Greetings,
John Lucas wrote:
> I was one of the original list members (the first time). The idea of a
> list for serious railfan photographers was a good one. And, the list had
a
> good beginning. There were constructive discussions (sometimes biased)
> about film, cameras, lenses, techniques.....and the subjects go on. At
> least they were all directly related to railfan photography. Sure, there
> were differences of opinion on a variety of the subjects, but the list
was
> providing some good information.
<snip>
> I might be wrong, but I never remember
> anything in the original "charter" that included what we do with our
images
> after we shoot them.......or even why we do it in the first place.
For those of you who are newer SPORRS members, below is what most original
members consider the original "charter" that John is referring to. This
proceeded the first SPORRS info file. I edited out the redundant
subscription information for clarity:
---Begin paste---
Serious Photographers Of Railroad Related Subjects ('SPORRS')
'SPORRS' was designed to be a forum and discussion group for all
photographers serious about railroad photography. It is not for the
'novice' railfan. It is a place where we can all compare and discuss
our railfanning experiences and film and camera equipment. I
believe this group will grow and become a lot of fun for all who
participate.
<snip>
Please feel free to submit your own comments and suggestions on how to make
this list even more enjoyable for all. Have fun trackside!
---end paste---
...I went on in that post to suggest that the SPORRS members should supply
some basic information about themselves (city, occupation if relevant, type
of gear used, notes on technique, location, favorite areas to shoot, etc.)
to me so I could assemble a 'member directory'. However this idea was not
very successful and there were few responses, so this never happened. This
really doesn't matter though. What IS important was that we have a place
to speak and share ideas and thoughts on our hobby, RR photography.
My personal opinion is that video is not photography, it is another media
art entirely, but if you want to post notes about railroad video on SPORRS,
it may loosely fit into the subject matter. I am a still photographer. I
do not shoot video, but I know some members do. To me videos are more
closely related to movies than still photography. And still photography is
originally what I had in mind for this list. And now we have the area of
digital photography and imaging emerging as the next relevant influence on
still photography and how we will view it in the future. And web page
design. Do not confuse the two, but they are now related. By going
digital, your method of image capture changes, but this is still serious
photography. So is B&W darkroom work. Filming video is movie making,
another visual art.
Photography discussion of railroad related subjects, such as technique,
experience, location, equipment, film and the like is what I had in mind
for this list. Some of you may not like everything that is posted onto
this list, and you're not going to. But when you subscribed, you accepted
the fact that it will all enter your mailbox. It has been said before by
more famous persons than any
of us here, that "you can't please all of the people all of the time". And
I never intended to. It's silly to think that any of us could.
Dave Cohen
SPORRS Founder
--> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects
