has the fun gone out of photography

CanNik

Has the enjoyment, pleasure, fun, call it what you want gone out of photography.

My first real camera was a Praktica Super TL, I can't remember going out without it, coming back home with my self loaded FP4 or HP4, developing it and printing it (I was not that good), I was 15 ish. I took photographs of EVERYTHING from the light in my bedroom to the whole of Frimley and Camberley walking everywhere.

I learned, not from books but doing, OK I learned the very very basics from reading the occasional Amateur Photographer but the rest like many was from doing. And this is what baffles me today.

Like learning the one thing I think I still use every day, my times tables, mental arithmetic, I wonder how the teens and even adults today would cope without a calculator, or if the power to their till went down. I bought two hot dogs at an event, 2 x £2.35 easy £4.70 gave £5 change 30p, the teenager had to use a CALCULATOR !!!!!!!!

Photography is the same.

Ask most new day photographers how they work out the hyperlocal distance, “What's that ??”

For grab shots, street photography what are the best average settings with iso 200 “125th at f8” DUH!

I instinctively KNOW exactly what my DOF will be at a given aperture for my lenses on my cameras, how, years of practice and doing.

I can't remember the last time I took my cameras off Manual mode, and as a sports photographer, when I last used continuous shooting, 99.99% of the time single frame

I have met so many I have lost count, supposed sports photographers at Donington, Brands Hatch, Silverstone etc who can't even pan !!!

To e the fun/enjoyment was the fun of learning to “do”, why f8 was different to f2, why my sports shots were better panned at 1/125th than 1/500th.

I have nothing against auto, , but if the fun has not gone out of photography, the knowledge of how, why, what has

like Astronomy and new telescopes, full automation in photography and astronomy has opened up a world to people who would not have previously participated, it is just a shame that so much pleasure is being lost by not trying things out.
                                                                                 
Just MY personal thoughts

273K

So what? How do you know the people shooting in full auto, continuous shutter, not panning, etc. aren't having fun? What's fun for you might not be fun for someone else, and what works for you might not work for someone else.

BT Bob

I think one thing that has definitely changed from the old film days is the unbelievable obsession with sharpness.

The fact that you can now sit in front of a 28" monitor and blow a picture up to x00% and pixel-peep to prove it's pin-sharp has definitely meant a shift in some people's focus (no pun intended) from the subject matter itself to how sharp it is.

In the "real-world", take a picture, print it at, say 8x10, mount it, frame it, hang it on a wall and stand 3-4' away and look at it. It won't matter if it was shot on film (35mm or 120) or digital (6mb or 20mb sensor).

Just look at the image

For me, it's a bit like hifi.... Too many people get hung-up listening the "sound" of the music on their system, rather than the music itself.

Snake79

Everybody is different. There are those who take photography seriously and those who it's just a bit of fun taking snapshots. Add the fact that everyone is at a different skill level and you have a mix of amateurs through to experts in their field.

It can take years to learn the craft and there are many different genres that require slightly different approaches to the subject. I shoot a range of different things and I am better at some and worse at others. For me that usually comes down to practice, the more I do something the more I learn and the better I get.

We also live in the digital age where it has become easier to get started and we don't have to get the shot right first time and have almost unlimited shots at our fingertips.

I tend not to worry about other people and just concentrate on my own work. For me it's a hobby and sometimes I go through a creative lull but as I shoot different things I often will do something different to get me out of a rutt.

I also print at home and I find that really helps give a sense of achievement rather than just seeing it on screen like 99% of the population. This has helped me hone my skills across the board. That and knowing your camera and lenses well. My advice is shoot what you enjoy and don't worry about anyone else. Those that want to learn will and those that don't will continue regardless.

CanNik

Johnmcl7

I'm not sure why anyone would think people don't learn photography by trying, the wonder of digital photography is that people can do that far, far easier as they can see what they're doing as they go along and they can take as many photos as they want with realistically no limits now.  On top of that there's a massive wealth of information available on line in the form of magazines, help sites, videos and online forums where people can get immediate feedback and help in developing their skills reducing frustrating and improving enjoyment along the way.

It's a false to assume simply because cameras have automated modes that there's no need to learn cameras any more, the truth is on any larger sensor based devices (well anything above 1/2.3in) you need to learn photography to get the best out of the camera.  It's quickly obvious than in full auto the camera doesn't produce the results people have seen in reviews or online so they'll start looking for help and will start to understand their camera better.  The beauty of these auto modes is that they give a much gentler and less frustrating learning curve into photography whereas many years ago maybe they would have been put off and that's a loss to all of us.

If you truly believe your view of the world where no-one bothers to learn photography any more because they think they don't have to, here's 65,000 threads that show otherwise:

Beginners Questions Forum: Digital Photography Review

That's before getting in the manufacturer specific forums as well.  The proliferation of cameras can give a misleading view of the world and it's easy to forget even just 15 years ago, cameras weren't that common compared to now when pretty much everyone is using a camera mostly camera phones.  Many of those likely rarely or never really used cameras before so were never going to learn a camera anyway and there's plenty who will try a better camera, give up and stick with the phone camera which these days can produce remarkably good images which I'd much rather than them producing nothing.

