Can I Be Offended Now?

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Alan

Senior Member
In my last blog I wrote about not being offended when a friend or family member said something like "If I had a camera like that...." Well today at the lake I got the opposite type of remark.

While I was taking a few shots another photographer walked up to me and started a conversation. We talked about the cold (it was about 20 or so with a slight breeze) and the amount of Tundra Swans that seemed to be around today. Some other small talk about the area, other wildlife etc. During the conversation I took out my cell phone and showed him some of my photos on my Flicker feed. First thing I heard was "Did you take these?" (No I poached them all from the internet and just tell people they are mine). Then "So what camera did you use to take them? Obviously not that Nikon." (insert bite tongue here).

Now I could have indeed gotten upset and gone off on how because he shoots with a Canon he has never seen good photos before. (ops I still have a Canon AT-1). Or I could have told him that the "A" that I noticed was set on his camera did not mean "Awesome Shots". No I did none of that. (OK pat self on back for that)

I explained how I had been doing this since the late 60's and I had a pretty good idea of how the camera worked in different conditions. Knowing that I could set my ISO, shutter speed and aperture based on what I was doing at the time and how the camera would record it. I also admitted that I did do some post processing from time to time and know how to use the delete key. The Flicker feed is, after all, some of my better shots.

After a couple more minutes I discovered I had lost him in the techno babble I was using. As my Dad used to say "He knew just enough to be dangerous". Now had the conversation started any other way I would have been happy to share my experiences. I know we all start out new at some point and I always love to help someone if I can. I don't know everything (or maybe even forgot some of it) even after all these years. Hell there are many people I know on this site that can shoot circles around me. And I would never go head to head with my daughter at a wedding. The last thing I want to be is the "know it all" that we all love to hate.

But I was still bleeding from biting my tongue earlier so I just decided to just say my Good-Byes and move on down the path.

I guess in this encounter I can say......Offence taken.
 
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Moab Man

Senior Member
You sir, with the camera you're using, are the best example of it not being the camera as it is the skill of the photographer.

And while I can understand getting angry with the passing moron, I think my response would have been an incredibly smug smile.
 
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Alan

Senior Member
Thanks for the compliments guys. I figure this is one of those guy who used to say "If I had a camera like that I could take good pictures too". He just graduated to a higher level of uneducated. ( wow I didn't call him a name, must be the joy of a New Year!) :cool:
 
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piperbarb

Senior Member
Been there, done that. There have been times that I have so wanted to make some smart remark to the person but I have done exactly what you did and in the end, got a lot more satisfaction out of knowing I blew the person away with knowledge and experience vs their snobbery about equipment.

I think you run across this attitude just about everywhere in just about every area of expertise, interest, work, hobby, etc. I have had analogous situations when people see my hand knitted sweaters or socks. They will say, "Wow, that looks machine made. You really knitted that?" A lot of knitters take that as an insult. I don't. I thank them for their compliment and chuckle to myself that my knitting is way better than anything a machine could make.
 
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stmv

Senior Member
yes,,, perhaps the most common remarks, are,,, wow,, what a great camera! or ,, you took those? etc etc ,,, to me,, anybody and everybody can take a great photo,, be in the right place at the right time,, snap the buttton,,
and yup,, often a good picture will be created,, and perhaps that is part of the overall issue with photography,, anybody can get lucky,,

but,, what about week after week,, or how about 200 wedding photographs at an event, or 40 shots the Grand Canyon in say 2 hours that you can print, etc etc,

in the end,, I personally,, just take pictures because I like it,, and I like building up a body of work that well,, is my own. Over time, I do believe the photographer's personality
is reflected in that body, and people looking at the body of work,, can recognize the person behind the camera.

Keep on shooting .... four yourself,,, and if people enjoy,, great.
 
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Bill16

Senior Member
Awesome show of restraint! I loved the part about his camera being set on A! Lol Way to go Alan, you Rock my friend! :D
 
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Moab Man

Senior Member
I loved the part about his camera being set on A!
Click to expand...

That will be my goal for the year, to get out of A mode. Maybe I will try S mode since I believe S mode stands for "S"pectacular? Must be what Dave_W uses.
 
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Pretzel

Senior Member
I would've fired off some smartass comment like, "I know right? Good thing I'm a DAMNED GOOD PHOTOGRAPHER, huh?"

You should've started asking him, "What ISO are you using? Are you going for more DOF, or less? What's your max aperture on that lens? I'm having trouble with white balance today, what do you recommend? Etc." Of course, I'm good at countering statements like that as I ride a large Kawasaki bagger, and I hear "Should have bought a Harley" quite often. LOL

Keep shootin' things like a champ man, and good job on not hatin' the haters TOO much!
 
SkvLTD

SkvLTD

Senior Member
Sounds similar to the feeling I get when I talk to some club photogs who've been doing those kinda gigs for a few year. They don't even remember what lens they're using, and I sure as hell would bet they forgot that Manual mode is even on their cam.
 
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Brian

Senior Member
You could have told him how Nikon caught the attention of the world with their lenses and put Japan on the road to recovery after the war. Or how Canon turned to Nikon to make their lenses for their first 35mm camera. Or that Canon Obsoletes all of their equipment by changing mounts every few years...

Nikkor-SC 5cm F1.5, The lens that brought attention to the Japanese Camera Industry

I do have several Canon cameras and lenses. Canon III, Canon P, Canon 7. The first came with the Nikkor 5cm f1.5 on it. The Canon P has a Nikkor 5cm f2 on it, the Canon 7--- well, that has the Canon 50/0.95 on it.
 
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DraganDL

Senior Member
"He knew just enough to be dangerous". LOL - your Dad said it all...:rolleyes: It applies just perfectly to every "mister-know-it-all" techie fanboyz out there...
 
Nero

Nero

Senior Member
I would have looked at his camera, saw the Canon logo and as a response merely chuckle, shake my head and walk away leaving him befuddled.
 
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skater

New member
My wife and I were in a photo class a couple years ago, taking pictures of the DC monuments at night. We were all set up at the Korean War Memorial, snapping nighttime pictures of the soldier statues, when the instructor came to her and said, "You know, we're all jealous - your getting shots that are just as good as everyone else, but you paid a lot less for your camera." She was using our Canon SX130is, a ~$200 point-and-shoot. (It is a very capable camera for 90-95% of the pictures we take, and a lot easier to carry.) Looking at the pictures now, I have to check the EXIF data to know for sure which camera took which picture - I was using my D70 (which, granted, even then was a bit long in the tooth, but it's still a good camera).
 
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