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Author Topic: Review: Peter Lik App for iPhone and iPad  (Read 32672 times)

Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Review: Peter Lik App for iPhone and iPad
« Reply #20 on: April 20, 2011, 02:02:11 am »

...Here is an un-comprehensive list of other great landscape photographers...

If this was an UN-comprehensive list, please wait till I get my two-week vacation, I feel I am going to need it just to scroll down your comprehensive one ;D


Lonnie Utah

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Re: Review: Peter Lik App for iPhone and iPad
« Reply #21 on: April 20, 2011, 10:46:08 am »

And who are you to make such statement of my person? That is improper.

First off, I didn't make a statement, I asked a question.  There is a BIG difference.  And you, predictably, missed the point of it.  

I provided the examples of Tom Till and Ian Plan, because they are two of the more well known working landscape photographers today.  I know both have had articles published in Outdoor Photographer in the last year.  The simple fact that you did not know who they were, was a red flag to me that you might not have a significant amount of exposure to other photographers out there right now.  Personally, I think it's a fair assessment.  What I was not doing, is making a comment on the quality of their work per se.  See, style is style and technique is technique.  

What I tried to do early on in this thread is put forth some examples of why I think Peter Lik isn't a "master photographer" from a TECHNICAL point of view. The photographs I highlighted both have some significant basic compositional and technical flaws, and to me this isn't indicative of a "master photographer". To me a "master photographer" wouldn't have allowed a print to be released with those flaws.  You haven't refuted any of those flaws beyond saying "You have to break the rules".  Well, if we are talking about the rule of 3rds, I might agree.  For straight horizons on a landscape shot, you've got some work to do to convince me.  

Now we can argue about technique, but style is something all it's own.  As I said before, you like his style and I do not.  That's ok.  Taste in art is subjective, and there is no right and wrong there.  It's like arguing who was the better painter Picasso or Di Vinci.  I think I could make the argument that Di Vinci had superior technical skills, and Picasso had more style. But it doesn't matter.  Just because a photograph is technically perfect, doesn't mean that it's appealing and vise versa.  For me, the reason I don't like Lik's work because of it's technical imperfections.  I think it's sloppy, and if you are going to charge (and I am going to pay) the sums that Peter Lik charges, you'd damn well better get it right.  (You can't tell me that the coastal pallet photo would have been significantly changed by straighting the horizon and cropping out the foreground rocks).  However, for you, they don't matter. Those technical flaws don't bother you.  I get that.  I just hope you see the point that I am trying to get to.  

I'm not saying you shouldn't like Peter Lik. Quite the contrary. I'm just saying open your eyes to other peoples work.  There is TON's of great photography out there, made by more than 1/2 a dozen photographers (or one individual beating the drum loudly).  That's why I posted the list that I did.  If you were to go through that list with an open mind, I'm sure you'd find the work of others that equals or surpasses Mr. Lik's (and you don't have to pay $5 for the "privilege" of looking at it on your iphone. (which also gets to my original point about marketing.))  These folks just aren't as well known (and that is my original point).  Learn to look at their photographs, not just with admiration, but critically as well.  You'll find that it opens your mind, gives you inspiration and you just might find a new favorite photographer...  




« Last Edit: April 20, 2011, 10:49:36 am by Lonnie Utah »
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Lonnie Utah

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Re: Review: Peter Lik App for iPhone and iPad
« Reply #22 on: April 20, 2011, 10:50:32 am »

If this was an UN-comprehensive list, please wait till I get my two-week vacation, I feel I am going to need it just to scroll down your comprehensive one ;D

LOL. Ok, it's a pretty extensive list.  But it's a good one!
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NashvilleMike

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Re: Review: Peter Lik App for iPhone and iPad
« Reply #23 on: April 20, 2011, 01:07:44 pm »

Well stated, Lonnie...

The way I look at it is that the original poster opened the door for a lot of "trouble" with this sentence:

"For those who do not know of Peter Lik he is likely the most successful and skillful landscape photographer of our time "

To walk into a landscape forum and say that he is likely "the most" of anything is a bit, shall we say, aggressive and potentially arrogant, and I doubt the OP meant it to come off that way - it's just the "danger" of the internet - very hard to stumble over semantics. I don't know of a single landscape photographer whom I could honestly say is "the most" skilled - and having shot for 35+ years and having met some very good landscape photographers, I think I've got a fair idea of what a "skilled" landscape photographer is. You just can't single it down to one guy. I couldn't say that Art Wolfe is more skillful than Muench or Dykinga - there's a fair number of very talented folks out there, who have been doing very high quality work for decades plural (and long before Lik ever came onto the scene), and thus it's a bit bold for someone to come marching into this forum proclaiming one guy is the "most" of anything.

