I do not write this lightly and have given it at least 48 hours of thought. I stress that everything I mention here are my own opinions and in no way an expression of the views held by Clubsnap as an organisation, nor am I acting on any official behalf but expressing my views as an individual.
I note a big influx of photos from the Motorshow 2002. As I am not at the moment in Singapore, I have no idea about the size or nature of the event, but from the amount of photographs appearing that it must be a big event and a lengthy one at that.
I will be the first to admit I have not seen most of the photographs that have been posted. In fact, until 48 hours ago I had looked at one thread and not read any of the remaining ones. Nothing in these newer posts has really changed my initial perception. Namely, that this really is one illustrative aspect of the ugly Singaporean. Or males thinking and acting with something other than what's between their ears.
I am not in any way singling anyone out. As a matter of fact I have not even actively or passively noted who has posted any kind of pictures on the motorshow, whether good or bad, and I have no intention of doing so. And certainly there have been notable exceptions to what I am saying, so just because you have posted doesn't mean you necessarily are being referred to. Please do not take this as a direct attack at anyone in particular, and I urge other people who haven't posted to do the same, but for those who've posted (you know who you are) to do some serious self-examination.
A good majority of the photographs posted consist of nothing more than pretty girls smiling in front of the camera. Which just about sums up the vast majority of fashion and glamour work these days, but at least those shots have artistic quality to them. To be blunt, the vast majority of those I have seen posted do not.
To anyone who would protest, imagine those shots with your father in them. Or your brother. You probably wouldn't even shoot them let alone display them.
And some of the follow up has been, to my mind, embarrassing. It has come to my attention that some of these models have become really frightened of having their photographs taken. Previously it had been done in good faith, this good faith has been abused and thrown out the window.
Before anybody brings up the point that these models were paid to be there and had a legitimate expectation of being photographed, I must add that they had legitimate expectation of being photographed in their official capacity there, to be the accompaniment to the cars. As opposed to being the lineup in a beauty contest. And as opposed to being the sole photographic subjects in many cases.
Also they had legitimate expectations for the photographs not to be treated as they ultimately have been.
Now also to pre-empt something else. I am not old and traditional and stuffy. And if anything, I am in a country which is, by Singapore standards anyway, amazingly liberal. There was, and possibly still is at this very moment, a film on TV which I shudder to describe in a forum such as this, let alone show.
So why am I having a rant at some completely tame oogling? Because it's the spirit of the thing that worries me. It's so sad that the situation has got to this level. I'm not saying, if you want to oogle, go oogle at some real pornography, but we have to look at ourselves and our presence in this forum, and why we take pictures.
I was shooting a couple of girls on Sat evening, and yes they were as part of the arrangement prepared to take a good amount of their clothes off. I think, because of what I wanted to get out of the shoot and because of what worked photographically based on the surroundings and what we had to work with, I had one picture with a nipple showing. And even that was incidental, despite the model having been topless for a good hour at least. I can show you instead a good range of headshots, atmospheric shots, etc, which are excellent photographs of their own right and of which you would never know the model was topless had I not mentioned it.
Whereas in this motorshow I see girls shot for the sake of it, when really photographically there is not a huge amount redeeming about the images at all. A bit like a model scout would take pictures of potential models to refer to at a later date. Are we scouts, or are we photographers?
I note a big influx of photos from the Motorshow 2002. As I am not at the moment in Singapore, I have no idea about the size or nature of the event, but from the amount of photographs appearing that it must be a big event and a lengthy one at that.
I will be the first to admit I have not seen most of the photographs that have been posted. In fact, until 48 hours ago I had looked at one thread and not read any of the remaining ones. Nothing in these newer posts has really changed my initial perception. Namely, that this really is one illustrative aspect of the ugly Singaporean. Or males thinking and acting with something other than what's between their ears.
I am not in any way singling anyone out. As a matter of fact I have not even actively or passively noted who has posted any kind of pictures on the motorshow, whether good or bad, and I have no intention of doing so. And certainly there have been notable exceptions to what I am saying, so just because you have posted doesn't mean you necessarily are being referred to. Please do not take this as a direct attack at anyone in particular, and I urge other people who haven't posted to do the same, but for those who've posted (you know who you are) to do some serious self-examination.
A good majority of the photographs posted consist of nothing more than pretty girls smiling in front of the camera. Which just about sums up the vast majority of fashion and glamour work these days, but at least those shots have artistic quality to them. To be blunt, the vast majority of those I have seen posted do not.
To anyone who would protest, imagine those shots with your father in them. Or your brother. You probably wouldn't even shoot them let alone display them.
And some of the follow up has been, to my mind, embarrassing. It has come to my attention that some of these models have become really frightened of having their photographs taken. Previously it had been done in good faith, this good faith has been abused and thrown out the window.
Before anybody brings up the point that these models were paid to be there and had a legitimate expectation of being photographed, I must add that they had legitimate expectation of being photographed in their official capacity there, to be the accompaniment to the cars. As opposed to being the lineup in a beauty contest. And as opposed to being the sole photographic subjects in many cases.
Also they had legitimate expectations for the photographs not to be treated as they ultimately have been.
Now also to pre-empt something else. I am not old and traditional and stuffy. And if anything, I am in a country which is, by Singapore standards anyway, amazingly liberal. There was, and possibly still is at this very moment, a film on TV which I shudder to describe in a forum such as this, let alone show.
So why am I having a rant at some completely tame oogling? Because it's the spirit of the thing that worries me. It's so sad that the situation has got to this level. I'm not saying, if you want to oogle, go oogle at some real pornography, but we have to look at ourselves and our presence in this forum, and why we take pictures.
I was shooting a couple of girls on Sat evening, and yes they were as part of the arrangement prepared to take a good amount of their clothes off. I think, because of what I wanted to get out of the shoot and because of what worked photographically based on the surroundings and what we had to work with, I had one picture with a nipple showing. And even that was incidental, despite the model having been topless for a good hour at least. I can show you instead a good range of headshots, atmospheric shots, etc, which are excellent photographs of their own right and of which you would never know the model was topless had I not mentioned it.
Whereas in this motorshow I see girls shot for the sake of it, when really photographically there is not a huge amount redeeming about the images at all. A bit like a model scout would take pictures of potential models to refer to at a later date. Are we scouts, or are we photographers?
