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11/10/2009 08:44:28 PM · #1 |
Okay......there are plenty of whining, griping, and demanding more stuff threads. I formally request that this thread be limited to heartfelt, and thoughtful, insights on how much of a terrific resource it is.
Obviously......I'll start.....8>)
When I got here, I pretty much didn't know how to work my camera....I had a DSLR, which was a replacement for the 35mm SLR that I had for many years, but I never had the darn thing off "P" for the entire time I owned it. And.....since I didn't know anything at all, I never managed to learn that you could compensate for exposure, color, contrast, or for that matter, crop. I dropped the rolls of film off, and got what I got.
One of the first things that happened to me was before I'd even been here a month, I struck up a conversation via PM, then e-mail, with a guy whose image had totally blown me away, and the next thing I knew....I had a mentor.....a guy half my age, with talent, a sh*tload of patience, and terrific teaching skills, who made me use my camera in manual mode for a loooooooong time, explaining to me how the basics work so that I actually could start to understand how all this works.
I had a 6.75 and a ribbon inside of six months after my first challenge entry had garnered a 3.8.
I blame Sean......8>)
Before I'd even been here a year, I'd learned how to use my camera and got a ribbon......all because of the kindness of people here.
I'm going to stop here, and save more for later......
PLEASE tell us something about how DPC has personally performed amazing things in your life as a photographer.
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11/10/2009 08:51:19 PM · #2 |
More than just providing endless online amusement, DPC has helped me connect with others who love photography as much as I do. I've learned from them, but moreover, I've been able to meet these people in person, share meals with them, practice the art, and carry on at GTGs. This is a hell of a good community and I'm proud of my friends here.
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11/10/2009 08:58:00 PM · #3 |
Some serious Jekyll and Hyde going on here, eh Jeb? :-)
FWIW, I like DPC too. Happy thoughts about DPChallenge.
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11/10/2009 08:59:32 PM · #4 |
Well, I met Leo and  dknourek and have had a blast with both of them. I learnt a lot from the Tutorials. I used to just do light painting, but since being here I learnt other things to do and have achieved a couple of Ribbons from it. I bash heads with some people, but privatly we PM each other and I have made friendships from this. I have given away tons of memberships and money to people on here and think it is worth every single penny and would do it again. Because, this (as weird as it sounds) is my family. |
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11/10/2009 09:09:12 PM · #5 |
GREAT site !! I have....
- met wonderful photographers (on line & real life)
- experimented with different genres that I otherwise would not have tried
- the satisfaction of doing well & once in a while coming out on Top
- fun & excitement with the challenges & side challeng , lets me work both sides of my brain
- the chance to own & use fantastic hardware
- managed (hopefully) to contribute in one way or another |
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11/10/2009 09:46:49 PM · #6 |
I love this site too... and am completely addicted to it.
I have learned a tonne.... learned more here than from any other source. Met a bunch of great people, engaged in some interesting debates, improved my photography....etc. etc. |
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11/10/2009 09:49:35 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by JulietNN:
Well, I met Leo and dknourek and have had a blast with both of them. |
:-(
R. |
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11/10/2009 09:57:49 PM · #8 |
| Robert, what did you do to her that she would treat you so? |
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11/10/2009 10:00:15 PM · #9 |
(*&*&&^$&^%(&*)(* )(**)&*( UOUOIUUTR
and bear_music
Gosh how could I forget throwing up in his bathroom and still having the best 4 days of my life. He was the first DPC'er I met off here. He cooked me the most amazing steak and I was trying to sleep , whilst having an altitude migraine. I ate about 5 bites and excused myself and was blowing chunks. I was so trying to be as discreet as possible. Poor man, thought I was insane!!!!!
We had an amazing few days together as he showed me the sights.
Message edited by author 2009-11-10 22:01:01. |
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11/10/2009 10:03:36 PM · #10 |
Meh...I hate this place. It's like online crack. If they weren't paying me $25 a year to be here, I'd be long gone.
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11/10/2009 10:30:07 PM · #11 |
I learned how to click the "Update" button : )
And, I have a lot of new on line friends, and have met a few of them in person. DPC is like extended family.
It has helped me a lot in developing a shooting style, and in "seeing" a scene for it's light and composition.
I don't do much processing except basic, because I don't seem to have time, and I only shoot .jpg anyway.
I'm still a "hick clicker" but I love this site.
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11/10/2009 10:59:10 PM · #12 |
| If there is one thing that DPC has taught me, its how to take a step back, lose the emotional connection to my photograph, and judge it accordingly... Because of this, my photos have gotten better, and for that, I'm grateful... |
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11/11/2009 12:08:25 AM · #13 |
I have to admit to being addicted to this site also and spending way too much time here. But I have probably learned more here about photography by reading the tutorials and forums than anywhere else. Participating in the challenges has forced me to explore areas and topics that I never would have thought of on my own. I like the restrictions on the editing for the challenges, because they force you to learn more about actual photography and not depend on editing to create images. Attempting to emulate some of the "cliched" shots at times has forced me to learn more about lighting, composition, and processing than I ever thought possible. (And winning a few virtual ribbons has been great also.)