Peter Lik might be the OP's favorite, but I think a whole lot of trouble could have been avoided by skipping the "most skillful" intent in the OP message and just concentrate on the app review instead.

And for the OP, I totally agree with Lonnie that you should try to broaden your horizons - there is much, much more out there than Peter Lik.

-m
« Last Edit: April 20, 2011, 01:28:45 pm by NashvilleMike »
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Enda Cavanagh

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Re: Review: Peter Lik App for iPhone and iPad
« Reply #24 on: April 20, 2011, 02:36:25 pm »



To walk into a landscape forum and say that he is likely "the most" of anything is a bit, shall we say, aggressive and potentially arrogant,


I'm the most disorganized photographer of our time. Does that count for anything? :D

Anders_HK

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Re: Review: Peter Lik App for iPhone and iPad
« Reply #25 on: April 20, 2011, 09:58:11 pm »

Hey Enda, dont worry that you did not make it onto that list, you do really good and high end quality work and would definently qualify to my list.  ;D Indeed so does Murray Fredericks who frequent this forum and was lucky to be on that list…  ;D

Regardless of personal opinion, judging by all awards and recognition so does Peter Lik make high end work no matter if some like or not like, and some on internet rather trash... than see the point of my review was of his APP ...  ;)


Oh; I went through that list yesterday. Among all in list there are very few really really good and top notch ones all of which I already knew. Disappointing since I was hoping to be educated and find someone really good I did not know of yet…  >:(

I guess those moaning still of pro or con of Mr. Lik still fails to see my point:

My OP was review of the APP

Plenty of inspiration from it at least for me, each to his or her own… :)

Cheers :)
« Last Edit: April 20, 2011, 10:07:48 pm by Anders_HK »
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Anders_HK

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Re: Review: Peter Lik App for iPhone and iPad
« Reply #26 on: April 20, 2011, 10:48:10 pm »

I can mention that as I visited Peter Lik's gallery in Cairns in 2003, across same street was a gallery by another very talented photographer who regrettably passed away same year;

http://www.peterjarver.com/

In general the larger formats (film or digital) for landscapes lend themselves to yield a higher image quality and are also more demanding. However as has been exemplified by Galen Rowel and John Shaw it is possible to yield also quality landscape with smaller formats. Not so known but interesting are in my opinion:

www.leeseungkye.com
www.brucepercy.co.uk

If we stretch to people living natural lives in the landscape, a seemingly extremely talented:

http://www.joeyl.com/

Joey, same as Peter Lik seem to go through whatever it takes to get the image, e.g. per the Phase One videos on Youtube from his travels to remote areas in Ethiopia and Indonesia. Same as Peter Lik he is arguably also an artist, not a mere photographer.

Back to my review of the Peter Lik APP shall we??? Has anyone found any other APPS that give inspiration?
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mikev1

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Re: Review: Peter Lik App for iPhone and iPad
« Reply #27 on: April 28, 2011, 12:25:52 am »

Man people love to hate Peter Lik!  I don't know of a single photographer who's work I've enjoyed every single image.  A non photographer friend of mine once came with me to an exhibit of Ansel Adams pointed to a picture and asked what was so special about this particular image.  I had no idea as it seemed rather plain to me as well.    What was clear was that the body of work as a whole on display was fantastic.

The example posted earlier is perhaps not the best image.  The man is human and humans make mistakes, are biased, etc.  He might have some emotional attachment to the image that perhaps causes him to overlook the technical errors or maybe he just doesn't care as he knows it will sell. 

He has a photo of Moraine Lake that is in the app and on display in the Palm Springs gallery that I feel is rather average.  It is the standard shot standing on top of the rock pile (every tourist with a camera inevitably winds up there) other than the fact that it is a pano.  Moraine Lake is so stunning a location though that I would bet most people who have never been there, see the photo and think it is just a fantastic image.  I live  nearby and visit several times a year and have viewed probably hundreds of photos taken there so the standard shot does not move me one bit.  Does this mean he is a bad photographer not a bit.

I've never been to the slot canyons but have seen so many images that even the fantastic ones have lost their appeal to me.  Those of us who view a lot of landscape images get jaded quickly.

