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[Armoured]

Did I miss something?

For me, it's the recurring discussions about what the forums are actually about that keep me coming back.

 

[agentlossing]

ok, let me "balance" things out with a comment many will NOT like:

The quality of images here is not very high (on average) - I mean mistakes by the photographer. Often I see things that need cropping, or even telephone poles growing out of people's heads, etc.

Contrawise, the quality of images on a largely FF forum for CanoNikonOny people (fredmiranda.com) is much much higher. I know little about the Leica forum but images seem pretty arty there, as well as at Hasselbald forums....

Yeah, true. I don't think people here tend to only show their best work. Rather, there is a lot of experimentation, iteration and feedback being solicited. In that way, it's more like an old fashioned photo club, I think. I prefer that to the sites that are mainly just galleries of people pushing their best stuff, because egos tend to be a lot higher in those circles in my experience.

 

[agentlossing]

It is quite natural, that we learn differently. Most of what I learn about the features of my future camera/lens I get from 3 sources: DPReview REVIEWS (not the forum), Optical Limits (was Photozone) and DXO reviews. Most of the features of the cameras I learn from the manual (which is horrible) and by googling help on specifics which I do not get from manual and by flicking switches and see what happens . I suppose i could get an advice from this forum, but I am new here. In my professional career, I had no choice but to be a self learner, so I continue in that mode now. You and many others may well learn differently - there is no right or wrong way.

I know what you mean - I am a self learner in many ways, that's what brought me to the forum in the first place.

I think as you settle in you'll find some useful stuff. No need to rush it or try to crystalize how you or I feel about things which are always developing and seldom finished doing so.

 

[BosseBe]

ok, let me "balance" things out with a comment many will NOT like:

The quality of images here is not very high (on average) - I mean mistakes by the photographer. Often I see things that need cropping, or even telephone poles growing out of people's heads, etc.

Contrawise, the quality of images on a largely FF forum for CanoNikonOny people (fredmiranda.com) is much much higher. I know little about the Leica forum but images seem pretty arty there, as well as at Hasselbald forums....

Tongue in cheek!
We see a lower level of quality because we are so friendly, we don't give snide comments about the quality or about the telephone pole sticking up out of the head, we try to appreciate the pictures for what they are, our meagre attempts to take good photos.
And I am very happy about that, otherwise I would not dare show almost any of my pictures here.

 

[Brownie]

Yeah, true. I don't think people here tend to only show their best work. Rather, there is a lot of experimentation, iteration and feedback being solicited. In that way, it's more like an old fashioned photo club, I think. I prefer that to the sites that are mainly just galleries of people pushing their best stuff, because egos tend to be a lot higher in those circles in my experience.

There are a lot of snap-shooters here, myself included. Some just like to record something they've seen, or a part of everyday life, or a neat place they've been, and share it. That's fine. The artsy stuff is fine too, I enjoy viewing it and dabble once in a while. Gear talk is good too. But this new push is becoming tiresome. One doesn't typically come to a forum and try to mold it into something that suits them, they instead find a place to fit in. Forums aren't typically malleable to individuals.

 

[doady]

I keep coming here because I got banned from DPReview (for criticizing another poster, who was trolling and purposefully misleading other users, and I suggested that DPReview should not allow such behaviour).

And of course I am also a Micro Four Thirds user. I realize this forum is more specifically about gear discussion than photography in general or specifically about photography as art. But I understand art is a personal thing and hopefully gear is a starting point for people to get to know each other, become less strangers, and open up more. It would be nice, but I'm not going to expect too much.

There are other avenues to experience and discuss photography as art both online and face-to-face offline such as Instagram, art galleries, and books. If this forum can also provide some inspiration and guidance for our photography, it would be a nice bonus, but it is not a requirement.

I will say though, and I think I said this in the intro thread too: when I was searching for a new forum and community to join after getting banned from DPReview, one of the big things I was looking for was a Printing subforum, and of course mu-43.com has that, so there's already some chance to move beyond cameras right there.

