Go by feeling, not technicality

[fWord]

what i meant in my earlier posts was...well..the people i meet keep talking about the price of items, the model numbers and what it can do..do you get what i mean?

Heheh...this is probably regular 'big boys' toys' talk. The same happens for computers and cars. So what if the latest V6XXXXTI Roller-Coaster Boogie Monster engine can go at 800 km/ hr? You'll probably be stuck at 50km/ hr even on an expressway, in most instances.

The photographer behind the camera is certainly the most important element, but some may dive deep into the technical stuff and rant on and on about equipment without even taking a single photograph. Equipment talk is sometimes about pushing equipment to the limits, and speaking about the 'what if' situation where a certain new feature can excel and produce good results where no other gadget has done before.

In the end, everyone has his/ her own strengths. Just as we need scientists to develop and research new technology and produce more capable cameras, we need those who are artistically inclined and have a creative eye to use these cameras to produce results for the public to see. Then again, just about everything in this world is an 'art' to a certain degree. Or, put another way, it is often said that some people get so good at their job that they've got it 'down to an art'.

 

[agentmonkey]

well..thanks guys..i'm heartened to read what's been posted..and i do feel somewhat enlightened at the same time..with points being brought up that i've never thought of before...

 

[Del_CtrlnoAlt]

din read most of the post being submitted.. but from 1st few post... my reaction is...

Does using a light meter or using the camera metering make me technical, or just blind shooting & using P mode makes me go by the feeling?

cos both goes hand in hand... with feel, not technicality, nothing... with technicality no feel = no art... same like artiste... u have to blend with the crowd will u be an artiste... same with artist... will u call a piece of art that is totally black an art? maybe someone might... not me... but its still artistic... not to me... but surely somebody... tats the perception of art... feel, not understood... and definitely not everybody will like it in the same way... i like mine just the way i like it... thanks... more sugar!

 

[eikin]

know your tools and skills and make them work for you. don't be slave to tools. whether one likes to pursue excellence in technique or depth in art that's quite up to individual.

 

[reachme2003]

this subject matter is too 'chim' for me. i will spare my grey matter for something more down-to-earth.

 

[forward]

this subject matter is too 'chim' for me. i will spare my grey matter for something more down-to-earth.

Mark Twain said:
"I can live for two months on a good compliment"

When you treat photography more as an Art form, then perhaps the technical part is not so important to you. However all forms of photography whether with a camera or not must be appreciated.

Once you can appreciate the creation then only can you try to understand the meaning behind it. To give names to photographs created with a "spy-toy like" camera called the "lomo camera" is unfair.
Learn to appreciate the unique construction of the Russian lens used in this type of camera.

------------------------------------------------------
Everyone must appreciate the skills, likes
and abilities of others. More often than not,
we became aware that people who are blindsided
by their own standpoints, ideas and goals can sometimes
alienate others without realizing it.

 

[agentmonkey]

this subject matter is too 'chim' for me. i will spare my grey matter for something more down-to-earth.

where got chim sial? maybe it's how some people talk la...use cheem english..but shouldn't talking about photography be more than just the equipment (which i mentioned earlier is what i encounter the most..some people have said it's the company i mix with..which might be true)..

might be strange to compare it to food but...it's like talking about your favourite laksa..damn shiok.. but why? it's more than just the dirt cheap price..it's the whole feel to it...you feel the kick from the chili...the firmness of the prawns..the way the laksa gravy oozes out of your taupok when you bite down on it... maybe even the way the sweat gleams off the pretty aunty smiling at you when she serves it to you

there's alot of passion in that..so much to talk about...rather that just..orh..the laksa nice ah..cos cheap lor...

it is possible for someone to appreciate photography without having to talk about equipment (to spare those like me who don't keep track of them unless needed) or even the technical jargon - now i'm not disregarding the importance of it..it is important yes...but even a person who has no knowledge in lighting can produce something great just by simply going by how the potential photo looks to him or her through the viewfinder (but of course, that's provided he or she meters properly)

 

[agentmonkey]

din read most of the post being submitted.. but from 1st few post... my reaction is...

Does using a light meter or using the camera metering make me technical, or just blind shooting & using P mode makes me go by the feeling?

cos both goes hand in hand... with feel, not technicality, nothing... with technicality no feel = no art... same like artiste... u have to blend with the crowd will u be an artiste... same with artist... will u call a piece of art that is totally black an art? maybe someone might... not me... but its still artistic... not to me... but surely somebody... tats the perception of art... feel, not understood... and definitely not everybody will like it in the same way... i like mine just the way i like it... thanks... more sugar!

i guess there's a fine line there la... with regards to the point and shoot thing...you know..it might be possible that a photographer is going by feelign there...when he does it intentionally to show for example...beauty in randomness..or something abstract like that...but as you said, not many people will appreciate something like that (unless it's done by someone famous la...but that's another topic altogether)

shooting a completely black photo and calling it art is nuts man...but there are people who buy that kind of thing..right? i'm not disregarding technicality altogether..there still needs to be as you said...some balance in it..since they both complement each other..but technicality just aids the photographer when he's shooting...

i mean..i could be a good in the technical aspects of it but i don't feel when i shoot..so what's the point... i just stand somewhere..point it and something..make sure it's frame properly (i.e..straight and stuff) and properly exposed..then shoot...i'll get a well exposed and frame shot..but what's the point if there's no meaning to it?

i hope this doesn't sound like a retort..cos it's not... just agreeing with you and adding some thoughts of my own

 

[benedium]

Hope i'm not repeating too much of what the others have said...
But, I feel that photography is a craft everybody can learn from a scientific or technical angle.

