I'll bet you're real glad NOT to still be eyeballing my mug! (Which graced[?] the lead article on the PGS site for a few days.) I may not be a total affront to the eyes--although some might disagree--but Brea (and I'm guessing most would agree) is definitely easier on them, way easier on them... on the eyes, that is. It's been a wacky few days dealing with car problems, family stuff, and some pretty girl shooting in a hot studio with an on the fritz air conditioning system. As usual, I've spent a fair amount of time on the web. Also, "as usual," the vast majority of that web surfing has been focused on photography. As a result of my most recent internet adventures, I stumbled on the wit and wisdom of photographer, Ken Rockwell. Click on his link, "How to Make Great Photos," for a comprehensive list of illuminating articles by Rockwell.
Many of you may already be acquainted Rockwell's occasionally controversial take on photography. His website has been up since 1999. I wasn't aware of him or it and I'm not sure how that happened. But now, I am... aware of the guy, that is.
Rockwell writes about all kinds of things related to photography: From product reviews to "how-to" articles to his own, personal view of the business of photography and the opportunities available to photographers-- Wanna-be photographers (of a "pro" nature) and otherwise. It is the stuff I'd categorize in that latter part of the previous sentence that I've found most enjoyable to read.
Amongst my fave Rockwell articles are, "The Seven Levels of Photographers," an incisive satire, and "How to Go Pro." Both articles include some very useful info, altho it's not always the kind of stuff people want to hear.
There is lots to discover on Ken Rockwell's site. I'm still checking out the articles. I think you'll find much there worth the time to read.
As mentioned, the easy-on-the-eyes pretty girl at the top is Brea. I was on a location shoot and the video production crew left few places for me to photograph her. The dining room table seemed an appropriate-enough place to serve-up a dish like Brea. I lit Brea with three sources: My mainlight modified with a 5' Photoflex Octodome and two accent lights, behind the model and off to the sides, modified with medium strip boxes.
15 comments:
Rockwell does make for an interesting read and it's really easy to spend lots of time there. My only real problem with the guy is his propensity to 'review' equipment he has never used and in some cases, equipment that doesn't even exist.
His site is still in my bookmarks in spite of that.
I have Ken's site on my RSS feed and enjoy his comments on whatever is on his mind for the day. I have always found it funny that the people who put him down the most are always the first people to post links to his site on DP Review and other wankerific sites. I love how he slyly digs into these dorks also, with comments like, "While some of you were on DP Review all day I was...(insert here)."
Yeah, Rockwell is great.
I very like his approach to photography as an art and a way of life.
Indeed, it's not the equipment but the mind that's metters.
Otherwise, the guy who pay more, can surely do the things better.
Thanks God, that's not the case, and photography is not a matter of numbers...
PS. Sorry for my English, I'm Italian so this isn't my first language.
Ken has a good sense of humor and llkes to tweak people sometimes who do not have a sense of humor. That makes his site even more enjoyable. A lot of his stuff is right on the money, esp the 7 levels of Photographers that you mentioned.
He may occasionally "review" equipment that he has not used or is not available, but he usually either says so or it it blatantly obvious to anyone paying attention.
The fact that he irritates so many is one of the draws to his site too. I don't agree with everything he says, but only I can be right all the time.
Rockwells only virtue is his equipment reviews. He puts down the articles and the people who read them, even though he makes a living from these people. His opinions on photography are mostly out to lunch. He gets a lot of things wrong. His "Your equipment doesn't matter" article is a joke.
Still, if you are savvy enough to weed out the trash, his site is recommended for the reviews.
"Your equipment doesn't matter" is indeed a good point. I have been taking photos for the last 25 years as a hobby and somwhere on the way I got lost.I started thinking morea bout equipment htan the photo itself.
Just as Ken Rockwell says himself, "you can take photos of what you see but you have to see"
This one hit me so it hurt.
I realized that I had the experience and technical skills to take photos of everything under whatever condition but what i lacked was the ability to see.
...if you read Rockwell and nothing else, you're still way ahead of the game !
Rockwell is the prototype troll in many ways. He baits and he flames, his "tripod users are stupid" attitude among others are... quite cute ;) So taking Rockwell's words as the second coming of christ is quite the bad idea. Starting photographers should read books by people like Thom Hogan, Galen Rowell or similar. Not articles by someone that is more busy trolling than actually writing usefull stuff.
It is always kind of amusing (and a bit puzzling) to me that Rockwell's site is the source of such controversy. I read it at least weekly and have found it to be both entertaining and useful. I am a bit late to digital photography, having been an Art Major in school and find the technical aspects challenging, but so are the technical aspects of painting. I am certainly vastly more interested in the image than in what equipment was used to make it. My photography skills are so limited that the image I make with the camera is usually just the starting point, anyway. His advice to "hang out" with artists as opposed to technophiles is extremely sound.
Have to agree with Cain's comment below. I personally am a fan of Thom Hogan more so than this Rockwell guy. I mean, Rockwell's site is so disorganized that he has to use the Google search feature on his very own website. Come on Ken, you can do better than that! And his reviews too are more often than not, at the very best, confusing. The guy in one review mentions that a Canon piece of equipment is the best he has ever used or the best that Canon's ever made. And in the very next review about a Nikon piece of equipment he lamblasts Canon's gear. That is ridiculous!!! Call me the typical prototype or whatever you will, but the guy has to make up his mind as to what's good and what's not good..lol. I used to like his site in the past, but over the past few years, its just grown useless. Sorry Ken!
Ken is such a funny guy, and I had quite a laugh when he said he was quite afraid of the Nikkor lens 28-70 as if it were a real "Beast" hahaha. I like his writing style, and his reviews are lucid and no holds barred.
Hey Ken, if you are reading this, I would say you are cool. You and Thom Hogan and Bjornn Roslett are my favorite camera reviewers on the net!
Rockwell rocks.. Love his website..
The man speaks his mind and his mind is facinating.
Keep going Ken!
Rockwell is a flake and getting flakier every time he posts an update. If he thinks we're all going back to film, he needs a doctor.
Rockwell's writing is becoming tiresome and annoying. Hopefully someone new will take on
evaluating digital equipment and do it the right way. We need someone intelligent and
serious to do reviews. We don't need the juvenile name calling and the silly pranks we're getting from Ken now. Ken had his shot and blew it. There's money to be made by the right person.
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