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Post by Seri on Jun 21, 2012 2:28:40 GMT
It’s lovely to see you all again . Since I’ve re-subbed I’m putting this message here as a way of saying hello to anyone who’s joined since I was last here. There’s not much to say about myself personally. Photography has become my main focus in life. At the one chance I had to take out a bank loan I bought a load of computer and photographic gear, but I’m a slow learner and don’t know how to use a fraction of what I have. I’m still really amateurish, but nothing will stop me from improving, no matter how slowly. I warmly welcome all opinions on my photos, from non-photographers (if there are such here) and beginners like me too, because a critical eye can develop far ahead of skills in the arts. And I’d also like feedback on the mood (or lack of it) in the image, as I need to work on that as much as the technical side. ‘Brutal critiques’ are just fine by me. ‘Gentle’ will teach me nothing. I’m not breakable. My photos are not my ‘babies’; I make them only for the pleasure it gives me. And if I need to bin it, just say so without apology and I will thank you for it and gladly delete them without regret. I will be grateful for having learned something from each failure. I’ll appreciate everything from pointing out large-scale compositional mistakes to the tiniest sensor spot, or hearing that it’s just boring. Guess that’s covered everything I’m also back for the banter, of course...and it's past 3 am....too much coffee. Nothing that a good morning's sleep won't fix There's been so much great stuff posted since I was last here that I have an unrealistic wish to respond to every post, but I must desist or I'll never catch up, so I'll start with those that are posted from this point on. Self discipline was never my strong suit, but every so often good sense wins against spontaneous desire Cheers, Seri
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Post by jiro on Jun 21, 2012 2:36:42 GMT
What can I say? . . . A very warm welcome my dear friend! Glad to have you back with us.
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Post by katynoelle on Jun 21, 2012 4:55:38 GMT
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Post by nickjohnson on Jun 21, 2012 8:49:35 GMT
Hello Seri, May I make a suggestion? By all means delete any work in progress as you feel fit. But please do not delete any original files as they come off the memory card. keep them ALL. Yes even the out of focus blur shots of the floor. I find that the duff images are the ones that remind me of the places and events as well as the good stuff. They help show why the good stuff is good. They also sometimes become good stuff as our pp skills improve HTH.
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Post by Seri on Jun 21, 2012 9:36:25 GMT
Jiro and Katy, thanks for you welcome. I hope to help keep those smiles on your faces, as you've both helped to keep a smile on mine in the past Nick, it's so good to see you here again And of course you may make a suggestion. I'm even up for orders if they send me in the right direction However, it's only too easy to tempt me to keep too many old photos. I'm still at that amateurish stage of taking far too many of the same thing in the vain hope that one will come out right by sheer chance. Your reasoning is perfectly sound, but even though I have a couple of TB's to play with at present, I would soon be full to overflowing if I kept everything. I'm sure you are much more selective with your shots than I am, and I imagine that they are far more saveable than mine with increasing PP skills. However, after reading what you said I have saved a few more from my daughter's pleasingly honest and critical gaze, and since you mentioned blurred images, I am including one for you. I panned the pre-dawn sea the other day, but it did not please my spratlet Cheers, Seri P.S. I'm very glad that you weren't here to witness the recent Photocide of thousands of old shots from the point and shoot days. I would definitely have had to get out the smelling salts But the more I learn what a good shot is, the easier it is to let go of the bad. And I hardly ever take photographs for sentimental reasons, and that helps too...
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Post by nickjohnson on Jun 21, 2012 13:26:53 GMT
Well Seri, I have to confess that the reason I implored you (or anyone else) not to delete original files is that I have almost nothing to show for the first 50 years of my life. Now that we are in the digital age we are in a position to keep everything - and it won't deteriorate or take up much phyisical space. Since - at long last - getting serious about photography 6 years ago I have about 80K images, about 800 Ive actually worked, and about 150 I've shown. The whole bang shoot fits on a redundant set of hard drives and takes up no more space than a couple of shoe boxes. Oh - and that blur you posted.... someday you or yours will need a cool canvas print - just like that - to go on the wall of an uber cool apartment lounge. Keep it!
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Post by Stevewebb on Jun 21, 2012 13:32:06 GMT
Great to have you back Seri. I was wondering when you would come out of hibernation Your picture above is a perfect example of what not to discard, I would say. Simple, slightly abstract, nice muted tones, peaceful. I can see it on the wall of psychotherapists office or day spa. I am looking forward to your input, banter and of course your photos.
