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Author Topic: Has LuLa passed its prime?  (Read 12547 times)

Rob C

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #20 on: September 25, 2017, 03:49:24 am »

Already been there and I can tell you that dating super models is truly over rated. ;D

Well, going by the picture, your smile epitomizes the cat that's just had the dish of ceam or, at the very least, has the keys to the dairy! I wish I had somebody like that to work with for a few days - or longer.

The risks would be worth it, and I might end up with a better portfolio than I have ended up with...

;-)

Rob

Rob C

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #21 on: September 25, 2017, 04:28:11 am »

Lula has always been my main source for printing info. I owe Michael and Jeff  for their wonderful camera to print videos.

The art info here- not so much. There are other sources that are more relevant for that conversation.


And there the rub.

Tech goes so far, but doesn't feed the hungry soul.

For myself, I have all the tech I need today - precious little - and my interest in photography is 100% the images. Yesterday I did something I'd never done before: I joined a picture website (free) that I had wanted to join for some time, but had refused so to do because of its insistence on asking my age on the application chit. Finally, I did inject a number, but told a huge fib! I expect that means I'll be offered all sorts of age-specific advertising material I don't need, but hey, the access to pictures has already proved amazing!

Of course, the pictures I now see on the new (to me) site are not by the membership of said site, but are the work of many stars of the photographic firmament. Suits me perfectly.

And that's where LuLa falls down: perhaps not the fault of the ownership at all, but of some of the members who have done anything but encourage some of the really good professionals who once were prolific posters here. What became of some of the architectural shooters, of the car maestro and of our long tall Texan himself? I used to love seeing their work on the monitor, but instead, we have actually drifted into having a dedicated thread for bloody cats! I never believed it could happen here.

In the end, I think a site for photography depends on the photographs. It's what drew most of us into photography, and when that fails to be on offer, interest withers. That was one of our late founder's gifts: he was not only very good at landscape, not everybody's cuppa, but no mean hand at reportage, either; he had a wonderful visual eye now absent. It's silly (and pointless) to blame anyone else for not being Michael, but in any final analysis, the departure of one CEO leads to inevitable change, which is what every organization both fears and uses - depending on its circumstances.

Having said all of which, it's just one opinion that finds itself aligned with a couple more that gave rise to this particular, and awkward, thread. One has to realise that the world is not filled with a zillion kindred spirits, and the new direction may well suit more punters than it alienates. It all comes down to the same common factor facing all business: the bottom line has to rule unless we are talking about a labour-of-love venture. For that to work, one needs freedom from having to earn a living. I only have it now, late in retirement and with a lot of unpleasant truths accepted, large amongst them the voice and a single proclamation of a certain Andy Warhol.

Rob

Alan Goldhammer

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #22 on: September 25, 2017, 06:54:53 am »

Any website that has been around as long as LuLa is bound to change.  that change can be good, bad or indifferent and is largely in the eyes of the beholder.  We have seen a change in emphasis towards printing with very nice product reviews of both printers and papers.  The camera reviews tend to be more scattered in terms of the various brands that are covered as noted by some other posts in this thread.  I tend to get more information out of the specific topic threads on cameras elsewhere on this site (we have seen some nice images from the new Nikon D850 from those that have received the camera).  The technical sections on color management, digital manipulation, and printing still are quite good and we need to remember that these are largely a result of those that participate in those sections.  The 'Camera to Print' and 'Lightroom' videos were excellent in their time and still quite valuable even though there are some technology advancements. 

From my perspective LuLa is still a valuable resource.
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uaiomex

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #23 on: September 25, 2017, 12:32:40 pm »

For me an A9 or D850 are no less exciting than the MF backs of a decade ago.
However, I miss the depth of involvement and the intensity that Lula reached with that epic MF comparison when the P45 just came out. I think that moment was LuLa's pinnacle.

The new stuff from Hasselblad and Fuji were also electrifying when they were announced (still are).
The only difference is that now the prices make sense and in the case of Sony and Nikon, an everyday photographer can now own cameras that were only jaw-dropping sci-fi a decade ago. Canon became a character from a Disney movie.

