I was looking at LL's "Where the [bleep] are my images last night (video 4 or 5 I think). In order to have some images to import Reichmann and Resnick went out on the roof to take some random pictures for demonstration purposes. These are just some random, unplanned "junk" photos, right?

As they are working on their computer they bring up one of the photos, absolutely fantastic image of a man in a dark suit and hat (I think), pulling behind him a red hand luggage case, on a curved boardwalk that is painted a faded red and has a gentle "s" curve that perfectly bisects the photo diagonally separating a green hedge from the gray asphalt road. It is a sublime shot, at least 10 times better than anything I have ever taken.

They look at the image and comment that it is a good shot. As part of the tutorial they rate it and discuss it a bit before rating it and after noting that it was pretty good, they just deal absolutely dismissively with it, not worth adding it to the list of top shots and they moved on. The crux of the point is not that they were critical of the shot or gushing over how good it was (which it was) but just how they regarded it a just another okay shot, taken just to illustrate a point more than anything else.

I see great images every day on the internet, most of which are far better than mine, but while it is easy enough to look at and admire a great photo and take the relevant lesson from it, nothing ever illustrated the sheer gulf between my photography and that of an experienced pro like that offhanded discussion between pros of a photo that is so clearly better than anything at all I have ever done.

Rude Awakening

Nice post!

Take the time to learn the lessons offered by experts and you can go far.

Don't want to war with you, Justan, but it is also said that if you want to do anything then do exactly the opposite of what you have suggested and go near none of them!

Rob C

^Another model of Darwin’s theory at work.^

What would be really exciting would be to have Darwin here now, aware of all the discoveries since his time, and hear what he would make of it all.

As interesting and possibly more useful, would be to have the architects of the Pyramids give us all a lecture on production methods in a labour-intensive period; might possibly cure unemployment at a stroke. Imagine: photographers actually working for their money!

Rob C

>What would be really exciting would be to have Darwin here now, aware of all the discoveries since his time, and hear what he would make of it all.

While not quite as good as having a chat with Charlie, but on the topic of a means to learn from experts, there is a site called www.gutenbert.org which has most or all of his writings. It’s one of my favorite sites. The site has a collection of about 30K(!) books, all of which are free to all. Go there and do an author search of Charles Darwin. The site is one of the richest gems on the internet! That is, at least for people who like to read.

> As interesting and possibly more useful, would be to have the architects of the Pyramids give us all a lecture on production methods in a labour-intensive period; might possibly cure unemployment at a stroke.

Egypt in the long span of time when the pyramids were built was perhaps one of the biggest works projects in ancient history but not exactly what I’d call a good place to work. It’s said that the mortar used to hold the stones of the pyramids in place is the blood of the workers. 10s of thousands died or were killed while constructing these monuments. Ironically the monuments to the dead were built by essentially murdering 10s of thousands of laborers. And you can find most of the architects still inside the pyramids. Their standard method of maintaining the secret of the pyramids was to kill the architects. That would be a retirement plan I wouldn’t really want….but it was a better draw of the straw than being a laborer!

> Imagine: photographers actually working for their money!

Dare to dream!

[quote name='Justan' date='Oct 23 2009, 02:34 PM' post='319560']
"there is a site called www.gutenbert.org which has most or all of his writings. It’s one of my favorite sites. The site has a collection of about 30K(!) books, all of which are free to all. Go there and do an author search of Charles Darwin. The site is one of the richest gems on the internet! That is, at least for people who like to read. "


Thanks for that - I didn't know anything about it at all.


"Their standard method of maintaining the secret of the pyramids was to kill the architects. That would be a retirement plan I wouldn’t really want….but it was a better draw of the straw than being a laborer!"


Much the same was supposedly the fate of the Italian who designed the Taj Mahal in honour of Mumtaz Mahal, the deceased wife of Shah Jahan, except that I am told he was blinded instead. What fun winning top commissions! On the other hand, maybe some of the guys who win top commisions today are already blind.

Blood on the Pyramids... now there's the title for another Hemingway! I wonder how accurate any of these stories of years gone by really can be. In fact, I wonder just how reliable much evidence of the past ever was. You consider today's revisions of even recent history - code-breaking machines, for example - and you could throw in John Wayne as serve-all-purposes hero much as we seem to do with each new political leader that comes into his fifteen minutes. I think I grow ever more skeptical about pretty well everything that I am told is the way that things were, are or should be. In the end, I conclude that my own opinion on most non-technically specific things is as valid as any other. Perhaps starting life with that concept is what makes some people rise above the crowd - shame that it mostly arrives too late.

Rob C

> Thanks for that - I didn't know anything about it at all.

The Gutenberg Project is a fabulous resource!

> Much the same was supposedly the fate of the Italian who designed the Taj Mahal in honour of Mumtaz Mahal, the deceased wife of Shah Jahan, except that I am told he was blinded instead. What fun winning top commissions! On the other hand, maybe some of the guys who win top commisions today are already blind.

Architecture on a grand scale has always been about being eye catching. So there is a hint of poetry, even if it’s brutal poetry to that kind of reward for a job well done.

> Blood on the Pyramids... now there's the title for another Hemingway! I wonder how accurate any of these stories of years gone by really can be. In fact, I wonder just how reliable much evidence of the past ever was.

While I studied parts of the history of the ME for 3 years, it was never my strong point. And while I can’t speak to the integrity of all studies, there is a significant effort within most scholarly studies to be both honest and forthcoming.

> You consider today's revisions of even recent history - code-breaking machines, for example - and you could throw in John Wayne as serve-all-purposes hero much as we seem to do with each new political leader that comes into his fifteen minutes.

Historiography is the study of the study of history. If you (or anyone reading this) is interested there are several good books that document the ways in which historical accounts are researched. You can also get a functional overview by going to Wikipedia. Scholarly accounts of history nearly always follow a model of using first hand accounts primarily, then add critical views. In contrast, popular history is usually assembled to advance an agenda.

> I think I grow ever more skeptical about pretty well everything that I am told is the way that things were, are or should be. In the end, I conclude that my own opinion on most non-technically specific things is as valid as any other. Perhaps starting life with that concept is what makes some people rise above the crowd - shame that it mostly arrives too late.

That’s the beauty of opinions and human nature. Most believe what serves their purposes to believe. For those who lack the motivation or ability to do research, they accept what is handed to them.

> I think I grow ever more skeptical about pretty well everything that I am told is the way that things were, are or should be. In the end, I conclude that my own opinion on most non-technically specific things is as valid as any other. Perhaps starting life with that concept is what makes some people rise above the crowd - shame that it mostly arrives too late.

…a couple of days later a favorite quote from one of my (Renaissance) art history profs (from nearly 20 years ago!) comes to mind that both echoes your comment and rises it to the level of aphorism. Here it is: “The older you are the more like yourself you become.”