Justifying the use of a large format camera...

[David H. Bebbington]

most of these comments came from "professionals" or "experts from the field of academia"

Interesting how people like this can be afflicted by tunnel vision - if what you're doing ain't like what they're doing, it's garbage!

[lee]

Matt:

I always look at this sort of thing as a "growth spurt" photographically. You need negative input sometimes to make you question your intentions. I see this as troubling but good none the less. I also think it is healthy for your art. I question a lot of things about what I do every so often. Some of my friends will run the other way when they see me coming now. Such is life.

lee\c

[mark]

EVERYONE
"professionals" or "experts from the field of academia"
.

You have gotten responses from folks on this thread who I would readily call experts in the field and a few of them, I believe, are very good teachers.

Lumping all those who are in academia, who have strived to become experts in their fields, and those who make a living from photography, with the a**holes you mentioned, rubs me the wrong way. Call those who made the comments what they are-an A**hole who teaches. Or maybe an A**hole who makes their living off photographs. I can garantee that these types of folks are not the norm. Gross generalizations are generally pointless and hold very little water.

[scootermm]

I agree lee.
well said.

Ive been in a state of "questioning" my work. just to delve deeper into it. and honestly Ive come to the conclusion that its fun and I love it. there is much more to it... but that lies at the foundation to it.

I do admit it can be troublesome but I agree and also cherish the troublesome times because it feels like theres a better understanding after moving through them.

[jjstafford]

The OP's vague reference to academia is unsupported; when I read such I want to know Who, When, What each person said. So enough of the innuendo, please.

[David H. Bebbington]

The OP's vague reference to academia is unsupported; when I read such I want to know Who, When, What each person said. So enough of the innuendo, please.

Subject only to the laws of libel, and based on nearly 40 years' professional media experience, I could provide you with endless examples of, for example, noted press photographers who have no idea of art photography (and dismiss it with a stream of obscenities), technical and industrial photographers who are in turn totally ignorant and dismissive of press work, etc. I have done a workshop with a minor academic who as a sideline produces photographic collages using fragments of repros of famous paintings and who told me he couldn't understand why I bothered to take pictures at all, as my work did nothing for him. I did another workshop with a former president of Magnum, initials CH, whose concept of photography was that Life magazine was the zenith of the photographic art, that nothing worthwhile had been done since, and that (for example) abstract landscape was garbage and in any case any fool could do it. I have now ceased to attend workshops, having found time and again that the workshop leader, while having undoubted expertise and a well-earned reputation, also had a condescending attitude and a total insistence on being placed on a pedestal, expressed in a total refusal to answer any questions which he/she did not want to hear (does this remind you of anyone posting on this forum?). Time and again, people teaching photography are doing it on the basis of reputations gained 20, 30 or more years ago and jealously guarded ever since. I am thick-skinned enough to be unaffected by this, but the starter of this thread provides evidence of just how discouraging so-called experts can be.

[scootermm]

this may have gotten off track... I was/am in no way generalizing or finger pointing at all.... not of people in the professional field or people in the field of academia (some of my most influential mentors and people I admire most are amongst the latter)

it was merely just curiosity that spurred my original posting. Interested in what others experiences were. the more people I converse with on this forum and members of APUG in person... the more I realize how much knowledge and experience they have from the years theyve spent pursuing this passion we all share.

I apologize if Ive offended or insulted anyone.

[Jorge]

I agree lee.
well said.

Ive been in a state of "questioning" my work. just to delve deeper into it. and honestly Ive come to the conclusion that its fun and I love it. there is much more to it... but that lies at the foundation to it.

I do admit it can be troublesome but I agree and also cherish the troublesome times because it feels like theres a better understanding after moving through them.

If you ever stop questioning your work you have gotten in a rut. I am always questioning my work and how I can do things differently, I try different compositions, exposure, development. Some work, some dont....I just dont want 20 years from now to be making the same pictures I make now, how boring.. !