Photography Thread

[soliloquy]

Not sure why this thread is so inactive.
Selfie:

picture sharing img

Edit: damn Sony a7riii files for being massive....will try in a bit

 

[Riff the Road Dog]

Not sure why this thread is so inactive.

Because photographers generally have their own websites and many other photo-oriented social media sites where they post their work? Just a guess.

 

[soliloquy]

Because photographers generally have their own websites and many other photo-oriented social media sites where they post their work? Just a guess.

Yeah possibly. Though I don't see why that can't be here.

I keep seeing people recommending twitter or Reddit; but I find them too limiting. Unless someone is following you, or following the same subject you're posting in, people won't really see your work.

Here, on the other hand, we have multiple interests, and it still forces is to stop and reflect on what others are posting.



I'm excited to be working with another friend of mine. We both want to tackle our own mental health through photography. Will be working with her for the next few weeks. Curious as to what we come up with.

@Riff the Road Dog what are you working on these days?

 

[Riff the Road Dog]

Yeah possibly. Though I don't see why that can't be here.

I keep seeing people recommending twitter or Reddit; but I find them too limiting. Unless someone is following you, or following the same subject you're posting in, people won't really see your work.

Here, on the other hand, we have multiple interests, and it still forces is to stop and reflect on what others are posting.



I'm excited to be working with another friend of mine. We both want to tackle our own mental health through photography. Will be working with her for the next few weeks. Curious as to what we come up with.

@Riff the Road Dog what are you working on these days?

Www.geoffreyschmidphotography.com

Same things I have always been working on, I guess.

 

[soliloquy]

Www.geoffreyschmidphotography.com

Same things I have always been working on, I guess

Mighty fine work there!
What challenges have you come across with landscape? And what corners have you explored for landscape?

Ever got the chance to explore places like Iceland or Faroe Islands, by any chance?

 

[Riff the Road Dog]

Thanks for the kind words. I gravitate to places that strike me as "alien landscapes on earth" as time and $ permits. Iceland in particular is on my list. I've also spent a lot of time in Asia and have ongoing projects there. I am blessed with living in the beautiful Pacific NW most of my life so hiking, mountaineering and exploring my own backyard has been conducive to photography.

Landscape photography is a passion. It's also therapy and a lot of other things. The challenges are being able to spend the crazy amount of time and resources needed to do anything original without being independently wealthy.

I used to be able to make enough income to cover my costs by selling prints at art shows and gift shops, sell licenses for commercial use, magazine publications, etc. and win some awards with money prizes. Those days are long gone, I'm afraid, but I still do all those things in some measure.

Nowadays I pursue photography because I enjoy it and I like to get recognition from photographers I looked up to in my formative years and am now considered somewhat of a peer of (by them - not me!). I don't do it for $, likes or recognition by the masses. I'm not on IG or social media in general outside of a few photo sharing sites like flickr.

And, I've played and built guitars for many years so I'm on a couple of websites like this, too, but don't usually discuss my photography career on them.

 

[soliloquy]

Thanks for the kind words. I gravitate to places that strike me as "alien landscapes on earth" as time and $ permits. Iceland in particular is on my list. I've also spent a lot of time in Asia and have ongoing projects there. I am blessed with living in the beautiful Pacific NW most of my life so hiking, mountaineering and exploring my own backyard has been conducive to photography.

Landscape photography is a passion. It's also therapy and a lot of other things. The challenges are being able to spend the crazy amount of time and resources needed to do anything original without being independently wealthy.

I used to be able to make enough income to cover my costs by selling prints at art shows and gift shops, sell licenses for commercial use, magazine publications, etc. and win some awards with money prizes. Those days are long gone, I'm afraid, but I still do all those things in some measure.

Nowadays I pursue photography because I enjoy it and I like to get recognition from photographers I looked up to in my formative years and am now considered somewhat of a peer of (by them - not me!). I don't do it for $, likes or recognition by the masses. I'm not on IG or social media in general outside of a few photo sharing sites like flickr.

And, I've played and built guitars for many years so I'm on a couple of websites like this, too, but don't usually discuss my photography career on them.

man, doing things for money is such a painful experience as an artist. Getting paid for my work, though the financial gain was great, i quickly realized that it was creatively very limiting. I couldn't photograph what I wanted, or use the lighting and techniques I liked. But rather what the clients want. Sure, there is some creativity in it, but if a client is looking for harsh contrasts and moody pics, and dont have the best of skin (as an example), then it may not be the most flattering of images for them. Maybe something light and airy would be more beneficial.

But i'm getting paid...so....

I quit insta for that very reason. I know i'm a better photographer than what I get credit for. I dont need other peoples validations. And I also dont want to do what is 'popular' right now either.

for me, since i'm a portrait person, its finding like minded people. Sure, having a boring image for linkdin is nice to have...but its just an imagine. Nothing about their personality, or quirks or anything. I rather challenge myself and the viewers.

 

[Riff the Road Dog]

man, doing things for money is such a painful experience as an artist. Getting paid for my work, though the financial gain was great, i quickly realized that it was creatively very limiting. I couldn't photograph what I wanted, or use the lighting and techniques I liked.