Lula should again do these superb comparisons of yore with today's new gear. I find myself more time these days at DPR and FM because of this. Perhaps comparisons between MF and FF are taboo here. Hopefully not.

Still rocking!
Best



I agree that the industry has matured and new pieces of equipment are less exciting than they were a few years ago. But I still find LuLa and the Forum to be an excellent resource.
Almost everything I know about digital photography I learned from regulars on LuLa, including Michel, Chris, Kevin, Jeff Schewe, Andrew Rodney, and Eric Chan. I have not found any other website or forum that is as generous and informative as LuLa. I, too, miss those early videos, but there is lots of good, thoughtful material right now that no other website can match.

Thank you all who have made this possible!

Eric
« Last Edit: September 25, 2017, 12:57:22 pm by uaiomex »
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Rob C

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #24 on: September 25, 2017, 02:23:07 pm »

I note that the main interest/complaint expressed so far is largely gear-oriented, in the sense that folks want even more gear material to appear - which is fine, but also serves to drive a deeper wedge between those with GAS and those simply wishing to find a zone wherein they can communicate/comment about the other part of photography, i.e. the part that deals with pictures.

FWIW, that isn't to be found within the critique department. It exists, mildly, in the area devoted to "style" as well as the other one loosely labeled "is it art". Apart from those two tiny bits, LuLa remains a desert for serious discussion about photographers or genre. Maybe one is simply expecting too much from an eclectic, but fairly mildly committed group of people (or even photographers) such as we here appear to be.

Seems the most vibrant section of LuLa is the one mired in US politics. Unfortunately for me, that's not why I tune in.

Rob

TommyWeir

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #25 on: September 25, 2017, 02:32:46 pm »

The site may have changed or evolved but so perhaps has the membership. I think the mix here is pretty good to be frank.

Looking at other spots, people might be aware of already, or check out if not,On Landscape, a site which also has a members only reader area, it does cost considerably more.   A similar mix of aesthetic, technical, scientific and cultural concerns at play.   One thing it does really well, which I'd like more of here, is detailed photographer interview/profiles with associated galleries of images.

It doesn't have the sense of a shared community of interest which LuLa does possess, even if there's areas of this Forum which I would avoid, topics that go beyond photography.   If there was more posts covering individual photographers and genres perhaps there would be more wide-ranging discussion on the forum.

Here, I do value the detailed printer/paper reviews, the video content, and the supportive answers to my queries on the forum.   I've not been steered wrong there, very useful good advice generally.

Rob C

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #26 on: September 25, 2017, 04:33:26 pm »

The site may have changed or evolved but so perhaps has the membership. I think the mix here is pretty good to be frank.

Looking at other spots, people might be aware of already, or check out if not,On Landscape, a site which also has a members only reader area, it does cost considerably more.   A similar mix of aesthetic, technical, scientific and cultural concerns at play.   One thing it does really well, which I'd like more of here, is detailed photographer interview/profiles with associated galleries of images.

It doesn't have the sense of a shared community of interest which LuLa does possess, even if there's areas of this Forum which I would avoid, topics that go beyond photography.  If there was more posts covering individual photographers and genres perhaps there would be more wide-ranging discussion on the forum.

Here, I do value the detailed printer/paper reviews, the video content, and the supportive answers to my queries on the forum.   I've not been steered wrong there, very useful good advice generally.

You've echoed what I've been writing for years: it's people that are interesting - gear is inanimate.

Rob

David Eckels

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #27 on: September 25, 2017, 05:27:53 pm »

it's people that are interesting
+1, like, ;)

mbaginy

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #28 on: September 25, 2017, 07:54:17 pm »

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ned

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #29 on: September 26, 2017, 11:02:06 am »

With no disrespect to the people who work hard to make this site the best it can be, for me things turned when it went to a pay for content site. Lots of other places to fill my photographic curiosity for free. Difficult business model.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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pearlstreet

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #30 on: September 26, 2017, 11:20:01 am »

With no disrespect to the people who work hard to make this site the best it can be, for me things turned when it went to a pay for content site. Lots of other places to fill my photographic curiosity for free. Difficult business model.


