Perception vs reality

[jsrockit]

Maybe some of what I wonder about is due to the digital photography world?

It's always been this way. I find that people tend to focus on the technical when they have nothing else to say in photography. However, history has also given us technically proficient photographers that were also great image makers. Let's face it, technical concerns are easier to grasp than conceptual concerns for most people.

 

[peterm1]

technical perfection is a concern of commercial photography, the artists whose work descends from the "fine printing" tradition, and amateurs who like geeking out over it.

...and people who haven't figured out where their priorities lie. 😀

I agree, I made much the same kind of point on one of my posts.

 

[kb244]

technical perfection is a concern of commercial photography, the artists whose work descends from the "fine printing" tradition, and amateurs who like geeking out over it.

...and people who haven't figured out where their priorities lie. 😀

It's the commercial aspect why I still lust over certain things.

I'm full aware that I could likely produce the same visual imagery with probably 90% of the cameras out there, since I'm shooting full manual most of the time as well as manual focus.

But course for me on a personal note, half the journey is just the therapy of getting out there shooting and 'playing' with something new to me.

My current choice of gear is more out of familiarity and comfort, I learned a while back not to get hung up on expectations that go beyond the norm.

In the end, any 'obsession' with gear is going to be prevalent in the actual act of shooting, or that leisure feeling of using, and not so much how 'perfect' the image is. The trick is to realize the most powerful piece of equipment regardless of what you get, is all in your head.

 

[airfrogusmc]

I certainly cannot disagree with this.

I tried my hand at bird photography over a decade ago and I found it frustrating, mainly because it felt so confining. Looking at wildlife and nature photography websites, almost everything was just so technically perfect the photos began to look the same with a few exceptions.

Weston had some great quotes. I especially like "If it's more than a hundred feet from the car, it's not photogenic."

One of my favorite photo quotes is from William Eggleston (especially appropriate here)--"I am at war with the obvious."

I am a big fan of Egglestons work and that is a great quote.