...just wandering around looking for pictures, hoping that something will pop up and announce itself, does not work...
...mountains make their own weather, so the forecast is at best tentative, if not completely misleading...
... there is the very human tendency to attribute one's success to smarts and planning rather than to luck.
So was this shot a matter of luck or planning?
« … (par hasard, direz-vous peut-être, mais souvenez-vous que dans les champs de l’observation le hasard ne favorise que les esprits préparés) … »
... Do you speak fluent French, Isaac, or is that merely copied and pasted?
Did you read the book? Probably best not to judge from a few quotes :-)
Would those add to any of the projects you are working on?
Did you read the book? Probably best not to judge from a few quotes :-)
Would those add to any of the projects you are working on?
Really? Do you speak fluent French, Jeremy, or is "fortune favours the prepared mind" merely copied and pasted :(
Please favour us with your translation of Pasteur's words.
Why? I've quoted the part which seemed to me to be relevant, as it has passed into common English usage.
The rest is padding: a concession that something might have occurred by chance and an injunction to remember that, as I quoted, fortune favours the prepared mind. The phrase is a translation of the sense, if perhaps not exactly the words; but that's what translation is for.
Jeremy
Moreover
"… photography is only a tool, a vehicle, for expressing or transmitting a passion in something else. It is not the end result."
the book :-)
Yes and no.
I research when I can, especially if it involves sunrise/sunset/moonrise or a particular city's viewpoints. Other times, when I do not have the luxury to plan, I do the above.
It starts with me being disappointed with the city or place not "announcing itself," which then turns into being disgusted with myself for being such a lousy photographer, unable to find something that "pops up." And then I start shooting, slowly, and things start popping up, announcing themselves, one by one, here and there, mediocre, lousy, acceptable. I keep shooting, every time getting a bit more of a feeling for the place and what it says to me. And every now and then, that results in some above-average, or even great images. A progress from "looking for pictures in general" to knowing "what you are looking for."
Either way, I keep shooting.
The hard question -- What does that have to do with being a photographer?
Is anyone who takes a photo a photographer?
... I'm not a photographer in a way that it's not what I do for living, not my job, I just do photos some times, same way I may wash my car but I'm not a car washer nor a cooker just because I cook sometimes.
Moreover
"… photography is only a tool, a vehicle, for expressing or transmitting a passion in something else. It is not the end result."
I have never deluded myself into thinking I am a photographer :-)
The title of this thread is "the best photographers are adept at getting luck on their side".
If you're just interested in posting your photos for others to look at then your audience can be found in the Landscape & Nature Photography (http://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?board=1.0) forum.
If you're interested in hearing what others think of your photos then post in the User Critiques (http://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?board=26.0) forum.
Exactly! Just like Isaac's musings about photography don't make him a photographer, although the rumor has it that he might, on occasion, even press the shutter... well, sometimes, at least ;)
P.S. Welcome to the forum, Jose! Very nice photographs in this and the other thread for someone who is too modest to call himself a photographer
Are you planning to answer - In what way has looking at Matt Stuart's photographs improved your photography (http://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=108570.msg895155#msg895155)? What do you do differently now that you've looked at his photos?- or are you just going to carry on taking pot shots?
...it's not easy to be a newbie on a forum like LuLa...
Neither have we ;)
Good for what? Recording we were there?
Trouble is, the title of this thread attempts to provoke a response that inevitably splits into at least two camps.
For a start, I wouldn't pay much attention to anybody who is a photography teacher, regardless of how brilliant they may have been thought to have been in their youth. If you're that bloody good, then you work at the job until you retire or are retired. Period. Teaching is for when you can get nothing better to do.
Trouble is, the title of this thread attempts to provoke a response that inevitably splits into at least two camps.
if that's all you manage, maybe. Some us like to think we sometimes do better than that.
Better for what?
No, the title of this thread invites the question -- How can I do that?
If you're that bloody good they keep showing your old work (http://www.loeildelaphotographie.com/2015/11/24/article/159879607/the-1960s-by-david-hurn-a-book-and-an-exhibition/) and when you retire from teaching they publish your new photographs (http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&ALID=29YL535HOGRN).
A beautiful piece of imagery that people enjoy looking at is not the only possible purpose of landscape photography.
Which people?
- Just the photographer?
- Family and friends?
- Habitués of some particular on-line forum?
- The public attracted to a local exhibition of photographs?
- The jury of a national photography contest?
- People all over the world, as potential buyers of a self-published book?
- etc etc
Why create mental chains for yourself, unless, of course, there is a specific thing you want/have to seek out, when it becomes an entirely different conversation.
Rob,
The topic of conversation of this thread.
For a start, I wouldn't pay much attention to anybody who is a photography teacher, regardless of how brilliant they may have been thought to have been in their youth. If you're that bloody good, then you work at the job until you retire or are retired. Period. Teaching is for when you can get nothing better to do.
As for "projects," I do not work on projects.
I sort of used to believe that, a long time ago -- met a lot of writing teachers who couldn't seem to sell anything -- but then I met some teachers not involved in "art," and some of them took their teaching jobs with great seriousness: it was what they were all about. I think there are some people who become teachers because they have a certain technical expertise which isn't panning out for them, in terms of money; but there are others for whom teaching really is important, especially in fields where actual or supposed facts are involved, as in most hard science. Those people seem to have a drive to pass on the subject matter of their field to a newer generation so that more advances can be made, and *their* work can be carried on by quality people. So, I no longer make a priori judgments. I need to look at the teacher before I decide.
Edit: This sounds like some form of liberal do-gooder bullshit but really isn't.
There seems to be a serious problem with this thread.
