The following is the complete text of an email sent to me by way of my photo gallery’s contact form:
I urge you to read some books on nature photography. I would recommend John Shaw but his books are from the film era, although even if you’re shooting digital, they would help you a lot. You seem like a nice guy or I wouldn’t have taken the time.
Yeesh.
I’m glad that people let you know that they truly care.
Oh, isn’t that nice.
The comment I sometimes get is, “These are pretty good….considering the camera you’re using.”
My pet peeve: camera snobs
Btw, on and off tonight, I’ve gotten the following page load error when trying to come here:
Connection Interrupted
The connection to the server was reset while the page was loading.
The network link was interrupted while negotiating a connection. Please try again.
One other thing. If you get a chance, can you wander over to my blog and check out the Lone Pine post and tell me if the pine cone in the last photo is from a Coulter Pine. I’m pretty sure it is. Figured if anyone would know for sure, it would be you.
I’m getting a huge amount of traffic on a post a couple doors down. It should ebb.
At the moment, books are providing support for my old Nikon in a place where the cats can’t get to it and knock it down onto the floor, so, yes, books help me take photographs. Not sure about the “better,” though.
Truth be told, my dear wife bought me a couple of little books by Scott Kelby a couple of years ago that contain some tips that look like they might help me if I ever get around to following them.
You seem like a nice guy or I wouldn’t have taken the time. If you seemed like a jerk, I’d probably be eating a cheeseburger instead, so I am resentful that you have deprived me of my just due. You must be a liberal or something, acting like a nice guy like that just to take stuff away from me.
Books can indeed help one take better photographs. I had one by Scott Kelby back at the old place that was quite helpful.
Another thing books can do is give you guidelines for offering criticism that is actually useful. For instance, “your composition sucks,” “stop shooting handheld, you obviously can’t do it well,” or “you’re getting your exposures all wrong” each convey helpful information while still maintaining the all-important self-satisfied smugness present in that simple but insufficient “read a book whydoncha.”
I just was checking your photo gallery Chris. And I don’t think you need any book
at all. Those photographs are as good as any “pro’s” I’ve seen lately.Matter of fact, I am really jealous! Just kidding! And I like how people viewing have the opportunity to purchase at a fair price. I really like the Cima sunset photos.
Don’t make the mistake I did which was study every book I could lay my hands on to the point that I lost interest and maybe my “photographic eye”.
Bill
http://morongobillsbackporch.blogspot.com
Remember, it’s not professional photography if there isn’t a truckload of depth of field effect in the shot. Only the rosettes must be in focus, damnit man!
Everybody’s an expert! You might reply and ask the poster where their photographs have been published ;)
Well I came for the “incendiary blog post” but I stayed because of the photo of Zeke. You can take “professional” photos, or you can take photos with heart and soul. I prefer the latter.
Welcome JaneGael! That’s a very cute ratty you’ve got in your avatar there. My goal, of course, is to shoot photos that have heart and soul AND to do so in a way that looks professional, or at least competent.
One of the ways I try to do that is to study the works of other photographers who have my chops beat by a parsec or two, and to that end you all should click on that link on Michael E. Gordon’s name two comments up.
The thing is, though… you are a professional photographer. You have work for sale, and you have sold your work. I mean, sure, there’s a bit of doing it for fun involved, but that’s not the essential criterion. If your work has sold, on purpose, it is, by definition, professional photography.
I also don’t know why that person recommended John Shaw, anyway. His aesthetic is considerably different than yours, and I doubt you need instruction on which end of the camera to point at the subject, in any case.