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Re: [OM] Jumping into the Pool Head First

Subject: Re: [OM] Jumping into the Pool Head First
From: Stuart Landrum <slndrm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 05 Sep 2002 01:54:42 -0400
At 01:03 AM 9/5/2002, Doggre@xxxxxxx wrote:
>One other thing that is being painfully driven home to me as I post photos to 
>photo.net is that I am just plain a failure at recording the technical 
>details of my shots.  Bad habit I have to break.  One isn't inclined to put 
>down the camera and scribble down aperture, shutter speed, film, lens, 
>camera, filter, etc. when one is caught up in the moment (that all-too-brief, 
>fleeting moment) of zuiko, "magic light".
>
>A small Olympus recorder would be great for that.  Sit down after the shoot 
>and transcribe the details.  Even with a recorder I bet I'd still miss some 
>details... the "action" just happens too fast.  I'm too busy trying to meter 
>and set exposure to keep up with it.
>
>Does this mean I'm leaning towards an autoexposure wunderbrick?  HELL no!
>
>Rich


Rich,

Don't be so hard on yourself.  Is recording the data something YOU want to do, 
or something you feel other's want you to do?  Some people feel it's important 
and relevant.  Some don't.  My own feeling is that if the act of recording the 
exposure data interferes with your creative process, it's a hindrance, not a 
help.  Will having that data help you improve your photography?  Or will it 
just let you fill out the html data fields that "must" be filled in just 
because they are there?  Follow you vision, your art, first.  Some will want to 
record the technicalities involved, other's won't, make your own decision.

I can't recall at the moment, it may have been John Shaw, possibly Galen 
Rowell, who said that they don't record their exposure information because they 
won't ever be faced with that exact same exposure situation again.  (Can't 
place where I read that, and am too tired to try and figure it out.)  That 
sounds good to me.  Maybe others will think that's just a rationalization, and 
maybe it is, but I seldom record exposure information.  Make your own decision, 
get a Oly Pearl recorder or whatever, but don't feel you're a failure in any 
way if you don't record the data.

OK, I've tried to be PC, but in the end I personally don't get any information 
or anything from knowing the shutter speed and aperture used to take a photo 
I'm looking at.  If it makes a difference, I can see from the DOF in the photo 
if a wide aperture or a small aperture was used, or if a fast or slow shutter 
speed was used.  If I can't tell from the photo, it's not relevant enough to 
matter to me.  If it was a wide aperture, it doesn't matter to me if it was 2.0 
or 3.5.  Or if it was 1/2000 or 1/500 second shutter speed.  It doesn't help my 
appreciation of the photo, it doesn't help my future ability to make 
photographs that are successful, to my eye or to someone elses.

Maybe I'm taking it too seriously!  But I guess that's also my point, for you 
to not take the act of recording marginally relevant exposure data too 
seriously, and feel you're a failure in any way if you don't an*lly record what 
your camera's settings for each exposure were.  Make your own decision about 
what you want to do.  Don't worry that Photo.net readers will think less of 
your photography if you don't supply the exposure data.

Ok, I'm off my soapbox. =)

I'd like to express my sincere appreciation to every contributor to this list, 
I really enjoy being a list member and learning so much from so many very 
knowledgeable people.  Waiting on the big brown truck to bring that Panagor 
macro lens to me from epay!  Got frustrated last weekend, extension tubes 
and/or the 50/3.5 macro just weren't enough to do what I wanted, when taking 
flower photos.  Decided not to wait on finding my first choice, a Kiron 105/2.8 
macro.  Anybody have one for sale?

Stuart


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