Photography Isolationism

[thirtyfivefifty]

I love photography, but I don't want to deal with photography.

After speaking with a friend about camera selection, and going everywhere but the obvious, I just advised them to just stick with an iPhone or whatever smartphone they have.

I tried to turn my annoyance into something more productive just to read headlines like "editorial: 5 reasons why I haven't used my DSLR for months" (dpreview), and "kick the natural light habit with your speedlight" (b&h).

Reading about photography used to be fun, but it turned into the trash you'd find in women's magazines. It's not positive, it just makes photographers insecure about themselves, and their gear.

I just don't care, and I'm finding myself going into some sort of photographic isolationism by unsubscribing from everything photographic, and not wanting to see anything that's not printed.

Instead, I accept that I'm x kind of photographer. I just want to make x kind of pictures, and work on x projects and an x website, and change x up whenever I feel like it because I can, whatever x is for me.

Anyone else had similar experiences? or feelings?

 

[thegman]

I love photography, but I don't want to deal with photography.

After speaking with a friend about camera selection, and going everywhere but the obvious, I just advised them to just stick with an iPhone or whatever smartphone they have.

I tried to turn my annoyance into something more productive just to read headlines like "editorial: 5 reasons why I haven't used my DSLR for months" (dpreview), and "kick the natural light habit with your speedlight" (b&h).

Reading about photography used to be fun, but it turned into the trash you'd find in women's magazines. It's not positive, it just makes photographers insecure about themselves, and their gear.

I just don't care, and I'm finding myself going into some sort of photographic isolationism by unsubscribing from everything photographic, and not wanting to see anything that's not printed.

Instead, I accept that I'm x kind of photographer. I just want to make x kind of pictures, and work on x projects and an x website, and change x up whenever I feel like it because I can, whatever x is for me.

Anyone else had similar experiences? or feelings?

I don't really read camera reviews any more, and a lot fewer articles too. Magazines and most websites exist to sell you things, either through ads or via Amazon links. Making users insecure about their gear sells new gear. Magazines, site like DPReview exist to make money, not to help their readers.

 

[tunalegs]

Is there anything worth reading these days aside from forums?

 

[gavinlg]

Seriously, this mirrors my own attitude perfectly. perfectly.

 

[Jamie123]

Is there anything worth reading these days aside from forums?

There's plenty of very good photography magazines that don't deal with equipment. The newly re-launched Aperture Magazine is very good. Foam is also supposed to be good but I haven't checked out an issue in quite a while. The British Journal of Photography (BJP) is also quite good and has a good balance between topics on photography and topics on equipment. They also have an excellent iPad App.

For online only content I can recommend Ahorn Magazine. Aperture also has a blog.

To be honest, there's plenty of good content that's focused on photography (as opposed to equipment). If you look for it you'll find it. The mistake is going to pages like dpreview and expecting to find out anything about photography.

 

[mdarnton]

I started reading photograpny magazines in the late 50s. Theyre not that much different now: most of what they write has always been trash. There were, and still are, just a few voices worth listening to and publications work reading; nothing has really changed. The solution is to patiently pick through the haystack and find the pearls, and ignore the rest.

I find the same about photographers. Very little of what I see speaks to me, but I've been working Flickr a lot, and have managed to find a group of people whose work I do appreciate, and now I can keep an eye on them. They're out there.

In magazines, I'm working through a couple of years of Adore Noir ( http://www.adorenoir.com/ , online only) right now. They weren't too expensive, and the work is pretty good, according to my personal interests.

[One of the worst articles I ever saw was in a late 70-early 80s Modern or Pop Photography--they picked a few famous places across Europe and told readers where to stand, what lens to use, and where to point the camera to take the "best" picture of that location. That was a pretty deep low point, as far as I'm concerned. Seen anything like that lately?]

 

[daveleo]

I can't remember the last photo magazine that I read - was years ago, probably Shutterbug when it was printed large.

The last new camera review I read was for the Konica Hexar AF 😛

Today, I read forum commentary, adding salt and paprika to aid digestion.

As for my photographs - they are what they are, and I am what I am - 'twas ever thus and ever shall be 😉

 

[Murchu]

I've kinda reached critical mass with the equipment/ technical side of photography. I'm not sure what the answer is, as everywhere you turn, all I seem to see is articles and opinions on equipment, and my personal solution is to simply avoid it/ exile myself from it.

 

[iamzip]

I have gone through various phases; I find that it cycles. For a while I was only using my iPhone, I had become tired of the sterility of "real" cameras, whether perceived or real. Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't.

 

[jsrockit]

Instead, I accept that I'm x kind of photographer. I just want to make x kind of pictures, and work on x projects and an x website, and change x up whenever I feel like it because I can, whatever x is for me.

Anyone else had similar experiences? or feelings?

