Magnum Photos website vs Steve Huff blog

[Paul Jenkin]

Having a conversation on Steve's site is like chatting with someone over a beer and snacks, commenting on Magnum is like sitting at the president's table for lunch and trying hard not to sound dumb.

I'm not trying to be provocative but, as much as I admire the work of most of the Magnum photographers, I don't see why I would need to feel ill at ease discussing their work or photography in general with them.

Ultimately, what they produce is for public consumption and I'd hope they'd appreciate someone asking them to explain what their work is about and/or how they approach certain subjects.

By way of an example, I'm not sure how representative Chris Steele Perkins is of his contemporaries in Magnum, but he came across as extremely grounded and was very interested in the public's view of his work when he attended the "Format" photographic ehibition in Derby last year.

Ultimately, these guys are like most of us - just with a load more talent...!

 

[leicashot]

Oh please let this thread end soon so the RFF community can focus on more important things, like talk about gear OR photography, instead of comparing the two on tow totally different websites!

 

[notraces]

Having a conversation on Steve's site is like chatting with someone over a beer and snacks, commenting on Magnum is like sitting at the president's table for lunch and trying hard not to sound dumb.

perfect analogy ---

 

[DanOnRoute66]

My photo friends and I seldom even speak directly of photography, much less about cameras. We talk about people, life, cultures, philosophy; all those things we are trying to convey in our photos.

And I think your photography is that much better for it, Mr. Michaels.

 

[fstops]

We compensate the lack of driving skills by indulging in GAS, forever assembling the perfect kit or longing for the peace/zen of "one body, one lens"

The big problem is that most photographers are not dreaming of success with their images or trying to create interesting work, most of them are dreaming of this camera or that lens or some accessory. I speak from personal experience. I have thought more about photography gear than how to actually improve my photography. I have read more online reviews of gear than books on how to better my photography.

At the same time I have no intention of helping others to save money, if people want to indulge in buying gear its up to them.

Everything that goes up, will eventually come down, and this gear mania is also a phase that has pretty much hit its bell curve, for the simple reason that there are just too many cameras out there and for some strange reason none of them make their owner a competent photographer overnight, this truth will take sometime to sink in but like all truth, it eventually will.

 

[back alley]

The big problem is that most photographers are not dreaming of success with their images or trying to create interesting work, most of them are dreaming of this camera or that lens or some accessory. I speak from personal experience. I have thought more about photography gear than how to actually improve my photography. I have read more online reviews of gear than books on how to better my photography.

At the same time I have no intention of helping others to save money, if people want to indulge in buying gear its up to them.

Everything that goes up, will eventually come down, and this gear mania is also a phase that has pretty much hit its bell curve, for the simple reason that there are just too many cameras out there and for some strange reason none of them make their owner a competent photographer overnight, this truth will take sometime to sink in but like all truth, it eventually will.

you seem to be doing alot of self analysis and then wanting to dump the results on 'most' of us.
i think it's called projection.

 

[Sparrow]

... I have another word for it if you need one 😀

 

[igi]

Still not over?

Told you all that the Magnum website is relatively new. Comments section was added along that upgrade.

That's why. :bang:

 

[River Dog]

Good. The more people w/cameras, the better. To say otherwise is like saying that universal literacy is a bad idea because only so many people can be good writers.

Liberal dispersion of even free pencils and paper, does not equal literacy.

 

[Graham Line]

If you visit magnum photos website (www.magnumphotos.com) there is not a single response to any of the pictures or stories posted. If you visit Steve Huff blog (www.stevehuffphoto.com), which I'm using as an example, every post has more than fifty responses to it on an average.

To me this pretty much sums up today's photography, the photography gear itself is photography, photography as an art or medium of self-expression is pretty much dead.

Based on a 5-minute sample of foot traffic outside my window, every person in the country is a woman.

 

[furcafe]

Rationing pencils & paper wouldn't help, though.

Liberal dispersion of even free pencils and paper, does not equal literacy.

 

[furcafe]

You are woefully mistaken if you think most people who take photos are doing so to be "artistic." The vast majority of photographs are intended as records of family gatherings, vacations, parties, etc. For those who do have artistic ambitions, of course there are some who are stupid enough to think they can buy talent, but that's true of any endeavor that requires an instrument & even some that don't (if "Pop Idol/American Idol" are evidence).

You are correct that photography only requires the pressing of a button, but then you have to blame George Eastman for popularizing that concept in 1892. I doubt that the quality of photography would miraculously improve if everyone was forced to shoot wet plates. As far as the viewer/consumer is concerned, there are no "difficulty points" in photography. It doesn't matter if you use a Leica, a Holga, or Speed Graphic, a good photo is a good photo & a bad photo is a bad photo. Yes, you need talent & skill to consistently produce good photos, but you also need the right equipment, w/the "right equipment" depending on the individual, hence gear talk.

And much of life is a circle jerk, as anyone who's ever attended a pre-internet camera club meeting or print exchange can attest.

But not many people try to be writers because they know they can't. Try telling that to all of the "photographers" in the world who think they are photographers because they press a button! That one fact is what separates photography from other art forms.

Gear centric talk is understandable if you step back and look at the world of photography. It is the only thing that people without a clue can grasp. People go to the Huff site to figure out how to make photographs that the Magnum members make. Simple.

Most of the internet is one big circle jerk anyway. People with their egos and all.

 

[River Dog]

Rationing pencils & paper wouldn't help, though.