Josh I think you need to do a piece to camera..!

[Robert Roaldi]

I think that in the main some people are over-reacting and making rash judgements. All the usual hallmarks of how people react to change, that is to say, not well.

The new management has been in charge for less than a month. They have declared in general terms what they want to do and several articles have appeared in that time. There are too few of them to make any sort of judgement on the future, imo, although that hasn't stopped people from doing so. The articles have not been universally hated nor loved, which is probably standard operating procedure for any publisher.

If you went back and took a snapshot (no pun intended) of a random set of 4 or 5 main site articles from previous years, would they stand up to critical analysis? Did they appeal to a large enough group of people? I have no way of knowing. For reasons that we don't know, and that are really none of our business, there is a new management in place and things will change in the future, but they were always going to anyway.

[jeremyrh]

I think that in the main some people are over-reacting and making rash judgements. All the usual hallmarks of how people react to change, that is to say, not well.

The new management has been in charge for less than a month. They have declared in general terms what they want to do and several articles have appeared in that time. There are too few of them to make any sort of judgement on the future, imo, although that hasn't stopped people from doing so. The articles have not been universally hated nor loved, which is probably standard operating procedure for any publisher.

If you went back and took a snapshot (no pun intended) of a random set of 4 or 5 main site articles from previous years, would they stand up to critical analysis? Did they appeal to a large enough group of people? I have no way of knowing. For reasons that we don't know, and that are really none of our business, there is a new management in place and things will change in the future, but they were always going to anyway.

Amen to all that.

[josh.reichmann]

As I wrote before, this is what is showing in the "About" page:

""We will be launching a fresh series of workshops over the coming months and do hope that we will be able to meet you on one of these journeys.

The days ahead are going to be as interesting, fun and informative as those in the past."

All the rest of the introduction is "legacy". I think the above is quite scarce in terms of informing both old and new comers about the future of the site.

And as someone has mentioned already, the Forum is a different entity from the Main Site itself. It is the latter that is a bit stagnant and apparently lacking information about where it is going.

Agree. This is old information and we are in the process of updating it along with other copy throughout the site.

Aswell, I will indeed be camera facing in time, along with many others. Some pieces have been shot and produced already. I’m happy and comfortable to be on camera but want mostly to showcase others.

Already shot material is in cue with other content. Some of this includes on location “how too’s” and trips. A list of upcoming content and opportunities will be presented soon.

We are working around the clock, not just on general mission plans, but on the renewal both front and back end of the site to make it an easier home to navigate. The forum will not be tampered with
Thanks.

[Paulo Bizarro]

Agree. This is old information and we are in the process of updating it along with other copy throughout the site.

Aswell, I will indeed be camera facing in time, along with many others. Some pieces have been shot and produced already. I’m happy and comfortable to be on camera but want mostly to showcase others.

Already shot material is in cue with other content. Some of this includes on location “how too’s” and trips. A list of upcoming content and opportunities will be presented soon.

We are working around the clock, not just on general mission plans, but on the renewal both front and back end of the site to make it an easier home to navigate. The forum will not be tampered with
Thanks.

Josh,

Thanks for the update and clarification.

All the best.

[Jonathan Cross]

Thanks Josh.  As I wrote the changeover has resulted somewhat in 'the shock of the new'.  I look forward to seeing the results of your efforts and hope things settle down. 

Best wishes,

Jonathan

[josh.reichmann]

Thanks Josh.  As I wrote the changeover has resulted somewhat in 'the shock of the new'.  I look forward to seeing the results of your efforts and hope things settle down. 

Best wishes,

Jonathan

Very much appreciated

Josh

[Keith]

I find it interesting to see so many differing views on the direction of the former vs. current direction of LuLa. I first discovered the website around 2007 and it was a fantastic source of information regarding digital technology. I was still a film shooter and was not familiar with all the new terminology and concepts of digital photography. The Essays and Understanding series articles were some of the best info available at the time, and written in such a way as to simultaniously speak to varying levels of knowledge and experience. As all of us have advanced and grown our knowledge over the years, let's not lose site of the fact that many newcomers could still benifit from covering the basics, and sometimes this has to include a certain amount of coverage on gear. I hope that part of the new direction for the site will include a refreshening of the relevant material in an easily searchable format. Kevin was somewhat on this path with the Rediscovering series. Regarding the articles over the past couple years vs recent articles under new management, I don't see much to fuss about either way. Yeah some of the topics from before (medium format and multi thousand dollar photo excursions) didn't really apply to me, but it's not like anyone "made" me read those if I didn't want too. It is called Luminous-LANDSCAPE after all, so the articles were relevant. Likewise, a couple of the new articles are a bit too MFA for me, but I'm not quite calling for mutiny either. It does everyone good to be exposed to new material on occasion. I don't have any regrets of my $12 a year for the last few years, and I don't expect to cancel any time soon just because of a pending change in direction. Let's see where it goes. I do really appreciate some of the articles from recurring contributors; Alain Briot, Sharon Tenenbaum, the late Miles Hecker, and others. LuLa has been good at attracting top people in their respective field for articles, and that has enriched the overall quality of the site compared to many others. Regarding the forum, same as with the contributing authors, a fantastic wealth of knowledge and insight. I would hope that not too many stomp off in disgust just because of the recent changes. Josh, I wish you well in moving LuLa forward, and look forward to seeing where you take it. Keep your finger on the pulse of the forums and you will surely know how everyone feels about the direction of the site, just don't let that be your only guide.

