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>> Scott Withrow wrote: >> >> I hate to see anyone told (and rather sarcastically, at that) not to >> shoot what they see in front of them, just because the shot won't end up >> on the cover of CTC Board or win the Trains Photo contest. Dave Cohen ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) was saying something along these lines: >That's not quite what I said, but it's close. I'm talking about the >personal satisfaction from the results of one's own photography, as in I >have nicely lit sunny day wedgies of UP SD40-2s, so let's expose more >harshly lit wedgies of UP SD40-2's in the same locations because that was >what was in front of me and I am a robot that can't stop taking pictures of >trains. Dave, How close do I have to get to avoid such hyperbole? Who said anything about duplicating successful shots with less-than-optimal ones? Who said anything about power wedgies? (Which seem to be at the root of all evil.) Your "robot" analogy, while being a good bash, does not address the real point I made, which was: When should the relevance of recording a scene outweigh the desire for only "perfect" shots? I think my examples were clear enough to make people consider whether a shot has to be perfect to be of value. You are oversimplifying my counterpoint and stretching it to the extreme. >Resist the urge to dilute the quality of your photography by only shooting >what is a correctly lit shot, not just what is in front of you at the >moment. Your advice/opinion is clear: Do not shoot in anything less than perfect light, because doing so will degrade your photography. My advice/opinion is: Think about it. You may not get a second chance at your shot. If you turn your nose up at it now, you may never get that opportunity again. If it's something you don't already have a better shot of, accept the challenge to do the best you possibly can and take the shot. Even if it's only one frame. What do you possibly have to lose?? That does not make me, or anybody else who might consider a high-sun shot, a mindless backlit-wedgie-shooting-robot, if such a thing could even exist. I certainly don't know any. >Of course if it's rare and I don't have it on film yet and I just >drove 2000 miles to shoot it, I shoot it. If it looks good to me. No one >is forcing me to fire my shutter (at least when I'm not working). I do not >have to shoot every train that is in my viewfinder, was my point. Of course you don't. I never implied that you should, nor did I imply that *not* doing so would somehow diminish your (or anyone else's) efforts as a rail photographer. But I *did* imply that shooting shots when others are taking high-sun siestas won't diminish your efforts as a rail photographer, either. I'm still not clear how taking high-sun shots somehow will "dilute the quality" of my photography. I don't think that the ambiguous term "quality railroad photography" is determined by ratios. If I shoot only one killer perfect-light shot a year and nothing else, or I shoot one killer perfect-light shot and 1000 high-sun overpass shots, that one killer shot is still just as good, and not diluted in any way. >You can't please all of the people all of the time. If you like high-sun shots, >then knock yourself out. You put words in my mouth. I never said that I seek out, or prefer, high-sun shots. But I dislike walking away from an opportunity to record something I've never seen before even less. >Do you do everything that everyone tells you to when they are expressing their opinion? >Would you jump off a bridge if I told you to too? (Editors note: Not recommended due >to possible bodily injury from impact). Ahhh, cliche. By the very nature of opinion, the only reason anyone ever expresses an opinion is that they feel it has value, and that someone else may find it of value and modify their behavior accordingly, to their benefit. If a person didn't want others to take their advice, then why would they offer it? So when you express the opinion quoted above, you are in fact advocating and promoting that manner of behavior, in this case a particular technique of photography. So if you tell me to jump off of a bridge, I would assume that you would really like me to jump off of a bridge. Or never shoot under high sun. I respectfully decline on both counts, because: A) I would probably land on a train. B) A train photograph shot under high sun can have value (or even on rare occasion be good), and in my opinion people should not walk away from shots just because it's two minutes into the ... High Sun Zone. (do-de-do-do do-de-do-do do-de-do-do) Scott Scott Withrow Terre Haute, Indiana (more or less) http://www.railcenter.com ======================================================= -> SPORRS: 'Serious Photographers Of Railroad Related Subjects' -> Web Site: http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/sporrs/ -> Message © 1998 SPORRS® - All Rights Reserved =======================================================