Yes, I feel the same way... the internet is full of BS (especially when it comes to equipment, technical matters, and well known photographers). Too many haters / liars on the internet. However, I cannot quit completely. It's like anything else... you're are responsible for sorting the **** from the good (or tuning out completely).

 

[j j]

That "why I haven't used my DSLR for months" article chimes pretty well with the RFF ethos does it not?

 

[mwoenv]

Sure, burnout can occur because more and faster of everything, now possible thanks to the technology, is not necessarily better or even satisfying.

 

[gns]

It sounds like what you mean by "Not deal with photography" is ignore the gear market/hobby magazines. I have never read those magazines like Popular Photography and never acquired the need to constantly get new gear.

From your thread title, I thought you meant not look at others' photographs to avoid being too heavily influenced by them or something along those lines.

 

[Jamie123]

From your thread title, I thought you meant not look at others' photographs to avoid being too heavily influenced by them or something along those lines.

That's what I thought, too. Honestly I don't really get what the problem is. If the OP is tired if reading about gear he should stop doing so. But that doesn't really have anything to do with isolating oneself from photography.

 

[squareshooter]

In my humbug opinion photo magazines have been 90 percent fluff. But the editors are trying to put out a product to please everyone from the sophisticated to the newbie. I ignore most of the stuff most of the time. I do like to find out what is really new and go over the ads to see what costs what. Everyone wants info narrowed down to their particular interests and that just isn't going to happen perhaps excepting small publications that fall by the way sooner or later.
A person can hardly get a decent cup of coffee in a restaurant these days -- that's just how it is. If the photo mags or forums for blogs on the Internet are not to your taste, then I suggest it is time to move on.

 

[noisycheese]

I love photography, but I don't want to deal with photography.

After speaking with a friend about camera selection, and going everywhere but the obvious, I just advised them to just stick with an iPhone or whatever smartphone they have.

I tried to turn my annoyance into something more productive just to read headlines like "editorial: 5 reasons why I haven't used my DSLR for months" (dpreview), and "kick the natural light habit with your speedlight" (b&h).

Reading about photography used to be fun, but it turned into the trash you'd find in women's magazines. It's not positive, it just makes photographers insecure about themselves, and their gear.

I just don't care, and I'm finding myself going into some sort of photographic isolationism by unsubscribing from everything photographic, and not wanting to see anything that's not printed.

Instead, I accept that I'm x kind of photographer. I just want to make x kind of pictures, and work on x projects and an x website, and change x up whenever I feel like it because I can, whatever x is for me.

Anyone else had similar experiences? or feelings?

Not sure what you mean by "dealing with photography," but if you are going to make photographs you are going to have to deal with it on one level or another.

If you are tired of dealing with the thinly veiled advertising that is embedded in most photography magazine (so-called) articles, that's understandable. Photography magazines are paid by camera companies to help them sell more cameras, not to educate photographers and help them advance their craft.

If you choose your magazines carefully, you will find a select few that are worthwhile from the photographer's perspective that are not geared toward "buy this camera/lens/app/bag and you will instantly become a successful photographer" style of supposed advice.

Take a look at LensWork magazine along with Black+White Photography, which is published in the UK; I have found both to be worthwhile.

Is there anything worth reading these days aside from forums?

If not, boy are we screwed! 😀

 

[semi-ambivalent]

I started reading photograpny magazines in the late 50s. Theyre not that much different now: most of what they write has always been trash.

Surely you're not including the Peter Gowland ads! 😀

s-a

 

[brainwood]

Reading about photography used to be fun, but it turned into the trash you'd find in women's magazines. It's not positive, it just makes photographers insecure about themselves, and their gear.

I had the same experience and got tired of hearing that the minute improvement of one camera implied that the previous version was junk. I stopped reading 'Camera' mags they are mostly there to serve the camera industry as you say.

I have been enjoying BJP ( British journal of photography) particularly their Aps. Good articles about photography not cameras with nice sized examples of the work. They've had some retrospectives recently including some nice Walker Evans shots. There is a world out there that is not camera obsessed so I would urge you seek that that out, it's a separate entity to the mags in the pockets of the manufacturers.

BJP, and as Noiseycheese says - Black and White Photography both keep the selling to a minium

 

[Spanik]

Well, if isolationism is feeling lonely then anybody who uses film is feeling lonely these days. Spend 7 days in a rather popular holiday destination, saw exactly 1 film camera.

On the other hand, how important is all this? If you're happy it's ok I guess.

 

[rpsawin]

Well, if isolationism is feeling lonely then anybody who uses film is feeling lonely these days. Spend 7 days in a rather popular holiday destination, saw exactly 1 film camera.

On the other hand, how important is all this? If you're happy it's ok I guess.

I agree with this. Select your gear, be happy with it and..... get out and shoot.