[Rob C]

I find it interesting to see so many differing views on the direction of the former vs. current direction of LuLa. I first discovered the website around 2007 and it was a fantastic source of information regarding digital technology. I was still a film shooter and was not familiar with all the new terminology and concepts of digital photography. The Essays and Understanding series articles were some of the best info available at the time, and written in such a way as to simultaniously speak to varying levels of knowledge and experience. As all of us have advanced and grown our knowledge over the years, let's not lose site of the fact that many newcomers could still benifit from covering the basics, and sometimes this has to include a certain amount of coverage on gear. I hope that part of the new direction for the site will include a refreshening of the relevant material in an easily searchable format. Kevin was somewhat on this path with the Rediscovering series. Regarding the articles over the past couple years vs recent articles under new management, I don't see much to fuss about either way. Yeah some of the topics from before (medium format and multi thousand dollar photo excursions) didn't really apply to me, but it's not like anyone "made" me read those if I didn't want too. It is called Luminous-LANDSCAPE after all, so the articles were relevant. Likewise, a couple of the new articles are a bit too MFA for me, but I'm not quite calling for mutiny either. It does everyone good to be exposed to new material on occasion. I don't have any regrets of my $12 a year for the last few years, and I don't expect to cancel any time soon just because of a pending change in direction. Let's see where it goes. I do really appreciate some of the articles from recurring contributors; Alain Briot, Sharon Tenenbaum, the late Miles Hecker, and others. LuLa has been good at attracting top people in their respective field for articles, and that has enriched the overall quality of the site compared to many others. Regarding the forum, same as with the contributing authors, a fantastic wealth of knowledge and insight. I would hope that not too many stomp off in disgust just because of the recent changes. Josh, I wish you well in moving LuLa forward, and look forward to seeing where you take it. Keep your finger on the pulse of the forums and you will surely know how everyone feels about the direction of the site, just don't let that be your only guide.

Trouble with the pulse, however, is that it only bounces along with the beats from a very few members.

I suppose there are other ways of calculating popular appeal, but then is popular appeal worth bothering with, from the readership interest angle? If it is, then I guess pandering to it too much will reduce the input fom the more voluble experienced folks here, who might just lose interest in the mundane and wander off to search the galaxy for alternatives. Over the years, we have already lost some damned good pros whose work was of a much broader interest and partly applicable, if only by example, to the guys who shoot buildings for fun.

In fact, I believe that the original appeal of LuLa, digital lessons aside, was exactly because of Michael's idiosyncratic manner. Of course, that he was an extremely accomplished photographer did no harm, but I didn't think of him as giving much of a damn about the mundane aspects of photography or its matching practitioners, and thank the stars for that! To maintain interest, I believe you have to aim high.

Rob

[Alan Goldhammer]

In fact, I believe that the original appeal of LuLa, digital lessons aside, was exactly because of Michael's idiosyncratic manner. Of course, that he was an extremely accomplished photographer did no harm, but I didn't think of him as giving much of a damn about the mundane aspects of photography or its matching practitioners, and thank the stars for that! To maintain interest, I believe you have to aim high.

Rob

I think if you go back and look at the articles published by Michael you will see that this is an incorrect assessment.  He did review lots of equipment and offered technical insights that could be defined as mundane.  Prior to the change in ownership, Kevin was posting several of Michaels articles from times gone by.  I directly recall his review of the Canon S90 which was the first pocket camera capable of capturing RAW files.  It was this review that prompted me to purchase one and I've used it on and off over the past 9 years.  There were many others and of course his photo galleries.

[Krug]

My two pennyworth is that Josh is doing things exactly right and letting the content do the talking - Lula will survive, or not, on the nature and quality of its content. It should not be a "personality site".