Understood Fred. When someone says to me "You must have a very good camera", I personally take it as a compliment. It is just kind of funny how they related it to ""You must have some very good pots & pans", but that would never be said, it would always be "you must be a very good cook". Even though "You must have a very good camera" would be demeaning to the photographer, I don`t believe it is ever meant to by anyone who says it, except a Mother-in-Law of course, but then isn`t that kind of a back-handed compliment to the Mother-in-Law being wise? My artistic talent is right up there with yours Fred, when you say "The truth is, while I personally have managed to develop a (very) few photographic skills over time, much of my modest success in pleasing others and myself with my photography is indeed due at least partially to my equipment.", what is the rest of the success due to (which I believe is a good size chunk), if only "partially" equipment, could it be skill? I think so.
Steve Larson Redondo Beach, California ----- Original Message ----- From: "Fred" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2002 6:28 PM Subject: Backhanded Compliment [was: Joke] > > Just a little joke related to Photography that I thought was > > funny. Morris, a professional photographer, was invited to dinner > > at the Goldblums. He took along a few pictures to show the > > hostess. Millie Goldblum looked at his photos and commented, > > "These are very good! You must have a very good camera." He > > didn't make any comment, however, as he was leaving to go home he > > said, "That was a really delicious meal, Millie!" "Thank you!" she > > replied enthusiastically. Then Morris added, "You must have some > > very good pots & pans." > > Steve: > > I did enjoy the joke, which I think I've heard before. I've also > heard before the "Oh, you must have a very good camera" comment a > few times (as I'll bet almost all of the members of this list also > have). Of course, generally it's meant as a compliment, but it does > demean the photographic skills of the recipient of the "praise". > > However, after I stopped chuckling at the humor, I thought about it > a little bit, and realized that it is not totally a joke, at least > not for someone such as myself, who can fit his entire arsenal of > artistic talent in a K-mount rear lens cap (heck, maybe even in a > screwmount one). > > A confession: The truth is, while I personally have managed to > develop a (very) few photographic skills over time, much of my > modest success in pleasing others and myself with my photography is > indeed due at least partially to my equipment. Having good > equipment frequently allows me to take photos that other people, who > sometimes might have more innate talent but who are limited by their > equipment, might not be able to capture. > > But, this is not to say that I should feel totally uncomplimented > when I hear the "Oh, you must have a very good camera" comment. > After all, it may often be my drive to obtain the best equipment for > a task that sometimes allows me to record an image that others > around me might not be able to. > > So, the bottom line is that, while the "Oh, you must have a very > good camera" comment might be damning with faint praise, it might > sometimes also be taken as appreciation of the photographer's skill > or efforts in choosing the right tools for the job (unless, of > course, it came from one's mother-in-law). > > Well, that's my confession, followed by my rationalization. For > penance I will spend the next month armed only with an MV equipped > with a 40/2.8 pancake with a frozen aperture ring... > > Fred > - > This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, > go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to > visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
