So, I'm standing on a street corner in the middle of San Francisco's Chinatown waiting for the cross-walk signal to change when this stereotypical tourist in cut off shorts and his "Freedom Isn't Free" patriotic t-shirt walks up next to me. Around his neck hangs what appears to be a new digital camera with an extremely large and unwieldy zoom lens. He looks at me and a conversation began.
I think in his mind the conversation went more along the lines of:
Him: "Look at my awesome camera. It's so expensive. You envy me dont you? Yeah, I know you do. Yeah come on, bask in the greatness of my camera. My lens is so powerful I can see the international space station from right here. Wait, I'll show you."
To me it went more along the lines of: "Hey, please look at my camera. I had to mortgage my house to buy this camera. Here take a look at it. Wait, where are you going? Please come back! Please......I have no friends... Dont you leave me too... My wife already left me for my brother! Don't go!"
Yeah, it's annoying. I hate people like this. I just wish I could be there when they are scratching their head wondering why the $6,000 camera they bought doesn't take photos like they see in national geographic.
Just as annoying are those people who think that with enough photoshop their photos are going to be as good as Ansel Adams and his landscape photography. "If I make enough changes to this photo...."
The goal isn't to try to salvage your images by photoshopping them to death--no, it's about taking good photos in the first place. I'm not saying that you shouldnt photoshop your photos at all, that would be quite stupid. All I'm saying is that like all other forms of art, photography requires a solid foundation upon which to build upon. If you don't know the do's and dont's of composition, the differences between over and under exposure, how to use light and shadow, etc then the chances of you ever having a photograph that "works" or that others are drawn to is slim.
Technology doesn't necessarily make us smarter, nor does it necessarily make us better at doing things. In general, it can and does have the power to help us achieve our vision and goals, but to what cost? Photographers such as famous landscape artist Ansel Adams created amazing photographs that have inspired thousands of people across the globe, and he didnt need the assistance of modern micro-electronics and computer calculations to do so. He used a combination of his eyes, heart, mind and a little technological know-how to create his works of art.
My .02 Cents.
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Have you ever read "On Photography" by Susan Sontag? If not, let me know. I have an excerpt from it that I think you would like.
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