stillshunter
Super Moderator Emeritus
- Location
- Down Under
- Name
- Mark
...and therein lies the crux of it. Well said Lili. :clap2:Collecting all you want is fine. My take on this that I found myself spending more time playing with gear than actually shooting.
I've heard some intriguing theories lately relating to:
1. Avoidance - the gear acquisition process intentionally distracts from the image-making process. More pointedly, acquisition distracts from the person's knowledge that they are unable/unwilling to shoot anything meaningful. Put another way, the evolution in their gear has not helped evolve their images, and
2. Reinforcement - the state of *some* photo communities where talk and photos of gear gets more attention than photography itself - wherein photos of gear (e.g, with strap, half case, viewfinder, soft release, etc.) or made by gear of mundane test objects (e.g., brick wall, 100% crop eyelash) get more attention than meaningful images.
These two facts, working in unison, make for a hopeless situation sustained within a hopeless environment - to the ultimate benefit of gadget makers or purveyors of gadgets. The saddest bit is that some people's overriding need for acceptance finds them shooting what others want rather than what they so essentially need to express. If genuinely focused on the art of expression then they would simply have bought the camera that best satisfies that driving need - i.e., the fundamental need for expression rather than the fundamental need for acceptance. It appears that creative energy is, instead, dissipated in the elaborate web of justifying, or gaining the funds for, the next purchase.
Lucky Serious Compacts isn't a place of negative reinforcement. Now bring on the most magnificent serious compact photo challenge