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  • Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!

An interesting observation and a question

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
Hi,

As you all must be aware, we have been going through a period of change right now.
From what I have observed so far, there are certain "cultural" issues which need to be sorted out, many of which are small and insignificant. Personally, I value and appreciate the change and enjoy the fresh influx of ideas and enthusiasm. I know for a fact that many other regulars feel the same way.

However, the following conversation in this thread has caught my attention.

...What a good looking dog! nolan I do like the simple documentation without any alterations. any special plans for the picture? What will happen to it?...

...
Please forgive my ignorance, I've only been shooting for a couple of years now and I'm completely self taught, but is there something beyond sticking a photo on Flickr and maybe in a frame at home?...

This is such an impacting statement to me. One which I have been thinking about. In order to discuss this philosophically, I have decided to start a new post here rather than answer in the original thread.

I do not think that each snapshot has to have a purpose, it does not. I also do not oppose to sharing those odd snapshots with others here. Heck, I do so myself every now and then. However, we usually try to balance things. Which means that we do not only post the odd snapshots but also other pictures with an arc of intent to them, for which we seek C&C from our friends. This is a delicate balance, indeed.

I would very much like to hear from you what your thoughts are on this matter. Do we need to seek this balance after all? If so, where is the fine line to be drawn? Or am I just being silly? ;-)
 
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Kathy Rappaport

pro member
Balance?

Well, maybe with so many new members we should seek out opinions of where we all want to take OPF...

Certainly if we want to continue our Arc of Intent discussions we can do that
Maybe critique and discussion should be within a separate section on the board
Maybe we even need a random posts of images thread.
It's obvious that we have a new culture joining an existing one with a whole level of different mindset.

Some things about OPF that have been important to me:

1. Respect. Not only of the other photographers and members here but of the works presented
2. The knowledge - there is a vast wealth of knowledge here but no "rockstars" or "Divas" - we share and share alike
3. The international culture - people from everywhere
4. Love of Photography with no one genre featured


There is way more, but, I have some photos to process and post for the job I did today.

Please add your two cents worth...
 

Shane Carter

New member
Snapshots are useful only if there is content that others can appreciate and are obvious. Or if the photographer is looking for comment. Most snapshots are meaningful to the person that took them, and not others.

I'd like to think that people that take the time to seek out a photography board would gravitate to a "higher calling" in terms of photographic quality...if they (including me) don't compose a good shot, snap-shot or not, that is fine of course...we are all learning.

But when posting photographs on a photography forum, it makes sense to me to go ahead and critique and comment on the photo itself...otherwise we might as well be Facebook or Youtube. YMMV
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Kathy,

It's very simple really. Our culture is not changing, rather we expand out base with more folk shooting ~35 mm rangefinder mainly digital and some film.

Snapshots go in Layback café, lens testing goes in a technical camera-specific forum, a complete fine art picture (or one that we claim is such) goes in Photography as Art. Nothing has changed. It's just that we have to accommodate new voices and they need to know where the coffee is served and so forth. Posts will still be moved to the correct forum as we just did with a post of the new Nik software program (no not our Nik, LOL).

Look at the stuck thread on posting images in OPF. That might help further.

Remember, we are not a Gallery where people come by on impulse, get seduced by the picture of the salesperson and off goes their money but in return one gets a picture to come home with you that does not shots or visits to the vet yet still gives tons of pleasure every day! OPF is not that yet!

We need to ask is there any intent in the picture. When people talk about what the camera does and what the camera saw and the like, we miss on the fact that only a human makes art.

Impulse shooting still is driven by the brain. However one still needs to make the picture.

In any case it is a kindness that we value for people to let us know what on earth is that picture in their lives. Why on earth is is chosen and posted, something to get a glimpse of the photographers investment in the picture.

I am convinced that photography consists of only 3 parts and these form an ARc"

  1. Idea this becomes a need and a driven INTENT
  2. Work to express this in a physical form: this iterative and the original idea accommodate the growing demands of the developing transformation of an idea to something external to the mind.
  3. The Delivered Image: Realization that the physical form has taken a breath and stands on its feet as a new and independent life form.

Sure we can have galleries with no comments. We'll address that when they come online!

Asher
 
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