For me the current state of photography is fantastic, even though I've rarely used a camera that doesn't have a fully auto mode that's in no way impaired my ability to learn photography as suggested.  What I particularly like about current photography is that I have to spend less time on the camera and can spend more time on the photography or the the activity I'm taking part in, the fantastic high iso, blistering autofocus, high resolution and exposure latitude mean I can get great shots quickly and consistently.  Years ago I had to spend much more time trying to balance the exposure to protect what I could of the shadows and highlights, juggling focus modes to suit the situation and/or keep trading off aperture/shutter/iso because even at iso 1600 the noise was getting too much.  Now if I want a much deeper depth of field or a super high shutter in dimmer light no problem as I can just bump the iso or if shooting a scene with wide DR I don't need stacking or fiddling with the exposure as I pull them back later.

Then there's the additional capabilities I could only have dreamed of a few years ago, I've always liked shooting in low light but for a long time poor high iso meant I was limited to having to stabilise the camera which was often not practical and also couldn't handle any subject motion.

My current compact cameras is a Sony RX1 with a 25MP FF sensor and usable iso 6400 which means with its small size and sharp F2 lens it can fit in my little bike backpack and take staggering photos at night with no lighting all apart from the bike's own lights.  I can't wait to process the photos because it performs so well rather than being frustrated by the limits of the camera from shooting in such challenging circumstances.  It was incredible having such capabilities in a bulky DSLR and much more so to have it in a small package.

The good old DSLR is feeling a bit of a dinosaur these days but I still adore using mine primarily from its AF system which isn't just fast but even after using this one for a few years, its ability to track subjects still blows me away.  I'm used to hits and misses but I'm always surprised how many shots it nails and even tricky ones which were shots to nothing.

Finally and easily the most 'fun' of the three is the DJI Mavic 2 Pro, a very compact folding drone that features a 1in Sony sensor.  I had the original version and while it was a very capable drone its 1/2.3in sensor was limiting particularly given its landscape shots will frequently need a huge amount of dynamic range.  When the new model came out with the larger sensor I immediately purchased it as it has almost two stops latitude in the raw files and a superb panorama mode where it can automatically take a set of photos to stitch which thanks to the gimbal can keep the camera well centred.  The other day I'd taken a set of panoramas including a few late at night and couldn't resist having a look at them, due to the enormous size (24 x 20MP raw photos) it takes even a powerful PC time to crunch through them but I was so excited to see the output I stayed up until 4am working on them.  I've been a bit unlucky with the weather recently so missed out a few shots I'm after but can't wait to get more panorama shots.

Best of all a single backpack can easily house the drone, the RX1, the D750, a couple of lenses and the few other bits I need so I can chuck them all in the car with the dog or on the back of the bike and head out to take advantage of all three.

What does take the fun out of photography is those who have condescending attitudes towards those that use any form of automation or aren't immediately familiar with hyperfocal distances...

snerkler

I'm a bit confused, you question if fun has gone out of photography but then your post is moaning about how others use their equipment in a technical sense and question whether people even bother about learning technique? I'm not sure what makes you think that people don't learn about photography though?

What technique has to do with enjoyment I've no idea either. My wife enjoys using her iPhone, I feel I've got my technique down and often find I lose my mojo.

Also, just because someone is a pro photographer it doesn't mean they're good, and likewise just because someone's an amateur photographer it doesn't mean they're bad and don't know what they're doing. The only differentiating factor is that 'pros' earn a living from their photography. I've just been down to Silverstone for the Moto GP and of course there were numerous stalls selling photos by "pros" and tbh you see thousands and thousands of better images on flickr taken by "amateurs".

Faldrax

Has the fun gone out of photography?

My answer is no, in fact, with modern cameras and the results their sophisticated electronics can achieve, in some ways the reverse is true - anyone can pick up a modern camera, and take decent quality shots, with very little technical knowledge required - more than ever, it is composition and timing, rather than technical ability, that defines a great photo from an average one.

Is technical knowledge still important - yes, though how much does depend on what you are shooting. Panning still requires practice to master, but now the AF will track your subject more accurately, metering will keep the exposure on track, etc.

As mentioned earlier, the advent of digital means learning is much more interactive - you see the results immediately, or even before you take the shot, if using live view - and that makes learning more fun as well (in general, I appreciate some do like the thrill of waiting to see what emerges from a roll of film when you subsequently develop it).

CanNik

I do agree,in fact I would never go back to film, I just think the fun has gone in some way. Film was gerat, why because we knew no difference, with Digital it is good, however I can not remember the last time I looked at the screen after taking a photograph, and I am more than happy with all my results, but that has come from years of experience and nothing, NOTHING beats experience

Snake79

I'm a little confused with your post. For me the fun comes when something unexpected happens on a shoot that I think wow that will look great. The camera itself is not necessary fun to use, it just has to work as expected. The ergonomics and user interface can make it easier but that's only part of the experience.

There is an argument that photographers tend to fit into two categories, technical and creative. Some people are more one than the other. Some prefer the maths like the exposure triangle, lighting ratios and the inverse square law. Others like the creative side where it's more about how something looks or feels with less focus on the numbers used to achive it. I think it's best to have a bit of both and to not be totally blinded by one side or the other thinking their way is the only or right way.