As for the quality of photos posted here, I have to keep in mind that photograph can serve very different purposes, so I don't want to judge them all by the same standards. Maybe they wouldn't meet my own standards for my own photographs, but they don't have too. Someone can post a snapshot of their cat using a new Olympus 100-400mm F5-6.3 as a pillow, I can still enjoy it.

 

[Sawdust]

I am old. Sometimes shaky. I have recently upgraded to a new body and 2 lenses that enables me to take much better images. IMO (Lots of IBIS is a good thing.) From the images of other forum members, I could see the advantage of what I have now and have the confidence I can take a good quality image almost in any situation. IMO The composition, subject, and settings are still in the "trying to get better" stage, but 100% confidence in the equipment is nice...thanks to the members images and comments here.

So, this forum has allowed me to understand why certain features about bodies and lenses are very important.

I am also an "Arm Chair Traveler". I will never get to see most locations where members take images. It is respite from my world. That is probably the number one reason I enjoy this Forum.

I have been on other Forums, and I have to say I like it here the best.

Thank you Amin, and Moderators, and members for your time and efforts.

 

[agentlossing]

As for the quality of photos posted here, I have to keep in mind that photograph can serve very different purposes, so I don't want to judge them all by the same standards. Maybe they wouldn't meet my own standards for my own photographs, but they don't have too. Someone can post a snapshot of their cat using a new Olympus 100-400mm F5-6.3 as a pillow, I can still enjoy it.

But don't you understand that this open-minded attitude makes you a less important photographer with less important opinions???

 

[PhotoCal]

is there a better m43 forum somewhere?

There are other m43 forums that are also free.

 

[Macroramphosis]

But don't you understand that this open-minded attitude makes you a less important photographer with less important opinions???

Are you kidding ? Cat photos with adapted lenses are the highest form of m/43 photography.

 

[agentlossing]

Are you kidding ? Cat photos with adapted lenses are the highest form of m/43 photography.

Can't argue with that.

 

[BosseBe]

If you find this forum to gear oriented, you only have to start new threads to discuss "photo as art" or what ever your want is, I am sure that the people interested in that will flock to the thread and discuss with you.
We others that are more mundane and don't understand "photo as art" will maybe read and be inspired but will probably not participate until we get to that level.

Ooh, I just looked at the forum page and now I understand why people think this forum is gear oriented, the top section in the listing is Equipment after News and Rumours!
Now I hope that is incidental, I have not tallied the number of post or threads in the categories. The next one is Images to share! So there is hope!

 

[Macroramphosis]

We others that are more mundane and don't understand "photo as art" will maybe read and be inspired but will probably not participate until we get to that level.

Welcome fledgling. We are on the rail together, and Jonathan awaits. Perhaps you should remove that French fry before we fly, eh?

 

[BosseBe]

Welcome fledgling. We are on the rail together, and Jonathan awaits. Perhaps you should remove that French fry before we fly, eh?

This feels like it is a movie reference and I don't get it! Please explain!
Is it from an animated movie like Bernie and Bianca? (I have not seen that one.)

 

[Macroramphosis]

This feels like it is a movie reference and I don't get it! Please explain!
Is it from an animated movie like Bernie and Bianca? (I have not seen that one.)

Hi Bo, it's a fairly old reference - Jonathan Livingstone Seagull. I was just carrying on the seagull reference from my reply to Pavel earlier,,,,, sorry

 

[MonikaO]

Hi Pavel, I stay here because of the great vibe.
No drama or insults flying around.
I love seeing what other people photograph.
It gives me a chance too see their world and also how they see it.
The people here are very friendly and extremely helpful.
When I came here I was very new to photography and very soon I felt safe to post my photos
Thanks for that, guys and gals !
Due to me hopping through genres I changed gear a bit and always got good advice.
I am on a minimum budget so my gear is not the best ^ ^
BUT I am happy with it even though I occasionally miss a bit longer lens when I am at the dragonflies
Though it is what it is, I cannot hold a longer lens due to their weight. (Fibromyalgia issues in my hands)
I am happy I found this forum !