I agree that many of us, especially those with an earnest interest to learn the craft, are trying too hard to learn the craft and often forget that photography also allows us to express ourselves as artists.

It is all very personal of course and we all eventually experience every aspect of photography, art and science, to a certain degree.

I too hope not to just be a technical photographer but feel it is somewhat necessary to wade through the technical challenges of this medium before becoming the artist.

 

[agentmonkey]

Mark Twain said:
"I can live for two months on a good compliment"

When you treat photography more as an Art form, then perhaps the technical part is not so important to you. However all forms of photography whether with a camera or not must be appreciated.

Once you can appreciate the creation then only can you try to understand the meaning behind it. To give names to photographs created with a "spy-toy like" camera called the "lomo camera" is unfair.
Learn to appreciate the unique construction of the Russian lens used in this type of camera.

------------------------------------------------------
Everyone must appreciate the skills, likes
and abilities of others. More often than not,
we became aware that people who are blindsided
by their own standpoints, ideas and goals can sometimes
alienate others without realizing it.

well..that is true as well

 

[agentmonkey]

Hope i'm not repeating too much of what the others have said...
But, I feel that photography is a craft everybody can learn from a scientific or technical angle.

I agree that many of us, especially those with an earnest interest to learn the craft, are trying too hard to learn the craft and often forget that photography also allows us to express ourselves as artists.

It is all very personal of course and we all eventually experience every aspect of photography, art and science, to a certain degree.

I too hope not to just be a technical photographer but feel it is somewhat necessary to wade through the technical challenges of this medium before becoming the artist.

not at all man...afterall..it's about what you feel... the postings here have made me rethink how i'm approaching photography as a subject...there have been..i admit..aspects of it that i neglect..all these while i'm obsessed with the need to just go solely by feel..but as forward said..i should..amongst other things.. appreciate the machine that allows me to capture what i feel..something that i haven't been doing

ot abit..i do take care of my camera...

 

[Zplus]

Feel: I feel like taking a picture of a wide vista and printing it on a 2 storey wall.
Technical: 22 megapixels and a wide angle lens.

Feel: I feel like capturing the fleeting moments that a gymnast does a vault, no flash to capture all the great indoor ambient light.
Technical: f1.8 lens, high ISO and 8fps.

Feel: I feel like capturing some blurry pics with light streaks coz I think it looks cool.
Techinical: LOMO camera / Lens baby / Low shutter speed, narrow DOF and misfocus :bsmilie:

Feel: I feel like goin 200 kmh
Technical: Race track and a Porsche 911 at least:sweatsm:

Yeah, I wish I could do lots of things just by thought projections alone..... I hope you feel my thoughts too.... hahaha!!!
Just kidding w/ ya, agentmonkey!

 

[agentmonkey]

Feel: I feel like taking a picture of a wide vista and printing it on a 2 storey wall.
Technical: 22 megapixels and a wide angle lens.

Feel: I feel like capturing the fleeting moments that a gymnast does a vault, no flash to capture all the great indoor ambient light.
Technical: f1.8 lens, high ISO and 8fps.

Feel: I feel like capturing some blurry pics with light streaks coz I think it looks cool.
Techinical: LOMO camera / Lens baby / Low shutter speed, narrow DOF and misfocus :bsmilie:

Feel: I feel like goin 200 kmh
Technical: Race track and a Porsche 911 at least:sweatsm:

Yeah, I wish I could do lots of things just by thought projections alone..... I hope you feel my thoughts too.... hahaha!!!
Just kidding w/ ya, agentmonkey!

nice one man..no worries..i do have a sense of humour...

 

[LazerLordz]

What you cannot appreciate, does not make it trash.We do not want everyone sitting around and only bothering about the price of their lenses alone..try to move away from equipment contests and share more of your works.

 

[Ben1223]

Was reading the Sunday Times article, "Queue up for The Kiss - in Singapore" (pg 11) and this dude, Tay Kay Chin said something about wanting Singaporeans to appreciate photography as an art rather than a technical subject...

Didn't saw the article but I do agree with this.
I notice when folks see a very good picture the first thing they ask is "what camera did you use".
If I was the photographer I would be a little peeved if the viewer's only interest in my photo are the camera brand, lens and the shutter speed and f-stop settings.

Some types of photography are more suceptible to technical discussions (like macro shots). Tay Kay Chin's photos are the photojournalistic kind that show human interest. To reduce a photo (of say a child orphaned by the tsunami) to a mere discussion of camera settings is a bit insensitive.

 

[forward]

What you cannot appreciate, does not make it trash.We do not want everyone sitting around and only bothering about the price of their lenses alone..try to move away from equipment contests and share more of your works.

Well said, the lesson to learn here is to gain a greater respect and appreciation for all forms of photography including the equipment used by the photographer to make the images. This knowledge can help us become more focused on the contributions of fellow photographers, which has meant all of us to achieve more effective results for the community.

Here is one from my observation in life:

-----------------------------------------
Appreciating a photograph:
Look for the structural information
which will provide information to help
describe the image and objects there in.
Do not be directed only by your own level
of meanings template. Understand the
three levels you have to work on in relation
to the meaning of the image.