The Changing Landscape

[Martin Kristiansen]

I liked the article Josh wrote by way of introduction. It was enjoyable to read. I hope things work out for LuLa. Despite contributing fairly regularly on the forums I have felt the site doesn’t have much relevance for me. I visit mostly out of loyalty, habit and hope. Perhaps a change would suit me better.

I like the idea of a meditator and Buddhist running the site. Let’s see if that has any kind of impact.

[Al DaValle]

Congratulations Josh.  I am rooting for your success as Lula is one of a very few photography sites I go to almost everyday.

I'd like to wish Chris a heartfelt thank you and goodbye.  Your contribution to the success of Lula has been huge and much appreciated.  I'm not sure you recall meeting each other, but I certainly enjoyed getting to know a bit more in person while we were in Algonquin.  All the best to you and your family.

Kevin, I have enjoyed getting to know you and greatly appreciate all your talent and hard work in helping Lula move forward after Michaels passing.  He left big shoes to fill and you did a wonderful job.  I especially appreciate your willingness to really take time to listen to your readers feedback.  I wish you and Debra all the best!

Input for Josh....I don't participate much in the forum but I visit the site just about everyday.  Here is some unsolicited input for you as you set your course for the future.  Obviously....these are simply one reader's inputs.

1.  I would appreciate more high quality videos like the old LLVJ's.
2.  I also always enjoy the long format video interviews of legends of the art form.
3.  I would prefer less focus on gear (especially silly little trinkets) and more time spent on the art of photography and the lives of photographers. 
4.  But.....don't get me wrong, I love gear as much as the next guy.  Its just that there are already so many websites that specialize in doing detailed and technical reviews of new gear.  Why try to compete with that.  Besides...this type of content has a useful shelf-life of months and add little to the long term archives LULA has been creating for many years.  However, I do really enjoy detailed, real life in-the-field reviews of new cameras and gear if that gear is truly new, innovative and worth the time.  The old LLVJs did a great job of combining new gear reviews with very interesting discussions on the art of photography...usually in interesting and beautiful locations.  That was a great formula!  And since (at least I assume) you will continue to accept no compensation from manufacturers......I am hopeful for a more critical assessment of the gear you do review.
4.  Given your own personal background and interest, I assume we will be seeing more content focused on video.  I have very little interest in video and would prefer the site maintain its focus on stills imagery (no matter how they are captured).

Josh...again...I am rooting for your success and look forward to the new perspective you will bring to LULA.

Warm regards,
Al

[Alan Klein]

I think videos are helpful.  Learning better videography is important to me.  Since I have 4K video in my "stills" camera, I do use it especially when I travel or go on vacations.  Short clips combined with stills makeup nice story telling.  Most cameras today have video features so it's a natural to add them to our repertoires. I don't see this taking away from stills.  Just add another section to the forums and throw in articles and instructions for videography.  Moving Landscapes can be Luminous as well.

[luxborealis]

Suggestion to the new administration:
Limit member’s posts to a maximum of 2 a day and it’ll help preclude unhelpful interjections.

+1

Or a4- to 6-hour wait time between posts on the same topic or something ANYTHING to prevent this ridiculous back and forth. Quickest way to ruin a good discussion!

[Rob C]

Just in passing: I do hope that Jeremy remains as a moderator.

He has done a sterling job since he took responsibility, and his occupation as a legal eagle gives him - I like to believe, as one of my granddaughters is one too - a good sense of proportion and perspective. 

Rob

[Rob C]

Suggestion to the new administration:
Limit member’s posts to a maximum of 2 a day and it’ll help preclude unhelpful interjections.

That's nice; shall I shut my mouth right now or tomorrow?

Rob

[Joreur]

This does seem like a sudden kicking out of the old guard. Based on the two articles published by the younger Reichman so far, whatever his talents are, writing is not one of them. Both articles are very badly written and if they are representative of the future of the site then I’m out

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

That's nice; shall I shut my mouth right now or tomorrow?

Rob

Wait another twenty years or so, Rob.
Your comments on the forum are the most consistently worth reading.

Eric

[bwalker]

I don't agree that it was ham-fisted. The readers and contributors to this site are not automatically entitled to know about the internal dealings of the site's management.

Robert, I think the problem, if indeed there is one, is that many of us looked at both Michael and Kevin as "friends" with the same interests.  You don't like to see bad things happen to your friends.  Now, I have no clue if blood has been spilled.  However, I really liked where Kevin was taking the site as time went on.  His last article I think was dated just a day or so before Christmas and then we see Josh's article dated the day after Christmas with no good-bye from my "friend" Kevin nor Chris.  And, obviously this all took place not so terribly long after Kevin spruced up headquarters a bit.  Am I entitled to an explanation? Absolutely not.  But it hurts a bit as stated previously Kevin and Chris never said good-bye.  I don't know about Chris but I feel confident Kevin would have said his good-bye's.  Of course, I could be wrong.

I imagine this website is not a real revenue producer but I could be totally off base on that.  Profitability, or lack thereof forces change.  Now this may be a problem just with me but I have never liked when someone uses the initials CEO along with their name.  I have been self-employed for most of my adult life although never ran a company that produced more than a couple of million dollars a year.  So I'm basically a nobody.  In my mind the term CEO really belongs with a Captain of Industry, not a small specialized website and certainly not beside my personal name; too much ego involved are my thought.  The CEO next to Josh's name caught my immediate attention.

