.

I wouldn't call anyone a moron, a fool or stupid if their opinion differs from mine.
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All opinions are obviously not equal otherwise there would be no differing opinions :). And if you go by any kind of conventional understanding of the concept of validity (not value) it is hard to argue that all opinions are valid (or rather, all arguments supporting an opinion).

Depending on where you live, anyone has the right to voice their opinions. And in regards to the democratic vote all opinions have equal weight (i.e. one vote). But that doesn't mean that every opinion deserves the equal amount of respect in a society. As I have hinted at with my example, I do not have to respect the opinions of a racist. I might acknowledge his right to voice them but I in turn have the right to hold the opinion that he's an idiot.
I wouldn't call anyone a moron, a fool or stupid if their opinions differ from mine. I would call them a moron, a fool or stupid if their opinions are moronic, foolish or stupid.
 
C.Hudson said:
To answer your self and Jamie: One does not need a degree in politics in order to vote. All opinions are equal and valid.

I wouldn't call anyone a moron, a fool or stupid if their opinion differs from mine.
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I'm afraid this idea of equivalence really is complete twaddle, would you seek medical advice from an untrained source? I suspect not, so why would aesthetics be any different, the opinion of someone who knows the subject is clearly of more value that someone who does not ... and to argue the reverse would be silly.
 
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