I don't know if I will ever develop my own unique style - I'm probably not creative enough for that (I'm a stodgy old engineer by trade). But with continued participation and development here, who knows?
I don't participate a lot in the forums. Most of the time I don't feel like I'm qualified enough to offer much advice. But I do feel like my fellow DPC'ers are my on-line friends. Maybe one day I'll get to meet some DPC'ers if they're passing through Birmingham, AL.
Bottom line - I think that the pros of this site far outweigh any negatives. Nothing is perfect. Like most everything, what you get out of something depends on what you put in.
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11/11/2009 01:12:49 AM · #14 |
I used to love it... now it seems rather amateur. I don't mean that as insulting as it possibly sounds but I think DPC caters for far more beginners than say, the FM forums.
Also, I think the lack of pro-oriented forums on DPC is a bit of a let down for me personally. Again citing FM, I like how there is a forum for wedding photography, one for lighting, and another for landscapes and another for people. I think that's a much better system than what is shown here.
Calls have been made for a lighting forum for years but it never materialised and was instead relegated to a few threads kept alive by persistent souls.
I used to learn a lot but now it seems to have a different climate and ambience in the forums, and indeed the challenges themselves which now seem 90% thoughtless.
Of course, just my 2c. I'm happy people still get something out of it. |
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11/11/2009 01:21:42 AM · #15 |
Originally posted by Tez:
I used to love it... now it seems rather amateur. I don't mean that as insulting as it possibly sounds but I think DPC caters for far more beginners than say, the FM forums.
Also, I think the lack of pro-oriented forums on DPC is a bit of a let down for me personally. Again citing FM, I like how there is a forum for wedding photography, one for lighting, and another for landscapes and another for people. I think that's a much better system than what is shown here.
Calls have been made for a lighting forum for years but it never materialised and was instead relegated to a few threads kept alive by persistent souls.
I used to learn a lot but now it seems to have a different climate and ambience in the forums, and indeed the challenges themselves which now seem 90% thoughtless.
Of course, just my 2c. I'm happy people still get something out of it. |
I don't think this site was ever meant to be a forum site to begin with. That's not the feel I get out of it. They seem to be more of a tacked on 'fun' aspect that should have been secondary to the main purpose of the site, which were the challenges, but have grown beyond that now.
Plenty of places for a more "pro" approach to photography, and I for one am glad that it's not a part of things here. Not everyone goes pro. Very few do, actually. Many might start doing shoots or selling on the side, or that kind of thing, but very, very, very few people actually make it their number one income earner (which is what, IMO, makes a person a real professional). Most of the people that do, seem to leave this site in order to do so.
This site is for fun, fooling around, and not taking yourself too seriously. That's how I look at it. When people do begin to take it to seriously, they fucking lose their minds. lol. It's almost guaranteed. Then they either leave, take a hiatus, or become bitter and cynical. (*cough* *ahem* *whistles innocently*).
Some try too hard, some turn it into their escape from reality, some look at it as a home away from home, some just shoot the breeze and don't give much of a shit.
It's just entertainment man, and it should never really be looked at any deeper than that, I think. If you want Fred Miranda, Fred Miranda is right there, ready to be consumed. If you want to have fun and challenge yourself with silly, meaningless, shallow weekly competition, then DPC is right here, ready to give you that. Take every niche as it is, and life will eventually be a little less stressful.
Yes, one can only go so far as a photographer because of DPC, but DPC isn't the end all of photography, nor should it ever be. |
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11/11/2009 06:36:38 AM · #16 |
I have to agree, The best part of DPC for me is the people I have met at the GTG's and hung around, had breakfast, lunch, shot some photos and shot some shit with. The old gang back in Wisconsin and the new gang here in NZ and that crazy Aussie Chick. Meeting and getting to know these people made it worth the price of membership.
Originally posted by OdysseyF22:
More than just providing endless online amusement, DPC has helped me connect with others who love photography as much as I do. I've learned from them, but moreover, I've been able to meet these people in person, share meals with them, practice the art, and carry on at GTGs. This is a hell of a good community and I'm proud of my friends here. |
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11/11/2009 06:40:57 AM · #17 |
I'm going to key my next additions off Daniel's post here 'cause it mirrors my feelings well.....
Originally posted by dswann:
I have to admit to being addicted to this site also and spending way too much time here. But I have probably learned more here about photography by reading the tutorials and forums than anywhere else. Participating in the challenges has forced me to explore areas and topics that I never would have thought of on my own. I like the restrictions on the editing for the challenges, because they force you to learn more about actual photography and not depend on editing to create images. Attempting to emulate some of the "cliched" shots at times has forced me to learn more about lighting, composition, and processing than I ever thought possible. (And winning a few virtual ribbons has been great also.) |
What he said......8>)
The thing I really like about entering the challenges is voting the ones I enter. There's a lot of back and forth about doing so, but I do a couple of things that I feel justify my doing so.