...Son of Hal...
Jose, I think your photos help illustrate that perfectly good photos emerge from purely serendipitous, unplanned encounters with landscapes. So ignore Isaac.
There seems to be a serious problem with this thread. Isaac has re visited his posts and deleted his content and replaced it with a !. This means that the thread has lost a lot of it's meaning...
There seems to be a serious problem with this thread. Isaac has re visited his posts and deleted his content and replaced it with a !. This means that the thread has lost a lot of it's meaning. If other members do the same then what is the point in posting a reply to someone? Quoting is one answer but the original post should still be there for all to see? :oIsaac protested my refusal to split the topic and my moving of the thread to the Coffee Corner. This may have been his response.
Do I read this correctly? Isaac's posts add a lot of meaning to a thread!? ;)
Isaac protested my refusal to split the topic and my moving of the thread to the Coffee Corner. This may have been his response.
Chris
Rob,
Please don't use a response to me as an excuse to attack others - doing so serves only to demean yourself.
I used to have a forum for angling and part of the forum software was the ability to prevent posters altering their posts after someone had replied. Does this site have the ability to do the same? I think the implementation would be worthwhile?
As long as it doesn't pevent one altering spelling/typo mistakes!
;-.)
Rob
Teaching is for when you can get nothing better to do.
The above is simply what I believe; I'm sure the vast majority of people will disagree, and that's perfectly okay with me.
You had posted a remark:...(Reply No. 58) to which I responded, as best and as honestly as I could (Reply No. 59)...
That surprises me; I've just reread the entire thread, and it appears to be about whether or not Son of Hal can dig himself a deeper hole than the last one.
Perhaps you read it on Mac, whereas I have to make do with Windows.
The responses to his posts add meaning...
The majority of people disagree because it is a truly cosmically stupid and ignorant statement. Tell it to Saint Ansel whose workshops inspired hundreds of photographers over many years (yours truly among them).
The fact is that in any field of art, supporting yourself solely by selling your work or talent is very rare and difficult, and depends as much on luck, contacts, and self-promotion as it does on the quality of your work. I mean, look at the dreck being sold for large amounts in some galleries in NY and elsewhere, or the many photographers making a living with "calendar and greeting card" crap.
Many highly talented artists teach because they love working with students. It can also be a way to pay the bills to allow you to pursue your passion.
It's unfortunate that you did not have better teachers.
Isaac protested my refusal to split the topic and my moving of the thread to the Coffee Corner.
Hardest job I've ever had.
Rob,
Is that the best you can do?
Sometimes, deleting one's thread is the only way of getting out of notifications for a thread that ran its course and turned into something one doesn't want to follow anymore.
I'm not sure that's true, Slobodan. Notifications by email contain an "unsubscribe" link.
Rob,
Do you honestly consider that referring to Isaac as Son of Hal does anything other than demean you?
Do you honestly consider that a computer operating system affects how thread comments on the Luminous Landscape website are interpreted by those who view them?
Is that the best you can do?
The majority of people disagree because it is a truly cosmically stupid and ignorant statement. Tell it to Saint Ansel whose workshops inspired hundreds of photographers over many years (yours truly among them).
The fact is that in any field of art, supporting yourself solely by selling your work or talent is very rare and difficult, and depends as much on luck, contacts, and self-promotion as it does on the quality of your work. I mean, look at the dreck being sold for large amounts in some galleries in NY and elsewhere, or the many photographers making a living with "calendar and greeting card" crap.
Many highly talented artists teach because they love working with students. It can also be a way to pay the bills to allow you to pursue your passion.
It's unfortunate that you did not have better teachers.
"Teaching is for when you can get nothing better to do."
It's an aphorism among teachers that the teacher learns as much as the student.
Certainly true in my case. Hardest job I've ever had.
Rob B, realy?? Does everything here have to dissolve into nothingness with a pissing match and dick measuring excersize?
There are no prizes in this disscourse that you think is a "fight." MR has forever and a day said that the forum must be treated as if likeminded people are sitting in someone's kitchen discussing an issue. If you and Isaac were seated around this make believe kitchen table with other people in the discussion, the odds that you will eventualy end arguing with each other is rather good. The odds that everyone will leave is also high up in the probable rankings as there is realy more important things to dissect/ analyze/ ponder about than the honest response and thoughts from a man like Rob C who has been there, done that and has forgotten what perhaps some posters on this forum still hope to learn before they die.
There are no prizes in this disscourse that you think is a "fight."
Ah, now I place you: we crossed claymores once before...
...tartan literalist...
Who thehellhal is the Son of Hal? ???
Certainly true in my case. Hardest job I've ever had.
I am sure, Jeremy.
Notifications by email is a separate function, for which you have to first subscribe. I am talking about two more usual and by default menu choices one has when visiting forums:
1. Show unread posts since your last visit
2. Show new replies to your posts
I was referring to #2. The only way to get out of a thread showing in #2 is to delete your post(s).
... I assumed "notification" meant a notification, rather than just showing up in a list...
MR has forever and a day said that the forum must be treated as if likeminded people are sitting in someone's kitchen discussing an issue. If you and Isaac were seated around this make believe kitchen table with other people in the discussion, the odds that you will eventualy end arguing with each other is rather good.
... Without sneering, without mockery, without quarreling.
Does everything here have to dissolve into nothingness with a pissing match and dick measuring excersize?
... Without sneering, without mockery, without quarreling.Booooring!
Here's your answer --Quote...dick measuring exercise...QuoteBooooring!
The Coffee Corner Soap is a better source of comedic content and entertainment than the entirety of British television programing.
An evening simply wouldn't be complete without watching an episode or two.