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Post by Seri on Jun 21, 2012 13:53:19 GMT
Well Seri, I have to confess that the reason I implored you (or anyone else) not to delete original files is that I have almost nothing to show for the first 50 years of my life. I'm so sorry to hear that. Now that we are in the digital age we are in a position to keep everything - and it won't deteriorate or take up much phyisical space. Since - at long last - getting serious about photography 6 years ago I have about 80K images, about 800 Ive actually worked, and about 150 I've shown. The whole bang shoot fits on a redundant set of hard drives and takes up no more space than a couple of shoe boxes. I do understand, but in the past I took many photos of the same thing for different reasons. As drawing sources, or for macro ID's, and I no longer need those anymore, so I just keep the best one of each set. Oh - and that blur you posted.... someday you or yours will need a cool canvas print - just like that - to go on the wall of an uber cool apartment lounge. Keep it! Thanks to you, I will Probably best to go more with my instincts in future than offspring's logical eye, or maybe a combination of both. She's the uber cool apartment lounge type though. I'm more a 'simple cottage by the sea' person.....and I really must work out how to do my quotes correctly
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Post by katynoelle on Jun 21, 2012 14:03:53 GMT
Seri, I LOVE that image!!! I know.... I deleted over 200 from yesterday - nonsensical pics of the meadow and blurry bees. But, then, there are the ones I loved, then, I thought they weren't correct, then..... I reallized they're good - they're good! (er, usually, I don't take nearly that many shots.... I was just enthusiastic, yesterday ;D)
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Post by Seri on Jun 21, 2012 14:22:14 GMT
Great to have you back Seri. I was wondering when you would come out of hibernation Thank you, Steve. It's been wonderful to find the old place so unchanged, and still filled with such companionable people as your good self And it's always Midsummer, for future reference. Hades is firm but fair and quite the timekeeper. He always releases me on cue Your picture above is a perfect example of what not to discard, I would say. Simple, slightly abstract, nice muted tones, peaceful. I can see it on the wall of psychotherapists office or day spa. I'm very glad you like it because I'm utterly useless at judging what my photos are like. Nick saved it from oblivion just in time. I've never done a print, and have nothing of note on my walls.....too many bookshelves - no room ;D But you've both got me thinking about the whole print thing for the first time.... I am looking forward to your input, banter and of course your photos. As I also await yours I'm in celebration mode after so many months without communication with friends, so I now have to prevent myself from overdoing the input side of things But I can promise more banter and photos, just as soon as yesterday's coffee overdose finally wears off. It's been nearly 48 hours awake and only one hour's doze so far And I can tell you right now that I will be shamelessly kidnapping some of your little friends.... Cheers, Seri
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Post by Seri on Jun 21, 2012 16:36:49 GMT
Seri, I LOVE that image!!! I know.... I deleted over 200 from yesterday - nonsensical pics of the meadow and blurry bees. But, then, there are the ones I loved, then, I thought they weren't correct, then..... I reallized they're good - they're good! (er, usually, I don't take nearly that many shots.... I was just enthusiastic, yesterday ;D) Oh my! You missed mine as I missed yours, and we must be going blind from lack of sleep I'm so glad you like it. I've never done panning before, and as I'm on the never-ending waiting list for Lee GND filters, I thought it would be best to try it out on the sea before the sun rose. It's such fun, and I'll be experimenting some more over the next few days. There's a wind gusting to force nine out there now, and tomorrow morning I'm also going to try using a long exposure on swaying vegetation while the camera's mounted on a tripod. I think that one of the reasons we find it so hard to work out which photos to junk is that the way we perceive them will change according to our moods and general feelings of self confidence. I've been thinking about what you and Nick have been saying and am now of the opinion that it's probably best to err on the side of caution and only delete the ones we're absolutely sure are losers. If unsure, maybe we should give them the benefit of the doubt, and, as with paintings, we should put them away and not look at them for a long time. When we look at them later with fresh eyes we may see them in an entirely different light. I hope to get some shuteye within the hour. It's currently very noisy around here with offspring singing one of our family favourites: (Example "Changed the Way you Kissed me") very loudly over the sound of the hair dryer (which selfishly drones in an entirely different key to that of the song). She's off to fencing soon, and all will be blissfully quiet.....apart from the gale outside. I hope you've already caught up with your lost sleep. I have visions of you decoratively curled up like a Pre-Raphaelite maid in your flower beds Cheers, Seri
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Post by nickjohnson on Jun 21, 2012 17:54:08 GMT
Set mode = rant on /device = nick. Right ... I'm getting ..... err..... angry at you lot (he says with a dismissive wave of the hand). The very worst time to delete any image is close to the time of taking it. The only thing worse is to delete them ever! If I'm very lucky, tomorrow I will take several thousand images of aircraft. The vast majority will be of no lasting merit and will be largely identical to those I took last year and the year before. I will keep every one of them. I will keep them so that in 20 years time my virtual sensory immersion service will have some data with which to reconstruct the day's events. See....... Now do you see why I need you all to keep your images? Set mode = rant off.
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Post by katynoelle on Jun 21, 2012 17:58:22 GMT
I missed you, Seri! Smiling serenely at Nick....
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Post by Seri on Jun 21, 2012 18:17:30 GMT
Set mode = rant on /device = nick. Right ... I'm getting ..... err..... angry at you lot (he says with a dismissive wave of the hand). The very worst time to delete any image is close to the time of taking it. The only thing worse is to delete them ever! If I'm very lucky, tomorrow I will take several thousand images of aircraft. The vast majority will be of no lasting merit and will be largely identical to those I took last year and the year before. I will keep every one of them. I will keep them so that in 20 years time my virtual sensory immersion service will have some data with which to reconstruct the day's events. See....... Now do you see why I need you all to keep your images? Set mode = rant off. Oh Nick, how magnificent you are when your passions are roused I will keep as many as I can, I promise, but not all. I think the differences in our approaches lies in our respective feelings about the past. I have little attachment to it. I rarely think about past events and mostly live in the present. So I have no need to recreate past events with the help of photographs. But it makes perfect sense for you to do so. Are you going to an airshow tomorrow? If so, I'm very envious. We only have one a year over here, and most can't even find the islands underneath all the clouds...I'm almost indecently attracted to military aircraft and like to get as close as I can in order to bathe in the sounds. It feels like dissolving in them sometimes. Will you be taking any F-16's (or above), Eurofighters, Typhoons, Harriers, vulcans or WWII bombers or fighters? A real treat to look forward to tomorrow, whatever you come back with Cheers, Seri
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Post by Seri on Jun 21, 2012 18:20:08 GMT
Katy, I'm definitely off to bed now, and hope for a good long sleep before getting out again before dawn. We'll catch up soon.......we always do......but never quite entirely Night, night, Seri
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