Ken Rockwell Facts

If you've been around the internet for awhile, odds are you've stumbled across the awesome power of Chuck Norris. However, I don't think he's ever met Ken Rockwell.

Ken Rockwell's camera has settings similar to ours, except his are:

• P[erfect]
• A[wesome Priority]
• S[uperb Priority]
• M[ajestic]

Ken Rockwell doesn't color correct. He adjusts the world to match his vision.

Ken Rockwell deletes his bad photos, too. You and I refer to these as Pulitzer Prize winners.

Ken Rockwell doesn't adjust his DOF. He adjusts the space-time continuum.

Ken Rockwell doesn't wait for proper lighting when shooting landscapes. The sun rises and sets just for him.

Ken Rockwell doesn't flip his camera into the portrait position. He flips the earth.

Ken Rockwell is the only person to have photographed Jesus.

When Ken Rockwell brackets a shot, 3 versions of the photo win first place in 3 different categories.

Before any new camera is released, they go to Ken Rockwell for review. The best cameras get a Nikon sticker, the others get a Canon sticker.

Once, a camera was tested and Ken Rockwell couldn't even put a Canon sticker on it. That's how Pentax was born.

Ken Rockwell only used flash once. Today we refer to it as the Chernobyl Incident.

Only Ken Rockwell can take pictures of Ken Rockwell; everyone else would just get their film overexposed by the light of his genius.

Ken Rockwell is the only photographer who can take self-portraits of you.

Ken Rockwell portraits are so lifelike, they have to pay taxes.

On Ken Rockwell's desktop, the Trash icon is really just a link to National Geographic Magazine.

For every 10 shots that Ken Rockwell takes, 11 are keepers.

Ken Rockwell never uses auto-focus, everything just moves into position for him.

Just so funny!

LOL Good one, Anthony!

I have a slight suspicion that Anthony doesn't really admire Ken Rockwell! How can this be?

Ken Rockwell is a perfect example of how the internet works. Many moons ago, he was a pioneer when it came to getting his name out there and posting reviews, so there are ton of links to his website. Which is why he always ranks high for photography-related reviews and advice.

Enter the newbie DSLR owner. They go on the internet looking for tips, stumble across Ken's site, and take it as the gospel. Heck, I was once one of them. I bet a lot of you were too at one point! As time drags on and you gain more experience, you start to realize how wrong Ken was in just about everything he said.

But all those links that give Ken credibility are still out there in cyberspace, mostly on old websites that people no longer use. Some on new sites, where newbies put up a link followed by "Ken Rockwell says so!" Search engines just use complicated math algorithms to determine credibility. They don't really know what a tool Ken Rockwell really is.

I was going to try to stay away from this thread but after the last post I like to share with you my experience with Ken Rockwell's site.

Back in October of 2009 I was a Nikon newbie looking for a Nikon camera. Yah never guess who's site I wound up at?

"The D3000 is a great camera, I even take one with me for a spare" is what the site said. After more reading I was convinced that this would be a great camera and I was receiving creditable advise.

Now 2011 go to the site and it says, "Nikon's Worst DSLR - Ever." Whoa, looks like Ken's carrying a new back up these day in his bag of tricks. Why did we change gears so quick here? Did a better camera come out in your eyes now and the D3000 is garbage? Now how do you think that made me feel?

I have some more words I'd like to share with you about this website, but I don't think it's worth jeopardizing my future with Nikonites, so I will not go any further than I have.

I'm posting this so others who may not be aware to take everything Ken says with a grain of salt.

Another happy camper
Thanks, Ken!

Who the f*@# is Ken Rockwell?

Robin

Agree 100% with Anthony and Axeman, I was one of those newbies too until I stumbled on Nikonites and learned more about Digital. The more I read his stuff the more I noticed his own contradictions.

Glad I found nikonites first. Only looked up Ken Rockwell because of this site and did not read anything about him. My hobby is genealogy and have worked on it for years. I also worked for a web company for many years and figured out how it all works. My last name is Kuykendall. Do a google search and you will see my site at the top. Kuykendall / Neuffer Genealogy. Not hard to do it just takes time and patience.

As far as camera advice read everything, try what sounds interesting and make your own choices.

robinchun said:

Who the f*@# is Ken Rockwell?

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This about made me snort soda through my nose...so thanks for that Robin! I think I'll have the above printed on a t-shirt, if for no other reason than my own self-amusement.

For those who don't know, just Google his name. I won't provide a link to his site here, just because it only adds fuel to the fire. Ken Rockwell is a photographer and expert opinion giver. His website is extensive, and contains a lot of advice, reviews, and how-tos. Most of it is garbage. His site also contains a ton of links for you to click to buy stuff, all of which he gets a percentage of to "support his growing family".

My personal favorite quote on Ken's website:

I've been shooting seriously since I was 5 years old.

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Since Ken Rockwell is God's gift to photography (just ask him, he'll tell you), I'm sure it's true. After all, Ansel Adams died of jealousy after seeing young Ken Rockwell's work.

Who the f*@# is Ken Rockwell?

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Ha-ha! Love it! Best comment yet about KR!

to "support his growing family".

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He's a grown man and hasn't figured out what causes this?

It irritates me that the first thing on his site is a request for money.

AxeMan said:

"The D3000 is a great camera, I even take one with me for a spare" is what the site said...Now 2011 go to the site and it says, "Nikon's Worst DSLR - Ever."

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Here is what Ken has to say about my D300s on the camera's dedicated spec page:

If I shot DX, this is Nikon's best camera ever, along with the much lighter and less expensive D90.