One.....I vote the other entries high, in fact, for the most part higher than my own is doing. Of late, that has meant that my average vote in those challenges has been 6.5+.
Second.....I try and comment on as many, preferably all, of the entries in any challenge, save for the Free Studies......I just burn out on them, but I do at least pretty much comment on every FS entry that I vote. And I genuinely try to make my comments positive and tell the photog WHY I like the image, and what it is that I think they did right, well, or in a creative manner that struck me.
Third.......my reasoning for voting, and commenting the challenge I entered is because I want to see what kind of viewpoint the other photogs have on the same theme that caused me to go out and shoot something. My entries seem to be about half & half, intentional versus luck that fit. I'll go out shooting, but I really don't always have a specific type of shot in mind when I go out. My Window View II entry was an example of an intentional shooting.....when I saw that challenge description, I knew EXACTLY where I was gonna go for the shot! LOL!!!
My Three Techniques entry on the other hand was a "Hey, that bridge picture I shot a couple days ago has three interesting techniques in it.....". So that one was a completely accidental luck shot.
So a lot of my interest is to expand my own viewpoint by examining what the other entrants have done with the exact same parameters I had. I find it tremendously inspiring. I learn, and often find myself saying things like "Wow!", and "Hmmm.....never thought of THAT!" when I'm voting & commenting.
Originally posted by dswann:
I don't know if I will ever develop my own unique style - I'm probably not creative enough for that (I'm a stodgy old engineer by trade). But with continued participation and development here, who knows? |
I often wondered that myself until recently when people have been making references to a particular editing style, and subject material that I seem to like......that'd be that grungy, old, & dilapidated building and/or vehicle that I find and can shoehorn into a challenge description. The offerings above are two of my favorite places and I have hundreds of images of both. That bridge is also the subject of my most lucrative sales......the retail total on various views and iterations of that bridge have exceeded $3000. And let's face it, it's pretty old & grungy. But it has the beauty of the kind of architecture that just isn't done any more.
Originally posted by dswann:
I don't participate a lot in the forums. Most of the time I don't feel like I'm qualified enough to offer much advice. But I do feel like my fellow DPC'ers are my on-line friends. Maybe one day I'll get to meet some DPC'ers if they're passing through Birmingham, AL. |
Well, I do participate in the forums.......too darn much, and I let some of the stupidest things get under my skin.
But I also get involved with, and start these threads that concentrate on the good things that happrn here, and because of the good people here.
I have zero formal train ing, and have a whole bunch of bad habits and misguided ideas about photography, but one thing you have to realize.......your take on how something is done, or better yet, how YOU deal with a certain situation as a way to get the shot, or edit, that you're seeking, may help someone over a personal hurdle.
If I haven't learned anything else here, it's that there aren't just a right and wrong way to do things......there are a whole bunch of different approaches to doing something. What may seem like a cockamamie, screwball, band-aid fix to you may be exactly what someone else has been trying to figure out.
Offer it up.
Originally posted by dswann:
Bottom line - I think that the pros of this site far outweigh any negatives. Nothing is perfect. Like most everything, what you get out of something depends on what you put in. |
What he said......8>)
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11/11/2009 07:08:29 AM · #18 |
I love this site more for the forums and people who are members of this site. I'm just starting to earn a little money on the side, but I still love sharing techniques and knowledge with other photographers both here and where I live. That's the way this site is. No one seems threatened that anyone will take away their business if they share knowledge. Have you ever gone into a "pro" studio and started talking to the photographer? As soon as they find out you are a photographer it's like some of them just lock-up and see you as a threat to their business. I don't see that here.
As far as challenges go. I would love to participate in more. But I won't pay for a membership and I am not really a basic editor. I just have to pick and choose what sites to pay for. I pay for flickr and smugmug right now and that's about all I can justify. I just shoot what I shoot and if it fits a challenge I'll enter. If not, I still really enjoy seeing what others enter. I learn from both the winners and the ones that don't do so well.
Thanks to you all and this website my passion is continually fueled. |
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11/11/2009 01:29:28 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by OdysseyF22:
More than just providing endless online amusement, DPC has helped me connect with others who love photography as much as I do. I've learned from them, but moreover, I've been able to meet these people in person, share meals with them, practice the art, and carry on at GTGs. This is a hell of a good community and I'm proud of my friends here. |
I'll echo these sentiments, too.
I love it that I've met DPCers, and spent a day wandering around with them shooting......whatever.
I have met a couple of our all time characters.....Skip, Shannon, & Jutilda, only to find out they're as much, if not more fun in person.
I have been two places that I was always meaning to go shoot but never got around to going.
I also got a Top 10 with a GTG image.
Gotta love that!
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