Dear Artur, <br />I always say that everyone gets what he deserves - hopefully ! :Happy And you deserve a lot of credit in my humble opinion ! It might not be a big deal for you, but my experience (referring to german communities mainly) is, that sharing knowledge is not everybodys intention, especially when it comes to helping beginners who can just about switch their camera on and off ! Not mentioned the graphic artists who would rather cut their hands off than telling their secrets to anybody interested in the matter ! <br /> <br />So you see, it´s no flattering at all when I , and not just me, say that you´re one of a kind.......it´s just the truth ! And apart from that you´re a damned good photographer ! <br />Yes, that had to be said although now news to anyone here ! π But what I was actually gonna say was : I´m happy that you are here and how you handle things ! β€οΈ
Whilst I agree with your statement in the main Artur, and thank you for acknowledging me, I do not entirely agree with your statement that we are obligated. I am happy to help those people who want help. I get irked by people who consider it is a matter of right. That they are entitled to know every detail about how I achieve the things I do. We are entitled to keep information regarding our personal signature styles to ourselves or everyone would be the same. Besides which there is the added encouragement and motivation to experiment and seek out for yourself how things are done. Nothing like hands on experimentation to learn things. For people to simply say they know nothing about certain programmes or equipment is defeatist and opting for a nil growth path. If we want to learn about things we cannot expect things to be handed to us on a plate......it requires at some point for us to get off our chuffs and do what we can for ourselves.....we usually then find that people are more willing to help if they see us making an effort. That has been my experience. A simple thank you like Avy has done is all that is required to show a little gratitude and appreciation for the help given. I am loath to assist ignorant people and do not feel obligated to do so in the slightest. Civility and politeness goes a long way and is still a valuable commodity in this day and age. :congrats π ;)
Thanks Fred, Antje and Iain. Probably the word I used, Iain ( obligation ) is a strong one, but...I feel I have the duty to pass to people like myself - people of goodwill - the knowledgement I have, especiallly when I feel that these people wants to learn, they are ready to learn, they are asking, sometimes by other means than words, they are asking for guidance and help. Like Antje said, there are graphic artists that would rather cut their hands off, than telling their secrets to anybody interested.And that´s what puzzles me: WHY? I understand your point Iain, as to achieve the level of perfection I have - and modesty apart and technically, I am always seeking perfection - I had to spend many nights, reading, experimenting, burned lots of films, waistes lots of chemicals and paper to achieve what I wanted. But if I can spare that time to others, why not? The problem my friends is that everybody - or almost everybody - see the world as a competitive arena in all means. Like I use to say: what is better or worse? Who´s the best photographer or the worst one? I cannot tell. What I can tell is that a photographer, besides is own vision of the world and of his/her surroundings, has to be perfect in what he/she´s doing. And believe that in photography perfection is a very easy objective to achieve. The difficult part is to try to pass our emotions,moods and feelings and also others emotions,moods and feelings , to the people that see our work...on an image.I am glad to pass my humble knowledge to everyone that is ready...and humble like myself....to learn. I am learning everyday. |O| :Happy
Agreed Artur!!!! I stop helping people when they rudely demand I help them but in the main I am open to help anyone and pass on my skills. I stop short of people stealing my identity though as that was hard earnt as you have said in your comments of your own. The medium cannot advance unless skills are passed on and I completely agree with you on the point of that necessity. No-one, thankfully, can ever know it all. The only thing that can stop us from learning is a closed mind, fear of succeeding and a refusal to investigate. There are many programmes over the time that when I first opened them I wanted to throw out the door in frustration. The greatest help I have found with these programmes is to sit and read the help files. Go to the download sites and read all the information available. Follow tutorials and read the forums on these sites as well. Whether the application is freeware or purchased,the end result comes down to the learnt skill and ability of the artist. It is extremely negative to look down on work that is produced in one application or another. All are tools and if a purchased piece can give you the result you seek then what is the problem? I have to say here that some freeware programmes have the same capabilities as purchased programs and as in the case of PhotoPlus versus PaintShop Pro, the airbrush in PhotoPlus is superior to PSP. Knowing your filters and plug ins and programmes or any equipment you use and understanding its capabilities is part and parcel of producing consistent work.The only restrictions we face are those that are self imposed. :congrats π ;) .....P.S. This is turning into a really worthwhile discussion Artur......Good move! :congrats
Good point Iain. For instance, when I first opened The Gimp...I felt so frustrated that I even unninstalled it from the system. Then I said: " Well, you lazy guy, go for it, try to understand the software and work with it." the result ? I love The Gimp, although and for my work, nowadays I even do not use it - nor Photoshop, or PhotoImpact, or alikes. Not because they are not great programs, just because I do care to have most of my work, done with an in the camera. This has a lot to do with the fact, that I was "photo born", on the analogue era, where I´ve paid my mistakes very heavily , I did not had any software at my disposal to correct of enhnance my captures, I had to do it right out of the camera, I used filters, different grades of paper, different development techniques, I have even manufactured my own chemicals - I had to learn at that time something about chemistry, and I hate chemistry.Is this different to what´s happening nowadays ? Probably not, as the convencional darkroom gave its place to the digital darkroom. The problem - which for me is not a problem - is that I am completely addicted to have the things right out of the camera, and that´s my biggest motivation, is to mix the analogue era with the digital one. The result? I probably do not use photographic software as much as anyone does. Is that - to use photographic/imaging software - a bad thing ? No it is not. But for me is not as motivating as...the analogue era which for me just translates as: you have to do it right as a bad capture will always be...a bad capture. Over and out. :Happy
Good point Artur....you cannot make a silk purse out of a sows ear. π ....I too came out of the era when things were done by hand and I had to go through a steep learning curve with digital stuff in the art field. I still do my own handprinted Tshirts and handcut stencils but I have to admit it is getting to my eyes these days. I love the craft aspect rather than hitting a button. I love mixing colours by hand and matching. I still use a hand bench for printing and in some ways the human hand can allow for imperfections in a substrate that a machine cannot so progress is not always an improvement. Though today they trot out the phrase as long as it is commercially acceptable. I have learnt that by marrying the new with the old you can get results that are truly unique.In a lot of my computer graphics I still use filters that are a good ten years old.A little application called Resplendent Resolver can mend a lot of incompatabilities. It fools the application or filter into thinking it is running on an older system so you can still use it. Found that about a month ago. :congrats π ;)
That´s why my friend I keep saying that we are all learning every single day. And it is good to learn. π |O| HH
π π π π π π π Dead right there Artur!!! :congrats
