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 07/06/2002 01:17:42 AM · #26
Originally posted by jmsetzler:

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I wholeheartedly disagree with the comment about Ansel Adams...
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As a matter of fact, Ansel Adams had nothing against technology. He used the very best that was available at his time. I really do believe if he was active now he'd at least be investigating digital, probably a digital back on a 4 x 5 view camera with a Mac G4 dual 1ghz in the back of a SUV. I've seen pictures of him on location; talk about a gaget freak:)
 07/06/2002 01:20:33 AM · #27
You are both absolutely correct as to the quality of the film verses digital, But I’m referring to educating for future benefit. – The graphic art industry has practically eliminated film and is quickly moving in that direction. With today’s fractal programs and a strong rip, digital photographs are being reproduced with 10 micron size dots as a “reproduction” that is comparable to what was once film.
 07/06/2002 01:32:10 AM · #28
For what it's worth, I had the pleasure of working on over 60 reproductions with Mr. Adams - All of which were reproduced digitally.
My suggestion was - "if you intend to sell your work"
 07/06/2002 01:34:46 AM · #29
Originally posted by sheyingshi88:

As a matter of fact, Ansel Adams had nothing against technology. He used the very best that was available at his time. I really do believe if he was active now he'd at least be investigating digital, probably a digital back on a 4 x 5 view camera with a Mac G4 dual 1ghz in the back of a SUV. I've seen pictures of him on location; talk about a gaget freak:)

I tend to agree. I got a tour of his studio in Carmel, and the people there who worked with him seemed to think he would explore and test new media/technology, even if he didn't display or sell that work. He certainly believed in manipulating whatever he captured to produce what he wanted (himself and us) to see, not merely provide an "objective record" of the scene. And I think his "SUV" was usually a one-horsepower model with long ears...
 07/06/2002 02:05:28 AM · #30

And I think his "SUV" was usually a one-horsepower model with long ears...

It was initially. The picture I saw of him was in the late '40s I believe. It showed him on a platform on the top of a station wagon with a 8 x 10 view camera (it was kinna crowded). There was all kinds of gear and assistants on the ground around the car.
 07/06/2002 02:24:15 AM · #31
Originally posted by Gotcha:
For what it''s worth, I had the pleasure of working on over 60 reproductions with Mr. Adams - All of which were reproduced digitally.
My suggestion was - "if you intend to sell your work"

Neat. As I remember, he used a mix of four different gray inks to print in quadtones (for printed reproductions like calendars) but I forgot the ink numbers...was recently a big Adams At 100show in San Francisco at the Museum of Modern Art.

* This message has been edited by the author on 7/6/2002 2:25:41 AM.
 07/06/2002 02:34:11 AM · #32
It is actually 5 colors to produce the famous "black and White" pictures everyone has grown to love. Light Grey, Dark Grey, Nuteral Black, Dense Black and Clear Gloss. Ansel Adams work was at the mercy of the digital artists ability to convey the picture as Ansel hoped. Ansel expressed many times his desire to be able to manipulate the photograph himself. (that is why I made that comment John).

I feel bad this thread has taken a side road... It was running so swimmingly.
 07/06/2002 12:08:32 PM · #33
well, my educational background is actually in marine biology/oceanography, but really my main "thing" is music - write it, record it, play it, produce it. i have a few cd''s and have played in several bands. MUSIC has received the majority of my creative passions over the years. . :D

I only got TRULY excited about photography a year ago or so.. it''s something that i kind of fell into, more than went seeking. . .
yes, i had cameras as a teen and a youth, including a broken konica auto s (not auto), and some exciting underwater adventures with a rented nikonos v in honduras and the gulf of mexico. usually, it has been more of a novelty/vacation thing than an overriding compulsion, and i cant count the number of times when a roll of film remained unfinished in the camera for MONTHS until the camera had reason to be used again.

my active forays into the visual arts began with drawing and cartooning all through my kidhood and beyond, and veered into computer graphics and web design in ''93 and ''95 respectively.

about 2 years ago, I changed jobs from an oceanographer to a web designer. artistic and beautiful photographhy of museum collections turned out to be part of the job, and after getting to serve as an assistant to some high end photographers, thanks to my boss pulling some strings, i knew enough about the lingo and gear of studio product photography to do the job myself.

