Filed under: Internet Scrapings
I was reading this article from Wired magazine. It talked about the emergence of microstock photography sites such as istockphoto. I’ve had the same thoughts every time I go out with my DSLR. Not that I will claim myself as a photographer. I think I have still have lots to learn and practice hours to bank in to master my technique. With digital photography though, the learning curve has become less steep, both financially and temporally.
When I go out, I also notice an increase in the number of dslr users. One of my pet peeves though is when they don’t maximize the camera’s functionality. As Kris Krug has said in one of his photography workshops, he knows people who have not taken the setting off auto. Same thing happened about 2 weekends ago in Ucluelet. I was reading a book at Little Beach and then a bunch of people came. They were a WEE bit noisy so I stopped reading and just looked out in the distance (i.e. spaced out). Someone had a dslr and they wanted to capture a jumping shot. I think it they got it on their 10th try. At the back of my brain, the little just wanted to shout “USE THE CONTINUOUS SHOTS MODE!” I decided not to say a thing though, yes I am evil.
Anyway from the what I’ve seen on flickr, there are tons of amateur photographers out there that are extremely talented. They even use simple point and shoot cameras but with an excellent eye and patience with editing programs, they produce beautiful works of art. Here’s an example. Quizz.. used a Panasonic point and shoot camera to create that photograph.
According to the article, some “old school” photographers are adamantly against these changes. In my work though, I have no other choice but to resort to these microstock photography sites. I design and create some of the publications that OLT produces. They should be vibrant and lively with colour and photographs. When I was scrounging around for photos of UBC, I found out that our office still has to pay royalty fees to use UBC stock photos. In order to cut costs, I just went out and took photos around campus.
I started with a measly 5yr. old point and shoot nikon and I think I still have decent photos of campus life. Now that I have my dslr, I had more control with how my photos look. Here’s an example,
Life Sciences Atrium
I put whatever photos I have on flickr with a Creative Commons license. I want people to see and use my photos. They just have to let me know that they are going to use them. If they feel they have to compensate me financial then yes by all means do. Ha! But I feel enough of a reward that my photos are pretty enough to be used by others. There are somethings that you do just for the sake of doing them. However, when it comes to something like art, sometimes there is no use in keeping them secret. I would want other people to see my art.
In my honest opinion, these “old school” photographers are just afraid of change similar in the way that other people were afraid when robots started coming in to help at factories. It also shows that we can never be lax and that we have to keep on learning new things. Sometimes it is better late in learning something rather not learning it at all. The world is changing and so must we.
Filed under: Internet Scrapings
I have recently become addicted to something called flickr. It is a photo sharing site that according to Brian Lamb is a perfect example of Web 2.0 sites.
One of the neat things about flickr is the option to geotag your photos. Similar to tagging but the difference is that you place your photos on a map. It tells people where the photo was taken, which for me as an avid traveller is such a boon. This why it is such a pet peeve when I saw such an awesome photo and not know where it is from because the photographer has not geotagged it.
Guess where this is? You might have to click it to find out
Apparently, the new buzz word right now is mash-ups. Geotagging for me is mashing up my two favorite loves: travelling and photography. For my photos on flickr, I actually zoom in as much as I can when I geotag them. Maybe it’s the OC in me but it also helps me remember where the photo was taken. I take lots of photos. If I didn’t bring so much stuff with me everyday I would bring my camera too and I wouldn’t go home till I completely fill up my camera’s memory card. By the way, my memcard has a capacity of 4GB (298 RAW/900+ JPG). Every single one of those photos will be geotagged meticulously.
Tagging has become common practice and I think geotagging should as well. It helps people see the world a little bit better. Many people do not have the luxury to travel around or go to certain places. By knowing where photos were taken, we are sharing our experiences with others. The best photos makes you feel that you are in it as well. Maybe you’re like me who thought it was such a mundane thing to do. However, you look back at your “flickr map” and then you realize that you’ve travelled well and seen a lot of things. There is some satisfaction to that.
Filed under: Road Scrapings
Before anybody verbally attacks me with unnecessary comments, a couple of disclaimers.
- Yes I do other things besides eat and watch TV. I just don’t talk about them a lot. Maybe snippets here and there in conversations but not the primary topic.
- I will be talking about me surfing. Yes I do surf and no I am not good. I’ve only been out to surf twice in my lifetime so I request people to throw me a bone here. I haven’t perfected the art of standing on a board but anything below that such as kneeling or crouching, I can do. So do not denigrate my experience into something less fun because I’m just not as good as some people.
Surfing as an activity for the masses will look more epic than it should be. Every time I go out and go on the beach, I see people doing the same thing I would be doing in a couple of minutes. As I see throngs of people in their wetsuits, carrying their boards on their sides or on their heads, I feel that I or we are going into battle. The boards will be our weapon to master the beast and our wetsuits will be our armour against its icy attacks.
The first steps into the water, you can feel the water seep through giving a chill that slowly envelops the body. We wade forward, deeper into the sea with our boards on the ready. Waves are barreling forward, breaking under its own weight, and regaining its height and power a few moments later. Deeper we go into the water and the waves tower over us, pushing as back to shore. Some will lose their stance and be throttled back to where they started. Others will meet the surge head on and try to stand their ground. Feet will sink into the sand as we resist this force of nature.
Rain and spray and salt blind us, makes us forget where we are. When we open our eyes, we remember that the battle must be won or our efforts will be in vain. Even as we fall, we stand and try again. We lick our lips and taste the salt, reminding us that there is no turning back. Battlecries are shouted as we overcome successive waves that dare to decimate our forces.
Everyone move into their positions, stand their ground and wait. The sea calms before the next wave. We see the horizon and dream of a better day. Our eyes shake us back to reality as the horizon disappears before us. Waters start to rise and break, showing us the mighty mouth of the beast that threatens to envelop us. Then we turn around, go onto our boards, and paddle. Paddling not to run but to master the beast as it approaches.
We paddle and then it comes. The surge pushes us forward, goes under the boards and lifts us up. For the lucky few, they stand up and go to shore knowing that they have conquered nature and tamed its power. For the many though, they are consumed by the wave’s power. However, they stand up and try again. Go into battle like it was their first until they have succeeded like the lucky few.
Phew! That was a load off my chest! I’ve always wanted write something like that. Now that I did, done is done! I hope people are entertained or enthralled.