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I totally disagree with this.  Who wants to work for free???  I think a dollar a month is a ridiculously low amount to pay.
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David Eckels

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #31 on: September 26, 2017, 11:30:30 am »

I totally disagree with this.  Who wants to work for free???  I think a dollar a month is a ridiculously low amount to pay.
+1, like

Otto Phocus

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #32 on: September 26, 2017, 11:42:32 am »

With no disrespect to the people who work hard to make this site the best it can be, for me things turned when it went to a pay for content site. Lots of other places to fill my photographic curiosity for free. Difficult business model.


I can understand their business model.  Advertisers are learning that popup ads are not as good a risk as before. But I also understand that going to a pay schema is a significant reduction of the perceived ROI of the customer.

LuLa may be good, but it is that much better than a combination of other sites that are still offering ad sponsored content?

If yes, than paying LuLa is worth it.  If not, then it isn't.

The tough decision of the website owners is:  can they reliably get more or as much money from subscriptions to offset the drop in advertisement investment?  And that's not an easy decision to make.
Personally, I think the owners of this site are handling it pretty well.

Most of the content is still openly accessible but some content is not.  A delicate balancing act indeed.

I think as more and more advertisement investments wains, we will see more and more sites faced with the same issues.  Each will handle it differently and some may succeed and others fail. Such is business.
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amolitor

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #33 on: September 26, 2017, 11:43:58 am »

I didn't sign up to pay, because the content didn't work for me. Then Kevin challenged me to jolly well write content that I would read, and here we are.

Not saying this is necessarily the solution for everyone, but you know, Kevin doesn't keep his contact info a secret and he's an extremely affable dude.
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pearlstreet

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #34 on: September 26, 2017, 12:22:40 pm »

I didn't sign up to pay, because the content didn't work for me. Then Kevin challenged me to jolly well write content that I would read, and here we are.

Not saying this is necessarily the solution for everyone, but you know, Kevin doesn't keep his contact info a secret and he's an extremely affable dude.

So you are paying to read the content you write?  That is too funny.
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digitaldog

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #35 on: September 26, 2017, 12:35:03 pm »

So you are paying to read the content you write?  That is too funny.
I ate at an amazing new restaurant the other day. Speaking to the chef, he told me "I like to cook what I like to eat".
Made total sense to me and it worked too!
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Rob C

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #36 on: September 26, 2017, 05:23:00 pm »

So you are paying to read the content you write?  That is too funny.

Sharon, just as you thought you knew all about the male psyche...

;-)

Rob

amolitor

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #37 on: September 26, 2017, 06:06:36 pm »

Kevin has, thus far, extended me an author's courtesy membership. Although perhaps now he will re-check  his books, and remember to invoice me ;)
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pearlstreet

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #38 on: September 26, 2017, 07:19:33 pm »

 ;D
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HSakols

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Re: Has LuLa passed its prime?
« Reply #39 on: September 27, 2017, 09:52:23 am »

Thanks to Kevin and his crew for keeping LuLA going. I've been looking at this site since 2000.  Over the years I have realized that photography is more than just owning gear. Now we are flooded with zillions of images, yet the playing field is more accessible than it ever was.  Just about anyone can pick up a used Nikon D800 and have unlimited photographic potential.  Yet the problem is photography is also an art.  I personally take many of my photographs with a friend who still uses his Nikon D300 and who refuses to address color management.  Still his prints always look more creative than mine - he is more of the artist even thought I have better gear.  As time goes on, I'm more humbled by good photography.  I think the most exciting time for me was making the trasition to digital!  It will be hard to beat that for a number of years! 

I'm sorry to say that my cat passed away about 3 weeks ago.  I'm still devistated - she was my lightroom assistant.
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