In the meantime, I was researching for purchase a digital camera that I would be using. After many recommendations we bought a Fuji S1 Pro digital SLR that takes Nikon F-mount lenses.

I really fell in love with the Fuji and even though I could use it outside of work, I wanted my own kit. It was out of my price range so I bought my own Olympus E-10 for a steal in February, and now I''m trying to strike out as a freelancer, doing art photography as well as fashion photography, and whatever else anyone will pay me for! it''s a great camera, with an incredibly sharp lens, and I recommend it highly for anyone that wants a digital camera that''s built like a tank and is ultra-expandable. It''s a swiss army knife of cameras!



* This message has been edited by the author on 7/7/2002 7:02:38 PM.
 07/06/2002 01:17:46 PM · #34
This is fun learning about all of you guys!

I'm starting my last year as an advertising major at San Jose State here in California. The only cameras i've ever owned were numerous throw-away cameras and my Polariod i got when I was 13. About 2 years ago I got my Olympus and I've been snapping away since. Any small amount of knowledge I have regarding photographs comes from my mother, who all my childhood did photography. We even had a darkroom in our house. So I was either in the photographs, helping with the setups, going random places, or keeping busy while she was in the darkroom. Either way, fun was had :)

I haven't taken any photography classes, but I plan to. They have a digital photography class on campus, so I'm going to try to get my bum into that one ;)

That's about it really.. :) ta da!

 07/06/2002 07:59:29 PM · #35
After highschool I bought a Mamiya 35mm camera and fooled around with black and white-even had my own basement darkroom.I kind of let the hobby slide for a few years while I was more into collecting and repairing old cameras,Graflexes,Speed Graphics,Bush Pressman.I also have a few Mamiya twinlens reflexes and interchangeable lenses.When I saw what you could do with a computer, scanner and a photo program I was hooked on digital photography. No darkroom mess or no waiting for the color prints.Everything from viewing the first exposure to manipulating the image and finally printing the pix can be done in daylight. I read everything I can about photography in general and fool around with the new toys at the computer stores as they come out.DPChallenge has been a great place to learn new techniques and styles.I''m just blown away every time I see the new challenge pics.


* This message has been edited by the author on 7/6/2002 9:27:38 PM.
 07/07/2002 01:01:53 AM · #36
I''m a "when on vacation,you take pictures" type of guy.

I took a black and white photography class in college. That class required a camera so I talked my folks into buying me a 35mm SLR. Ended up with a Vivitar 250/SL with a 55MM lens. I still have it. Just picked it up a noticed it still works. This was my instrument of choice for the family vacations for years. Just point, meter, adjust, click. Oh and wait years to have the film developed.

In 1997 my sister bought a Sony Mavica FD something or other. It had 640 x 480 max resolution. She liked it. Being the gadget whiz, I couldn''t be outdone. I bought a Sony Mavica FD81 (almost 1 megpixel). That camera was nice and I shot many vaction pics with it. Ahhh... Instant gratification.

My wife gave me an Epson PHOTO 820 printer this past Valentine''s day. I originally bought an HP PHOTOSMART printer when I bought the Mavica but it had died at the end of 2000. I began printing with my new printer and noticed the prints were not quite what I wanted in quality.

Hmmm, I can''t have this not with vacation coming up. I had to upgrade my camera. So in May, I went searching for something at least 3 megapixels and as manual as possible. Of course being the tightwad I am it had to be a bargain. Almost ordered an EPSON 3100Z. But began to worry about gray market stuff as I read numerous reviews about the Internet dealers with the best prices. So I chickened out and went to Best Buy and bought a Sony Cybershot DSC S75. I have enjoyed using it, wished my pockets had been deep enough for the DSC F707 though.

I really enjoy snapping pics and printing them with my new equipment. Being a participant in DPC has helped me grow as an amateur photographer. I now realize the importance of the post shot editing process. By the way am I the only one that uses Picture It Platinum?