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And here is what he says about the D300s under the Recommended Cameras portion of his site:

Nikon D300s: NOT RECOMMENDED. Forget the old Nikon D300s. The newer D7000 costs less and is superior. Nikon still sells the old D300s for more money because it can, but don't you fall for it.

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God bless Ken Rockwell.

LOL..I nearly split a gut laughing at Robin's comment! Who the %*#$ is Ken Rockwell! LOL Too funny.
Yes.....he's a legend in his own mind.
And yes, Helene, he's always begging for money from the gullible out there. From what I hear, he's making a fortune at it, too!

Glad my post made you all smile..I don't think he's well known on this side of the pond...but you all must be right about him as I was instantly put off him/his site due to the request for money!

Robin

lol... So what you are saying is that ken sorta, might not, kinda, may, perhaps has little to no clue what he is talking about?

Apart from passing himself off as a well informed expert with top notch credentials and experience that surpasses most others, has he done anything so personal as to earn the wrath of the community? I have never heard of, or seen an instance where he was personally attacking some one.

I agree that its terribly frustrating that he is so often pointed to as a source of quality information and it results in providing terrible advice, recommendation and direction to those who do not know better. It sounds like its more personal than that?

That being said/asked, I did LOL and thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread. I do however feel a little guilty enjoying a laugh at some ones expense, especially if all they are guilty of is narcissism and ignorance of their own ignorance. (The Dunning Kruger Effect)

Hmm, I think I might personally know one or two that suffer from DKE.

ThePhotoLegend said:

Apart from passing himself off as a well informed expert with top notch credentials and experience that surpasses most others, has he done anything so personal as to earn the wrath of the community?

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Aside from the well-informed part above, this is a very good question. And you're right. Ken Rockwell, to my knowledge, has never put the vices on anyone or used his website to openly attack anyone.

That doesn't change the fact that Ken Rockwell is a walking infomercial for himself. He's the real estate guy on TV who has all the secrets for you to get rich, just like he did, if only you'll call now and order his one-of-a-kind program. But here's the dirty little secret: that guy on TV didn't get rich in real estate. He got rich selling his crap on TV. And Ken Rockwell sucks as a photographer. There's really no way around that.

So here we have a guy who is not very good at his craft, trying to tell the whole world what an expert he is and asking you for your money at every opportunity. Ken Rockwell, at best, is a semi-professional blogger and marketer.

Looking back, I guess I didn't really answer your question very well. I aim to please, and also as a public service announcement, here's why Ken Rockwell is the laughing stock of the photography community. I will attempt to quote Ken's own words as often as I can.

As mentioned multiple times in this thread already, Ken Rockwell doesn't give very good advice.

This website is my personal opinion...[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] this site is my "aggressive personal opinion," and not a "logical presentation of fact."[/FONT]

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I never intended it this way, but search engines found this information, and somehow over the years I've become the world's largest independent source of photography information.

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That is important to note, especially because it's his own words. Unlike much else found on Ken's site, the above is the absolute unbiased truth. I have my doubts as to the "I never intended it this way" part. Ken is a smart marketer and former salesman, and like the rest of us who have online businesses, has probably done some SEO work, very much intentionally. But that's beside the point.

This is why my pages aren't cluttered with advertisements like commercial websites; I'm trying to make this site as easy-to-read as possible...probably the last remaining 1990's for-fun website that hasn't sold out to other interests.

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Anyone who's browsed Ken's website for 5 minutes knows what a complete fabrication the above is. He comes clean multiple times:

I worked in broadcasting for decades, and saw how spending millions of dollars to make the best shows possible made billions of dollars for TV networks who gave them away free for the viewing. TV networks made these billions of dollars up in volume: advertising.

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I support my family from what this website brings in....The largest source of my family's income comes from when you use my links to these stores when you get your stuff...I also get some donations.

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Again, that's all fine and dandy. Professional blogging can be a lucrative career. David Hobby started Strobist to share his lighting experiences while working as a photojournalist for the Baltimore Sun. The blog grew to huge popularity, enabling him to quit his full-time job. Hobby also does lighting workshops, seminars and appearances, like the recent Flash Bus tour w/ Joe McNally. Ken Rockwell does seminars and workshops as well.

The major difference is, Ken Rockwell is at best a hobbyist. Even if he's been a "serious photographer since the age of 5", he's simply no good. I wouldn't even put his work on par with most of the folks here at Nikonites. He claims on his about page that his entire site is "just a goof", but other times he wants you to take him as serious as a heart attack. Usually when he's about to provide a link for you to click, which is how he "supports his growing family".

The photography community doesn't like Ken Rockwell because he's not a photographer, he's a salesman. He's Al Bundy, Billy Mays, and Don LaPre all rolled into one. We all have opinions, and share them with the masses. But Ken Rockwell likes to blur the lines between fact and opinion far too often, and usually steers people the wrong way. His site is about making money for Ken Rockwell, and not what it claims to be about: photography.

I can certainly understand the tone and the context of the remarks made here better now... I understand now why there seams to be so much steam to let off. I don't blame anyone for expressing their frustration with some one who seems to be deliberately scamming people, utilizing the mask of a photography professional to dupe people into making him money in a dishonest fashion. It certainly would be an easier pill to swallow if he was making money off of his blog in a more straight forward honest manner. Though, I am not sure if the argument should be made that he is a sneaky, genius opportunist or a KDE standout example with skin thicker than a rhino. It's hard to discern whether he is deliberately deceitful or innocently, ignorantly oblivious?