 

[BosseBe]

Jonathan Livingstone Seagull

I have not read that one except for the Reader's Digest version in Swedish a long time ago!
So I totally missed that!
Maybe I should read the original.

 

[RichardC]

Welcome fledgling. We are on the rail together, and Jonathan awaits. Perhaps you should remove that French fry before we fly, eh?

Surely this is what you were referring to Roddy?

https://www.mu-43.com/threads/seagull-photo-purchased-by-google.111515/

 

[John M Flores]

Now Chris, I do have to smile. There are all kinds of forums that cover M43 equipment in extraordinary detail (DPReview, 43Rumors), There are endless blogs and websites, some run by exceedingly well informed people and some conducting extensive testing, there are forests of Youtube videos and plenty of other sources. You want to cover equipment, you are literally buried in information (some high quality) and opinions (mostly variable quality) of all kind.

On the other hand a forum to discuss art photography, creativity etc. still eludes my long-term search. I found some online sources and books that talk about creativity, but with the sole exception of Freeman Patterson, they seem to be cookbooks and recipes (the exact opposite of creativity) or they are so superficial that I have thought of what they impart as great wisdom years ago. For me so far the best source are art galleries, excellent art collections online, articles about general art but very much less on photography as art (although I do have sources)

Years ago, when Google+ was still a thing, I started a photography critique group. The premise was simple - if you post submitted a photo for critique, you were asked to critique two other photos already in the group.

It worked...ok. There was a core group that would regularly post and critique as per the rules. New people would float in and out, sometimes abiding by the rules and sometimes not. But where it didn't do as much as I had hoped was in the critiques themselves; they were for the most part about the technical and craft side of photography - exposure, color, cropping, etc... - which is all well and good, particularly for beginners, but the group never delved deeper. And I suspect the following reasons:

1. Anonymity - It's hard to provide a deeper critique if you don't know the photographer
2. Lack of artist statements/purpose - It's hard to provide a deeper critique if the viewer doesn't understand what the photographer is trying to achieve. If someone shows a photo of a bird in flight, you can go on and on about the craft of getting such a shot, but if someone says, "This photo is a part of a series where I am trying to document the loss of migratory habitat due to exurban development" that opens up a whole new avenue of discussion as to whether the photo is successful or not, and puts the photo in the larger context of a photographer's project/goal.

This forum is small enough that #1 isn't an issue. Hang around long enough and you start to see familiar faces. It would be neat to see members start projects and post their artist/project statement and work in a single thread in Comments and Critique, one thread per project, and other members can stop by, see how the project is evolving, and offer deeper critique of the project.

 

[Brownie]

Brownie, I think that this comment is a reference to me. I may have responded to this or similar comment before. This forum has great many members. Most members seem to be gear-centric. That is OK with me AND I AM NOT TRYING TO CHANGE THAT. What I am trying to find out whether there are members here already that share my interest. I do not expect that there will be many, but I hope for a few. That way we can all share the forum and you can use the forum as you always did and I can hopefully find souls that share my interest and do what we want for as long as we want. If I do not find people with common interest, I will just move on. Now why does this bother you?

With all due respect Pavel, you have no fewer than 17 new threads in Creative Corner started in succession. If memory serves, it seems you lamented low participation in these threads when you didn't get the responses you'd hoped for. You seem to complain about the amount of gear talk, yet I'd point out that your most active thread is one that asks about gear.

Today you started a thread in feedback asking the administration to make major changes to the forum, one of which was to make it look more like DPR because you have trouble navigating. I thank the good Lord every day this place doesn't operate like that, which is more of a message board format than a forum. I think you just need some time to get acclimated and comfortable. This is a standard forum format.

Some of the threads you've started would be a good fit in another forum, this one being a good example. Why not take this to Open Discussion, where you'd likely get a whole new group of participants?

So again, with all due respect, it does seem that you'd like this forum to assimilate to something you believe is acceptable. No one wants to chase you off, just give it some time. Relax and join in with us to start with. I'm certain that once we get to know, we'll be happy to join in with you.