Sage words by Hunter S. Thompson

[Phil_F_NM]

Hunter S. Thompson about getting caught up in the gear.

http://petapixel.com/2015/01/19/hunter-s-thompson-problem-focusing-much-technicals-photography/

Phil Forrest

 

[Spider67]

Thanks for posting it! This can not be said too often.

Des

 

[CMur12]

Always a good reminder. Thanks, Phil.

(Makes me think I should remove all those cameras from my signature space.)

- Murray

 

[airfrogusmc]

Something similar by Weston
"The fact is that relatively few photographers ever master their medium. Instead they allow the medium to master them and go on an endless squirrel cage chase from new lens to new paper to new developer to new gadget, never staying with one piece of equipment long enough to learn its full capacities, becoming lost in a maze of technical information that is of little or no use since they don't know what to do with it." - Edward Weston

And Haas
The camera doesn't make a bit of difference. All of them can record what you are seeing. But, you have to SEE. - Ernst Haas

 

[padtye]

Sage words, indeed. When you see the quality of shots that can be produced with a simple machine like the QL17 (a camera I was given for free back when I was 15!), you start to wonder what the use is of lusting after anything else.

Limits can be possibilities. Never let that feeling of "my camera isn't good enough" cause you to miss a good opportunity to shoot.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Always a good reminder. Thanks, Phil.

(Makes me think I should remove all those cameras from my signature space.)

- Murray

Yep, see mine? 😀 Just keep RF part 🙂



I agree, with this article about how old G.A.S. is and with another quote about jumping from one developer to another one.

Have to admit, one of the attraction of film is how easy it is to get film camera, lens under low price just to try it. I have tried and sold a lot.
My photography didn't improved from it all. If not opposite.

And every time I use my family FED-2, made almost at the same time the article is, I'm surprised how good outcome is...


Now, what to else to sell to get second M film camera...

 

[noimmunity]

Thanks for sharing.

Seeing is more important than gear.

But then again, different types of cameras afford different ways of seeing. I know, I know, that's not what HST means. But then again, it's not unrelated. Although he only mentions the Leica as a figure for "top gear", the biggest attraction for me has always been the viewfinder.

 

[Richard G]

RFF member 02Pilot has the key quote of Hunter S Thompson in his signature.

 

[Icarus]

A very good letter indeed.

 

[lawrence]

Interesting letter, thanks for posting.

 

[Charlie Lemay]

Guilt never goes out of fashion. If we are spirits having a material experience, best to enjoy it whether your gear is crappy or magnificent. Some people dread rainy days. All days are glorious in some way. The trick is to see it that way.

 

[Solinar]

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." - Hunter S. Thompson

Best Regards,

 

[Michael Markey]

Always read his pieces in Rolling Stone ... thanks for posting.

 

[Clark.EE]

Mr Mortensen was saying it in the 1930' s.
" The penchant to buy any gadget that will aid in the making of the perfect Photograph--actualy has a tendency to interfere with the creative process"
He then talks about giving yourself over to the "creative process" Rather than fret about your next new piece of gear!
Is the next bit about AA?
"There is plenty of substantial material on the scientific phases of photography, but there is next to nothing useful on its expressive and creative phases. The growth of photography as a mode of expression has been held back by a great deal of tiresome tosh put on paper by quasi-scientific authorities who were without an appreciation of the tradition and aims of art and who were not even good craftsmen in their own line. Modern Photography is miles away from realizing its potentialities—as any intelligent layman can see from the appalling preponderance of bad standards, bad art, bad taste, and bad photography in contemporary salons and annuals. Photography needs a thorough overhauling, a candid appraisal of what is valuable and what is useless in concept, process and equipment, and a drastic elimination of pernicious rubbish."

Strong words indeed....
The command to look. William Mortensen.

 

[Clark.EE]

Oh & I am looking at trading my Fuji x pro 1 for a Sony A7......

 

[Dwig]

It's an old concept. One of the earliest histories of photography contains the following:

But with the practice of photography came the sad knowledge that there is no royal road to the taking of good pictures. Although money might be lavishly spent in the purchase of costly apparatus, yet it was soon found that some knowledge of chemistry, and some artistic taste, together with practice in manipulation, and neatness and accuracy in working, were indispensable to success.

History of Photography - W. Jerome Harrison, 1887

 

[bigeye]

“Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously.”

.

 

[nikkor-watching]

This is not profound. Those who thought they shouldn't take pictures at all without the best equipment are merely stupid. And stupidity has been around a lot longer than photography.