I learned a long time ago that, for me, the best way to kill my passion for something is to try to make money from it. If I wanted to make a living with photography nowadays I certainly wouldn't be doing landscape. I'd be a wedding photographer or running workshops, and that's pretty far from my what I like about capturing an image.

That said, I have a need to justify my spending on gear, travel, etc. I'm working with some fairly dated stuff but for now it's doing what I want. Eventually though I will want to upgrade something and that will require that I upgrade everything else to support it. So it's nice to be able to cover your costs. It's just not very viable anymore when the creative product has become devalued to such an extent.

Recently it seems everbody is trying to make a buck off the photographer, not the photography.

 

[soliloquy]

I learned a long time ago that, for me, the best way to kill my passion for something is to try to make money from it. If I wanted to make a living with photography nowadays I certainly wouldn't be doing landscape. I'd be a wedding photographer or running workshops, and that's pretty far from my what I like about capturing an image.

That said, I have a need to justify my spending on gear, travel, etc. I'm working with some fairly dated stuff but for now it's doing what I want. Eventually though I will want to upgrade something and that will require that I upgrade everything else to support it. So it's nice to be able to cover your costs. It's just not very viable anymore when the creative product has become devalued to such an extent.

Recently it seems everbody is trying to make a buck off the photographer, not the photography.

sure is exhausting, huh?
even this sentiment that 'if you're good at something, never do it for free'.

but if i'm doing it for my own internal peace, i'll do it as freely as I want. they can all suck an egg, for all I care.

 

[Riff the Road Dog]

sure is exhausting, huh?
even this sentiment that 'if you're good at something, never do it for free'.

but if i'm doing it for my own internal peace, i'll do it as freely as I want. they can all suck an egg, for all I care.

It's a good mantra in the right context though.
Like, do not give up the rights to your photograph for free to companies or entities who would have to pay for it otherwise. Do it because you love it, no compromise., but protect its value at all costs and don't give it away for nothing.

The internet is so oversaturated with images. Everybody has at least a couple good ones. Companies that used to pay a fair price for usage now find it more cost effective to pay a full time employee to scour the web to find images and offer "recognition" as payment. Because of all the "pro" photographers who give up their work for free only a select few clients, like Nat Geo, actually pay decently anymore.

Then there are all the photo contests where the fineprint reveals that entry requires relinquishing all rights, ownership, for any use, in perpituity. And then there are the "penny stock" agencies. That ad agency just found a clever new way to get copy for free! These are usually very profitable companies that could afford to, and in the past did, pay photographers for their work. Now the photographer finds they can never sell their very own photograph ever again in that industry.

Used to be that calling yourself a professional meant you earned your sole income doing it.
Rant over for now, I guess. I have it better than many so I shouldn't complain. But, I'll say it again. f you want to be a pro nowadays and you are not rich by some other avenue, unless you are the rare exception you are better off getting good at dealing with Bridezilla!

 

[soliloquy]

Ain't that the truth.

I did weddings for about 2 years. Great income, not going to lie. BUT after my 4th or 5th wedding, my couples started wanting the same shots at the same locations, wearing the same things.

And it's great that that one look of theirs becomes my 'signature', what with how they all dress the same and same locations.

It becomes redundant.


And right on regarding contests, and or corporations getting it for free. What I meant though is if I want to photograph something, even if it makes me to money, I should be free to do so. I don't have to create art with the sole purpose of selling it

 

[kamello]

kinda necrobumping but I loved to lurk around this thread.

So, I wanted to get into photography for ages but every time I saved enough some unexpected expense appeared or I ended up getting guitar gear instead. Early on this year my gf told me that she wanted to travel through the south of our country to visit her family that lives in a small fishing town and take some long vacations, since we haven't been able to do so for atleast 3 or 4 years. I thought it would be a perfect chance to just disconnect from everything, get a nice camera, and use the time off to learn everything I could. Got a Lumix GX85 and spent a full month away from home​

looking back there are tons of aspects I would try to improve from these photos, but that experience already got me hooked in this hobby. There is something in the satisfaction of taking a nice picture and then developing it in Lightroom akin to having a small riff and then fully developing it in a DAW

 

[LunatiqueRob]

Since this is a guitar forum, might as well post some guitar photography.

 

[kamello]

the close up shots on the bridges look incredible

 

[LunatiqueRob]

Took one of my photography students to a local park to shoot some landscapes. I used the Olympus E-M1 Mark II and the 12-40 f/2.8 Pro

 

[ThePhilosopher]

My new camera arrived yesterday, Chamonix 45F-2. I cannot wait to shoot it - it's so tiny compared to my Sinar.

 

[ThePhilosopher]

I got to take the Chamonix out for it's inaugural test run. I'll need to pay more attention when focusing - I thought I had nailed the tilt on the second shot. Sloppy film handling has a number of scratches and dust bunnies. Though, I now want to replace my V500 with a V850 more than ever.

 

[soliloquy]

“Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.” - the Cree

Let's try something different. I find inspiration in various different things in life. This quote above I came across several years ago, which was reintroduced to me via Aurora's song. I wanted to capture this via a photograph, yet I don't really do landscapes much. This portrait is the result of being inspired by quotes/songs.

 

[LunatiqueRob]

I do a lot of real estate photography, but I don't think I ever posted any here.