The voters comments and the posts here on the forums along with other outstanding references on the Internet, will help me become a better amateur photographer. The old digital stuff I used to shoot and print has always been hidden away in my hobby desk drawer but I am not afraid to display some of the stuff I shoot and print now.

DPCHALLENGE is a blast! Everybody keep up the good work!


* This message has been edited by the author on 7/7/2002 1:39:33 AM.

* This message has been edited by the author on 7/7/2002 1:44:30 AM.
 07/07/2002 01:14:40 AM · #37
I bought a manual Yashica in '76. I hauled it around the world, accumulating lenses and filters, until '98, when my wife bought me a new Pentax (fully automatic so she could use it too).

Shortly after that I "needed" a waterproof camera so I found a Minolta 35MM. Then, for Christmas of '01 I bought myself my first digital camera.

All that said... I'm a self-taught photographer. I like taking pictures and I like playing with cameras. I've never considered myself a "real" photographer, but it's something I want to learn more about and gain some skill doing.

Mark
 07/07/2002 09:27:34 AM · #38
I have not training whatsoever. I used to shoot a ton of photos in high school and college (with the very chic disposable cameras)...and all of them had my thumb in them. I was terrible at taking pictures until I switched to digital. It was such a gift to be able to see what I was shooting before I shot it, and not to have to waste money developing a bunch of photos starring my thumb. I got a Mavica FD85 four years ago, and just recently switched to an Olympus c4040. I have not yet put my hands on an SLR (digital or film) but my dream camera is a Canon eos d60. These websites have really inspired me.
(I teach kindergarten in my "spare time" and they also inspire me!)
Karmat-- we should talk! Sounds like we're in similar situations!
 07/07/2002 03:03:55 PM · #39
During bored hot summers, I would spend some time in the air conditioned local library reading. I usually read magazines, because my attention span tends to be too short for books. So I read just about every Popular Photography they had. After using my father's Rebel, I bought a Canon Elan II for my 17th birthday with my parents' money. I usually only used it on vacations though. For Christmas of 2000, my parents bought me a 1.3 megapixel Fuji. I carried it around almost constantly and took a lot of snapshots that I would have formerly considered a waste of good film. A year and a half later, the Fuji is showing some major signs of wear. After a photographically-ignorant friend asked me which digital camera he should buy (around March of 2002), I started doing more research and convinced myself that I needed to spend a good percentage of my net worth on a new Canon G2 :)

Oh, and I have no art or photographic education, aside from one general art course I took in college.
 07/07/2002 03:38:03 PM · #40
Let's see... My father gave me my first camera when I was about 8. I couldn't tell you what it was but it used a roll of film about 3 inches wide, the top was a view finder that used a mirror to look thru a lens, and I believe I remeber two lenses, one over top the other. It was about the size of a quart of milk and he had it since the early to mid 50's (and he most likely got it used). That camera went everywhere with me and I drove most folks nuts with it. My teen years were a flow of instimatic / polaroid cameras. I moved to a 35mm with a BW darkroom in my 20s till I gave up the darkroom for enviornmental extremist reasons. I had a Photo 101 class, but my grades weren't great cause I "didn't meet the challenge" for most homework assignments.
My first digital came free with a laptop I bought... It was a Kodak DC20, point/shoot low res piece of... well, technoligy. It is now one of my 3 year old daughters favorite toys and once I put batteries back in it I'll see what she can do with it. (The lens still doesn't always aim forward at this point and she just yells 'click' instead of hitting the shutter button). About 3 months after getting it, I bought a Sony FD71 (with my wife, a retired marketing specialist, shaking her head saying "It worked" (still don't know what she meant)). This camera was lost in an airport in China when we were there to pick up our adopted daughter in '99... So I bought my Sony FD 85 in Guangzhou (sp). I loved the Mavicas but eventually my wife said we needed a bigger house if I planned to store 10000 floppy disks on my desk. Also I wanted somethin that I could fit in my shirt pocket. So with my wife the marketer muttering something about "lifelong consumers" and "from $15 cameras, mighty sales do grow", I purchased my Olympus D-490.
My next camera will be one capable of doing the things my old 35mm could do. I want manual control back. I miss setting my own shutter speed and aperature. I'm just waiting for a time when they fall in price and my wife isn't looking.

