While the monthly/ daily POTD thread is fun for many participants, I think it is pretty clear that there are some who take a more serious approach to their photography and who have honed their understanding and use of photographic and post-processing/editing skills much beyond the casual snapshot stage. Sometimes it can be a bit frustrating seeing the direction in which the POTD thread seems to be going.
The idea about which at this point I'm simply putting out feelers would be a thread similar to the POTD Thread and an adjunct to it except that it would be moving beyond what iGary had initially suggested back in 2006, which was actually a time long before iPhone and Smartphone photography was even a "thing," and back when a lot of people only removed their P&S from a drawer when there was a family celebration or they were getting ready to go on a vacation trip. Now everyone and his cousin who has an iPhone or other smartphone pulls the device out of a pocket and fires off a few snapshots whenever they feel like it. Sites like Instagram and Facebook encourage people oversharing everything, including photos of whatever they had for breakfast, lunch or dinner. At the time iGary proposed the POTD thread most people who were sharing their images in the Digital Photography subforum were already serious photographers using rangefinders, SLRs and the newly-emerging DSLRs. The photography environment has changed significantly since May 2006.
So.....if this new thread were to come into being, the idea is that the rules would be a bit more stringent and the requirements for participation would be as well. For example, posted images would be shot with only film or digital cameras with interchangeable lenses (Rangefinders, SLRs, DSLRs, m 4/3, Mirrorless cameras, Medium Format and Large Format cameras). Images shot with iPhones or other smartphones, P&S cameras, "bridge"/"Superzoom cameras, high-end compact cameras, etc., would not be allowed. Of course those could still be shared in the regular POTD thread or in other areas such as the Photo Gallery section on MR.
Similarly, there would be emphasis on quality so that images reflect a thoughtful approach to the art of photography, demonstrating an understanding of basic rules of composition, appropriate use of shutter speed, aperture, DOF, ISO and focus..... And equally importantly, the subject matter would be more seriously considered as well, leaving the snapshots of family pets, one's breakfast/lunch/dinner, shots around the home and suchlike to either the threads already set up for those in MR's Photo Gallery area, which is really where they belong in the first place, or in the current POTD thread since they've arrived there anyway.
As is done now with the regular POTD, there would be no time frame restrictions on any image shared, so that one could delve back into their archives as need be, but of course the main idea would be for participants to share current images that they've recently shot.
In his original concept, iGary had suggested that participants post their location/time/date and EXIF of the images they were sharing, and to a large extent much of that has fallen by the wayside for one reason or another. At the time I think he was interested in seeing a variety of images coming from different sources: different locations/countries, views and scenes which might otherwise might never be seen by people in other countries, etc. Sharing images of new sights and different subjects was still intriguing and exciting as people began exploring the flexibility and ease of digital photography versus film. He wanted to see the vast range of possibilities that good photographers could discover and share rather than the same old, same old.
Some people don't want to disclose the location of a shot for privacy reasons or may prefer to strip out the automatic EXIF information, especially if it also includes the copyright information with their real name, again a privacy issue. To me that makes sense. While it can be useful to know that a particular image was shot with a specific lens and the settings were x y z it's not absolutely necessary, and we do now have some media info available through the media area in MR anyway. Sharing whatever information one wants or choosing not to to do so around each image would be perfectly fine.
Anyway, just some ideas floating around in my head that I'm tossing out here. Thoughts?
The idea about which at this point I'm simply putting out feelers would be a thread similar to the POTD Thread and an adjunct to it except that it would be moving beyond what iGary had initially suggested back in 2006, which was actually a time long before iPhone and Smartphone photography was even a "thing," and back when a lot of people only removed their P&S from a drawer when there was a family celebration or they were getting ready to go on a vacation trip. Now everyone and his cousin who has an iPhone or other smartphone pulls the device out of a pocket and fires off a few snapshots whenever they feel like it. Sites like Instagram and Facebook encourage people oversharing everything, including photos of whatever they had for breakfast, lunch or dinner. At the time iGary proposed the POTD thread most people who were sharing their images in the Digital Photography subforum were already serious photographers using rangefinders, SLRs and the newly-emerging DSLRs. The photography environment has changed significantly since May 2006.
So.....if this new thread were to come into being, the idea is that the rules would be a bit more stringent and the requirements for participation would be as well. For example, posted images would be shot with only film or digital cameras with interchangeable lenses (Rangefinders, SLRs, DSLRs, m 4/3, Mirrorless cameras, Medium Format and Large Format cameras). Images shot with iPhones or other smartphones, P&S cameras, "bridge"/"Superzoom cameras, high-end compact cameras, etc., would not be allowed. Of course those could still be shared in the regular POTD thread or in other areas such as the Photo Gallery section on MR.
Similarly, there would be emphasis on quality so that images reflect a thoughtful approach to the art of photography, demonstrating an understanding of basic rules of composition, appropriate use of shutter speed, aperture, DOF, ISO and focus..... And equally importantly, the subject matter would be more seriously considered as well, leaving the snapshots of family pets, one's breakfast/lunch/dinner, shots around the home and suchlike to either the threads already set up for those in MR's Photo Gallery area, which is really where they belong in the first place, or in the current POTD thread since they've arrived there anyway.
As is done now with the regular POTD, there would be no time frame restrictions on any image shared, so that one could delve back into their archives as need be, but of course the main idea would be for participants to share current images that they've recently shot.
In his original concept, iGary had suggested that participants post their location/time/date and EXIF of the images they were sharing, and to a large extent much of that has fallen by the wayside for one reason or another. At the time I think he was interested in seeing a variety of images coming from different sources: different locations/countries, views and scenes which might otherwise might never be seen by people in other countries, etc. Sharing images of new sights and different subjects was still intriguing and exciting as people began exploring the flexibility and ease of digital photography versus film. He wanted to see the vast range of possibilities that good photographers could discover and share rather than the same old, same old.
Some people don't want to disclose the location of a shot for privacy reasons or may prefer to strip out the automatic EXIF information, especially if it also includes the copyright information with their real name, again a privacy issue. To me that makes sense. While it can be useful to know that a particular image was shot with a specific lens and the settings were x y z it's not absolutely necessary, and we do now have some media info available through the media area in MR anyway. Sharing whatever information one wants or choosing not to to do so around each image would be perfectly fine.
Anyway, just some ideas floating around in my head that I'm tossing out here. Thoughts?