Having said all that I came on board when the site was relatively new although I have rarely participated on the forum.  Out of respect for Michael's memory and for Kevin and Chris (who taught me things about video via LuLa so many years ago) I am more than willing to give Josh a chance despite the vibe I felt off the Changing Landscape contribution from Josh.  We'll see what happens with the change.

To me the site was never exciting but I looked forward to it a few times a week for a quality read and intelligent opinions.  The recent video's Kevin did at the distillery(?) with the camera store owners I felt brought some cool excitement and interest to the site.  It wasn't Netflix but in my opinion Kevin was doing something worthwhile.  I'm an old guy.  Josh brings in some fresh blood and may very well add some of his own excitement to the site.  Time will tell.  I still have to hope Kevin and Chris weren't bruised up in the changeover.

For the time being I will miss Kevin and Chris as I miss Michael.  As time goes on and trust develops hopefully Josh falls into the "friend" mode as well.

[Rob C]

Wait another twenty years or so, Rob.
Your comments on the forum are the most consistently worth reading.

Eric

Eric, nice of you to say so, but then as I post so seldom...

Sunny day here, again, and the condensation marks on the french windows of the sitting room are, this morning, right up to my chin, which suggests it must have been one cold night! Those patches usually only make it to my knees. Of course, the room was pretty heated last night with Internet traffic, so that might have something to do with it.

Has anyone else become a bit bored looking at televised international fireworks displays of city father ego? Someone mentioned the tonnage of explosives fired off in London; all I could think of was the unnecessary, added pollution in the London atmosphere... those poor pigeons and starlings!

:-)

Rob

[KLaban]

...If I had the magic wand, I'd like to see a coming together of three sites: LuLa, Mike's The Online Photographer and Tim's Leicaphilia. Those two guys have charisma, and both write very well indeed on all sorts of topics you'd not think a photographer would necessarily find interesting, which shows how wrong one can be. Tim's also a great photographer in his own right in the sort of photo genre that attracts me today, and remains possible to do without external help, models or money...

Agreed, but that said what Mike and Tim have in common is that they both write really well on compelling subjects: surely a minimum requirement for a compelling site?

[Rob C]

Agreed, but that said what Mike and Tim have in common is that they both write really well on compelling subjects: surely a minimum requirement for a compelling site?

You have a point, but it might be argued that this coming together could never happen because they, Mike and Tim, are fiercely independent minds, too, and I guess that makes close collaboration difficult, if not impossible to achieve. A blog is something quite other than a site such as this. I find that to be one of the problems with TOP: one is not supposed to reply directly to points raised by other posters, but strictly to the orginal post placed by the site owner. Tim, on the other hand, has no problem with chat.

In both cases, the frustration is always with the delay between posting and publication, and for understandable reasons, of course.

That said, the attraction of such a combination of characters is precisley in the power of the different minds, which woud give LuLa an even wider, more strong presence and appeal. I can imagine the delightful fights!

;-)

Rob

[32BT]

Don't forget Sean Reid at https://www.reidreviews.com

I know he once wrote an article on lensdrawing, also published here on LuLa, but I haven't been able to find it. If you really feel a need to read about the technicalities of the photographic process, his writing is probably second to none.

And for the younger crowd, I think there might be good a match with Mathieu and Heather over at https://www.mirrorlessons.com
They write well, with practical experience and actually useful and good photography by both of them.

[32BT]

... I can imagine the delightful fights!

;-)

Rob

In search of good chemistry you apparently like fireworks more than your previous musings seemed to suggest... ;-)

[Rob C]

In search of good chemistry you apparently like fireworks more than your previous musings seemed to suggest... ;-)

Oscar, I'm still under the influence of the unusual pressures (in the local ethos) due to the New Year! In a few days time I'll be back to my comfort zone, probably with more inspiring, upliftingly dark pictures. My wife was an analytical chemist, so chemistry has always inspired me, especially with model relationships, without which chemistry not a lot worthwhile happens other than, possibly, tears in the changing room. (I was a gentleman, and provided one. A room, I mean. Whether still a gentleman changes from day to day.)

;-)

Rob

[KLaban]

...I can imagine the delightful fights!

The political punch-ups are no more, only to be replaced by Street wars and fisticuffs over the future of this very website.

Let's face it, these shenanigans are amongst the finest content on this and any other forum.

;-)

[HSakols]

When I first read this post I thought that someone might have dosed my coffee.  I wish the best for Chris and Kevin and hope they still contribute on this site.  Josh you definately have an exciting job ahead of you.  I also find Joshes background with meditation somewhat refreshing. 

[Rob C]

When I first read this post I thought that someone might have dosed my coffee.  I wish the best for Chris and Kevin and hope they still contribute on this site.  Josh you definately have an exciting job ahead of you.  I also find Joshes background with meditation somewhat refreshing.

Meditation is too close to procrastination; far from being refreshing, not much gets done. When did you last see an excited or even exciting Buddha?

Christmas Humphries was about as interesting as it got - for me. But then, he went to Cambridge. In some cases, I went to Coventry.

;-)

[HSakols]

Meditation is too close to procrastination; far from being refreshing, not much gets done.

Not that I can even begin to argue with Rob C - I do like reading your contributions. 

Quite the opposite, people who meditate get things done and through practice can access other parts of their consciousness. 

[Robert Roaldi]

Meditation is too close to procrastination; far from being refreshing, not much gets done. When did you last see an excited or even exciting Buddha?

Keep an open mind. Who knows that goes on behind closed doors.