tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748455394666939033.post8527187507136338860..comments2023-09-02T13:39:08.998+01:00Comments on GBP Blog: Share and share alike - it's the way forward!Gileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02526649957798113982noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748455394666939033.post-59587016613217562282008-11-24T00:12:00.000+00:002008-11-24T00:12:00.000+00:00Thanks for you comments, G.S. - very interesting, ...Thanks for you comments, G.S. - very interesting, and I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on future posts also.<BR/><BR/>Regarding your NAPP experience... I think it is often the case with any of these organisations that attendees seem a little intimidated by exactly those 'experts' who are there trying to help them. I can understand that. Sadly, though, if they did but know it, these guys would openly talk to them one-on-one for hours, if time permitted.<BR/><BR/>Again, the 'groups' thing has just a hint of playground mentality, I think. A great shame.<BR/><BR/>I suppose the old cliché rings true here - that you only get out what you put in. I was always the one in class who made the effort to continue talking to my tutors after the lesson had ended, to go away and conduct further research, to challenge myself to learn. And old habits clearly die hard, I'm afraid, as I still have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge!<BR/><BR/>And you've hit the nail on the head in your closing thoughts... photography, much like any of the creative industries, really is so much more than the sum of its scientific and technical parts. It is an expressive art form, more often than not driven by passion, and one which lends itself so very well to individualism. This surely is what we should be promoting.Gileshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02526649957798113982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748455394666939033.post-36388459275507625452008-11-23T17:26:00.000+00:002008-11-23T17:26:00.000+00:00From your “rant”. “But more of a concern than thi...From your “rant”. “But more of a concern than this is the apparent paranoia and hysteria that has grown out of photographers' reactions to these changing times. Historically, we have always been a funny bunch; somewhat insular, we choose to keep ourselves to ourselves, and that includes our technical know-how and individual working practices. God forbid anyone should actually find out how we perform these visual feats!”<BR/><BR/>As I was coming out of the world of chemical photos into digital, I joined NAPP and attended one of the national meetings in Boston a few years ago. It was a strange experience to say the least. <BR/><BR/>The gurus were pushing camaraderie and sharing, but the experience at the personal level was quite different. Most of the attendees were very private and almost shy in their demeanor. There were groups who seemed to know each other but upon approach were quite cliquish. I’m not going to rejoin NAPP.<BR/><BR/>As a teacher, I always encouraged my students to work together as the learning experience unfolded. That translates to: help each other. <BR/><BR/>It also seemed to me that finding out how things worked was fairly easy to those who put the energy into the experience. Even as the new materials and equipment of photography become more complex and it does require more work to keep up, it is not insurmountable.<BR/><BR/>What I found to be the more important aspect of the medium, was what it said. I encouraged my students to speak with their own voice which would allow them to make pictures that spoke to that uniqueness. <BR/><BR/>Even more than technical expertise, I think that is what most of us want to protect, even if, like most young students, we don’t have much to say. When I do run across photos which exhibit that uniqness and speak to me, I rejoice.<BR/><BR/>Sorry I went off on my own “rant”. GSAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com