I have been in his galleries in Las Vegas and Palm Springs.  The presentation is fantastic, the lighting the mounting of the prints.  As someone mentioned, the images appear backlit.  The guy may be a real a-hole for all I know and that appears to be the feeling a number of people have based on posts here and elsewhere.  However he gets an A+ in marketing and has enough stunning images to get an A+ as a photographer as well.

Watch the documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop" to get a glimpse of how hype and marketing can lead to success.

By the way I purchased the app and enjoyed it.
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Hans Kruse

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Re: Review: Peter Lik App for iPhone and iPad
« Reply #28 on: April 29, 2011, 10:10:31 am »

For benefit of my doubt I took a closer look at the websites of Tom Till and Ian Plant. Following are my personal impressions:

Tom Till - Photos in bright day and not good light, amateurish landscape images.
Ian Plant - Photos in better light but sensor not up for capture, amateurish landscape images.


Seeing this discussion and the characterization of a couple of photographers really took me by surprise.

Tom Till - Photos in bright day and not good light, amateurish landscape images.


I also took a look at this website and I have been in this gallery in Moab in Utah. I think your characterization is highly unfair to his work. His pictures are definitely not just taken in the bright day and btw. for some photos this is perfectly ok. It's not about the time of day that is interesting, it is the light you have available that is the key to a good and interesting photo. Amateurish? That's not my opinion.

Ian Plant - Photos in better light but sensor not up for capture, amateurish landscape images.


I have seen his work before and I find a lot of his work really excellent. Amaturish? Well if an amateur could make these photos I wouldn't mind being called an amateur  ;D

I don't such comments serve any discussion any good. Such broad characterizations wihtout any depth is more like an insult imho.

Anders_HK

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Re: Review: Peter Lik App for iPhone and iPad
« Reply #29 on: April 30, 2011, 09:46:30 am »

Seeing this discussion and the characterization of a couple of photographers really took me by surprise.

Tom Till - Photos in bright day and not good light, amateurish landscape images.


I also took a look at this website and I have been in this gallery in Moab in Utah. I think your characterization is highly unfair to his work. His pictures are definitely not just taken in the bright day and btw. for some photos this is perfectly ok. It's not about the time of day that is interesting, it is the light you have available that is the key to a good and interesting photo. Amateurish? That's not my opinion.

Ian Plant - Photos in better light but sensor not up for capture, amateurish landscape images.


I have seen his work before and I find a lot of his work really excellent. Amaturish? Well if an amateur could make these photos I wouldn't mind being called an amateur  ;D

I don't such comments serve any discussion any good. Such broad characterizations wihtout any depth is more like an insult imho.

Mmm... could it relate to the pointers given in above regarding myself to be claimed to not be aware of much landscape photographers and the apperant shredding of Mr Lik? Thus that I likewise shared my frank opinion of the two names that were brought fourth.

Enough.

Regarding Apps for inspiration in landscape photography I am tad struggling finding more that are very good. One for iPad that I came across is of the Hudson River School of Painters. For those without an iPad I can suggest to search on youtube or internet. Those painters included Thomas Coole, Albert Bierstadt etc and who remarkebly portraited grand American landscapes with striking light, or rather the ILLUSION of light. personally I find much inspiration from their work relating to a concept of achieving illusion of light that can work also in digital images. is it similar to some of the works of Mr Lik. Personally I am of impression of that in some of images by Mr Lik and to some degree, yes. Light is everything in photography.

Now if someone dislike those artist may I disclaim that I metion then as source for inspiration solely...

I am likewise very much interested if anyone found some good and advanced reference apps for inspiration in landscape photography.

Regards
Anders
« Last Edit: April 30, 2011, 09:48:36 am by Anders_HK »
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gdwhalen

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Re: Review: Peter Lik App for iPhone and iPad
« Reply #30 on: May 16, 2011, 05:35:02 pm »

I agree with most in here and their opinion of Peter Lik's work.  He is a much better marketer than photographer.  In every industry there seems to be people like Peter.  Their skills aren't great but their ability to get their faces/words in the market place is amazing.  Bottom line though - I doubt he cares.  He is obviously in it for the money and he MAY be doing a good job of that.  But his work.... nothing special.
« Last Edit: May 17, 2011, 03:44:58 pm by gdwhalen »
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chez

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Re: Review: Peter Lik App for iPhone and iPad
« Reply #31 on: May 19, 2011, 08:50:46 am »

I would bet everyone here bashing Lik would trade places with him in a split second. There are many amateurs who are great photographers who cannot sell or present an image if their life depended on it. The skill to present, market and sell is just as complex and important as the skill to know when to press the shutter.
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