Forgive me if I seem a little impatient, but I just went through all
of this a few months ago.

PWW wrote in message ...
On 12/16/03 11:31 PM, in article
, "Michael Scarpitti"
wrote:

PWW wrote in message
...
On 12/16/03 6:00 PM, in article
, "Michael Scarpitti"
wrote:

Absolutely not. That is exactly the point, and what you need to do to
escape to the next level, by freeing yourself from amateurish notions
of how good photographs are created

PWW:
Sounds like an elitist point of view. Someone who doesn't do actually take
photographs, and only want to tell others what not to do.

Uh? 40 years? What do you call that?

That is awfully vague isn't it? You made your living shooting photographs
for 40 years? How? Lets get some more details. If you have them.


The difference between brilliant photographs and snapshots consists in
the kind of mental processes involved in their creation.

Well duh!

duh, right. You clearly don't understand what I mean by 'mental
processes'.


Your work so far consists primarily of high-quality snapshots.

At least photography is my business! How do you make your living?

I have worked professionally if that concerns you. I choose not to be
a professinal photographer, though I have been.

Well yes it concerns me since you seem to offer advice and critiques of even
my work. Again you could not be more vague about your "professional"
experience. Come on give some real details.

You choose not to be a professional photographer, maybe it is because you
could not make a living at it.

I will bet
it is not with your "Brilliant Photographs." I would rather have my clients
enjoy, use, and pay for my photography, which they do, than judge my images
by your glib comments. Lets see some of your work.

You cannot make brilliant work while thinking about it. It has to come
from entirely automatic responses and without thought, just like
hitting a tennis ball. Just like hitting a tennis ball. Just like
hitting a tennis ball.

That is exactly the example I gave in and earlier post and just plain
ludicrous.

You don't understand.

Ah I see, I am a professional photographer who doesn't understand and yet
you who claims to be this brilliant photographer, but doesn't have a
web-site and chooses not to be a professional photographer understands what
a professional photographer should be like. I see!

Capturing a scene and putting it on a two dimensional print takes
knowledge of your camera workings and lenses (Aperture, Shutter Speed...),
and it is very important to understand many of the basic rules artists have
been using for many hundreds of years to make paintings.

What I mean by 'thinking' is 'consciously thinking'. I'm talking about
instinctive action acquiured over years that incorporates all of what
you just listed, but does it subconsciously.

So by your own statements a photographer could do exactly the same thing in
taking a photograph, same aperture, same angle of view, BUT if they did
thinking about it, then it has no originality. If they did the same exact
settings on a "subconscious level" then it would be "brilliant" even though
both photographs would be identical. Boy that sure makes sense (sarcastic
comment.) I don't any real professional photographer does things like that
subconsciously.


You should take your camera out and practice taking pictures without
film in the camera, taking 'imaginary' pictures that you would never
waste film on, just to get used to it. The purpose of this is to get
your reflexes sharpened and yourself used to doing these things
without thinking.

One can not critique ones own "imaginary pictures." And Critiques of ones
own photographs is by far the very best way to improve ones photography. The
more real photos one takes and then do self-critques on those photographs,
the quicker one gets better at taking photographs, period.

I meant this as 'finger exercizes'. To get yourself so fast at
focussing and advancing the camera that you don't even think about it.

So focusing and advancing the camera is the most import aspects of
professional photography. I think not.


No, I'm not being sarcastic or joking.

That¹s too bad, you should have been.

You don't BEGIN to understand.

Where are your photos?

The site has been deleted. I did not own it. Where can I get some free
space?

Again I state, you must not make your living with taking and selling your
photography. My site pays for itself and much more. If your statements were
accurate it seems you too, could have a site that pays for itself. You can
see my bio and my photos, lets see your photos and bio. Surely, you can find
some free space somewhere. What the heck; email me 10 of your best images,
with a maximum size of 100k each, 500x500 pixels max size, and in jpeg form
and I will put them up for two weeks on my site, so all others can judge
your abilities against your statements. So its time to put up. Sorry all
others this deal is only for mikescarpitti, and is offered only for a
limited time.

I just did this with someone else and the site was taken down a few
weeks ago. I'll send you some stuff if you want, tommorow.

It was he

http://zd.csimultimedia.com/

Yep that doesn't help. The link is dead.

Bear in mind that I have not maintained a portfolio, snce I am not a
pro (anymore) but have merely collected material that I had laying
around. I make no pretense of having a current portfolio. I am not
that vain. I have no problem realizing that photography played a more
significant role in my past than it does in the present for me.

You have never stated at what you were a "Pro" at! Just saying photography
is much too vague. Give us some real details. What type of photography did
you make your living at? When? How Long? So we can judge the validity of
your statements.

You are not that vain to have a portfolio, which could show your abilities
or inabilities but vain enough to spout your ideas as "brilliant" but others
as "amateurish notions". Ah, I see again.

Many of the images I send you will be scans from printed publications,
the prints from which are long gone.

Long gone. So you must still be shooting right. Still have a camera right.
Where is some new stuff. If that is all you have is the old stuff, I guess
it will do, make sure you give us the dates of these brilliant images.

I teach a little here and there, too.

What do you teach? Give some real details! Where do you teach? Boy you sure
are awfully vague about your Professional Photography Career. I wonder why.



PWW
--
PWW (Paul Wayne Wilson)
Over 1,000 Photographs Online at,
http://PhotoStockFile.com


On 12/15/03 10:22 PM, in article
, "Michael Scarpitti"
wrote:

I guess what passes for creativity these years just is not what it
used to be.

Some suggestions:
Try not to think of the subject matter as 'subject matter' at all. Try
to find things that do not interest you emotionally or intellectually,
but just visually. Treat everything as superficially as you can. Be
interested purely in the shadows. If you care about it, do not
photograph it. Be as detached as possible and photograph only the most
trivial things you can, but only if they are visually interesting.

No pictures of your kids, pets, house, spouse, sunsets, pretty things,
flowers, etc....

Nothing 'beautiful' at all.

Focus only on yourself and your own body and its ability to use the
camera.