Or is that too much information :)?
 07/07/2002 04:44:31 PM · #41
I come from a long line of photographers, my father was a war photographer and my brother worked as Al Gores personal photographer during his vice presidency. I remember at the age of 8 we would concoct lavish plans on how we could get a Nikon 400mm 2.8. Those were the day, I spent along time working for the local paper shooting sports and bands, but ended up becoming a computer nerd putting the camera in the closet.. It wasn’t until recently I heard the faint calls from that closet where I found my lonely and malnourished camera at that moment I rekindled my love for photography and decided to engulf myself in the art of digital. Now I shoot for recreation but it consumes me... I think I might be addicted (or is that afflicted)
 07/07/2002 06:51:32 PM · #42
Hi, I just found this site a few days ago. I have no background in photography and would like to be better. Maybe I'll submit something soon. For the most part you guys seem a bit tough on the judgeing. I'm going to just hang out in the shadows and maybe I'll come up with something.

Tim
 07/07/2002 07:01:08 PM · #43
Originally posted by Niten:
Hi, I just found this site a few days ago. I have no background in photography and would like to be better. Maybe I'll submit something soon. For the most part you guys seem a bit tough on the judgeing. I'm going to just hang out in the shadows and maybe I'll come up with something.

Tim

Tim, beware... lol.. the critique here is harsh... if you just take it in a nutshell and come to have a good time, you will do fine :)
 07/07/2002 08:30:33 PM · #44
Well my background is in traditional drawing and illustration. I have always been interested in art. I was always interested in photography, too, but didn't go beyond snapshop quality for a long time. I always had a camera, however, so I have been constantly learning. I received my BA in Visual Communications in 1995 and that's when I got my first semi-serious 35mm camera, a Canon Rebel. After that I was hired as a computer artist/ 3D modeler for a game company. That's where I was able to really learn some of the different programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, and 3D Studio Max. Eventually going digital was inevitable for me, and once I got my first digital camera, the Digital Elph, I was hooked. I eventually got the Sony F707 and I finally felt like I could do the things with a camera that I previously only wished I could. Mostly having nearly complete control over the entire process from taking the picture and seeing what I got, instantly to cropping, color correcting and printing. Photography and artwork will always go hand in hand for me. My next step will be finding ways to make more money from it.

Tim J
 07/07/2002 09:26:55 PM · #45
My background, nothing to speak of except the need to be better. I have always loved the idea of being a photographer. Started out in the early 60's with a brownie but lost interest when girls and music came my way. Picked up again in the early 70's while in the Navy. Served 4 years on Guam and took a ton of b&w with a cheapy olympus. Tried my own developing and everything which was great but stopped when I was freshly married in the mid 70's. Have taken up again here in the last year but have only gotten serious about improving since joining this site. What I thought was good before is not so good. This site has caused me to step back and look at what I was doing. Really has been a good thing for me as I am learning, even if it is slowly. Anyone thinking the people here are hard on you is right, but if you have the drive to improve and the will to stick it out, what they can and will show you is of great help.
D
 07/07/2002 11:06:36 PM · #46
As a child, I used my mom's cameras, which used 127 and 620 film (I wonder if such film is still available. I got an instamatic as a young teen.

I got "serious" about photography as a hobby when I got a college graduation gift of a Minolta SRT-201. Took lots of pictures, learned to develop/pring black and white (at the New School, in NYC), and spent lots of money on processing for color films. I primarily used the camera to record vacations and family. I bought a number of lenses to supplement the camera.

After being laid off from my hightech job in 11/01, I bought a digital camera and have enjoyed using it for family, trips *and* for serious/creative work, taking approximately 4500 pictures since I bought the camera. Not too interested in learning much more about PhotoShop than I need, although my needs are growing.

Would love to be able to make $ with this hobby, but haven't figured that out yet.

sjgleah
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