View Full Version : how to spot an amateur
from Ken Rockwell....
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/how-to-spot-an-amateur.htm
flook
30-05-2009, 08:12 AM
interesting read, glad to see Im doing most things right, tho I do use lens caps :cool:
cindy
30-05-2009, 09:30 AM
Well I lose on some points ( cant afford expensive equipment and don't have any extra lenses) :cry: but score on other points: wear my camara around my neck, :cool: but I am able to easily hold onto it;:moose: carry my camara in a woolly hat in my recycled tesco bag, (not my back pack but not in camara case either) so I reckon i fit that category All in all I think its a very good description of me!
Amateur an proud of it!
:p:
Pipeman
30-05-2009, 10:41 AM
Nice one Jeni - thanks for the link.:top:
well im a proper amateur lol
backpack - yep! i need to carry stuff other than just photography gear, and my backpack will let me do that.
Carrying too much stuff - no, thats cos i dont have loads of stuff though, i take everything i have normally lol.
Polarizer over UV filter, or polarizer used all the time - never done the first one but im guilty of forgetting to take the polarizer off for a while though lol.
Midrange zoom - dunno, ive only got 2 lenses, 18-55 and 55-200.
Camera worn directly over the neck - not very often, although i do sometimes.
Clean gear - yes, its almost spotless. im careful as i know i cant afford to replace it if it gets broken.
New DSLR - yep, but youve got to start somewhere!
Lens caps and cap keepers - i put it on when when ive finished, or if im changing lenses. cap keepers? i have pockets!
Using a tripod in daylight - depends on what shutter speed im using.
LCD magnifier - lol never seen one!
Camera brand strap showing logo - yep, but im stingy and wont buy a new one.
Hood on backwards - only when the lens is in the camera bag.
jsmyth
30-05-2009, 12:10 PM
Yeah, I saw this!
I was quite offended as I do nearly all of it! lol But then again, I am an amateur, and I know plenty of other toggers who are just like me with respect to being a "Ken Rockwell amateur"!
JamesStan
30-05-2009, 01:08 PM
its interesting hearing someones point of view, but what aload of rubbish. this is very generalised i think to the paps / photojournalism. a sports photographer for instance is going to get to an event an hour before hand and take his time setting up and getting in the right position. a pro landscape photographer who has a 10 mile hike up a mountain to get that perfect picture is not gonna sling his camera over his shoulder, hes gonna have it in a nice comfy back pack, a lens cap is extra insurance against banging cameras against walls etc and cracking lenses and so unless you need to point and shoot instantly would be kept on there. having bashed up cameras is fine if you can afford a few 1ds cameras, but if not and you dont have that build quality your gonna be a bit more careful, can still be a pro though, like he said there are many out there still using d70s, that camera couldnt tke the beating those 1ds took.
hmmmm i think ken was being a little hasty when he wrote that one.
flook
30-05-2009, 01:46 PM
Ive had a good browse thro his site, and generally the tone appears to be set to entertain, with some poetic licence on the "facts", tho much of what he says does seem to make ense.
Particularly found the page on colour management interesting, as this is the bane of my photographic life
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/adobe-rgb.htm
Marvin
30-05-2009, 07:06 PM
Anyone who can make a damn good living and get reasonably famous for doing this, has to be an entertainer rather than a professional. I disagree with many of his comments, but so does he. You will find that he changes tune quite rapidly. Yes, he has some good points, sometimes, but I take much of it with a pinch of salt. :legal:
Anyone who can make a damn good living and get reasonably famous for doing this, has to be an entertainer rather than a professional. I disagree with many of his comments, but so does he. You will find that he changes tune quite rapidly. Yes, he has some good points, sometimes, but I take much of it with a pinch of salt. :legal:
ive not really read much of his stuff, but what i have read is well written and interesting. if anything its thought provoking and makes me wonder and try to decide for myself. i posted this here purely for entertainment :)
cindy
30-05-2009, 10:28 PM
It certainly was entertaining Jeni. And although I haven't read any of his stuff, I took this piece with a pinch of salt!
purplepaul
30-05-2009, 11:50 PM
Do a few of those myself.
I will always use a lens cap though. Glass that costs nearly a grand (and over for some lenses) needs all the protection it can get.
sharkbait
08-06-2009, 01:55 PM
nice link... I do what I do with any article.. Take what I want out of it and disregard the rest, although in this case, I think some of his point are quite good... I particularly like this one...
Photography is like golf. They are both fun, popular and require some equipment. Very few people can get others to pay them to do either one for the same reason. Each takes a lifetime of constant practice, getting better and better little by little. Most golfers play for decades and never hit a hole-in-one. Photography is more complex than golf. Why does anyone expect ever to make a perfect photograph?
LOL, this is why some refer to him as Ken Rockhead, I still find him a good read for the most part, but not everything he says is gold.
Harold2
08-06-2009, 08:15 PM
Well i pass on most of these as a pro exept for the lens cap and i cant afford all of the prime or fast lenses :cry:
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