Anyone with money to spare.....

[J.]

If you think that is a big lens check this one out

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/co ... 2000mm.htm  :P

thats a friggin telescope, you may as well attach your camera to the end of an observatory!!

[Craig.]

I'm not naming names, blaming or trying to cause problems.. I'd just like to see the photo forum become more about the fun of photography like it once was, instead of the mines bigger and better than your pen*s fest that its become as of late.

And your right there are pleanty of amatures who take some professional quality photos, you included at times. And those pros who take some that I think to myself, well I could have done better. However a good photograph is not always about being the best quality. People here now seem so focused on anet for instance. Personally I enjoy myav.net just as much because you get some cracking shots that arn't "anet material" but in some cases far more interesting than any shot on the main site.

[Vapour01]

Some fair points there Craig. I certainly agree with the over-enthusiastic treatment of Airliners.net, you'd think it was the holy grail of this hobby at times, when it really isn't.

[Tweek]

People here now seem so focused on anet for instance.

It'd be nice if some would realise that A.net isn't the be all and end all of aviation photography. In fact, it's very easy to get a sharp, well lit shot onto the site - it's no real achievement. It starts to get difficult when your photographs don't conform with their ideas, and so you have to take your work elsewhere. Which is no big deal.

[J.]

i have browsed A.net a few times and thought it to be nothing more than a pen*s wavein competition

[Vapour01]

i have browsed A.net a few times and thought it to be nothing more than a pen*s wavein competition

How's that then?

[Ivan]

Airliners is only going to place non-dslr pictures if there's something interesting on it (Il-76 Adnan, Il-82 (SKIP) and other rarebirds). For the rest they want professional quality.

Oh and for the lens... you can have the same focal length for just over 500 dollars (MC Rubinar + MC TKL2 combo)

[Tweek]

Airliners is only going to place non-dslr pictures if there's something interesting on it (Il-76 Adnan, Il-82 (SKIP) and other rarebirds). For the rest they want professional quality.

My giant collection of photos (all 6 of them) are all taken on a bridge camera, with nothing special in them. They're all very boring though.

[61_OTU]

I was just preparing a really balanced and well reasoned post suggesting that we shouldn't be too hard on anyone discussing the kit they have, or whether or not a picture was Anet quality, but clicked on a link and lost it

[Hagar]

This forum has certainly changed since it first started. The general quality of photos that people post here has improved considerably. In most cases this can be put down to the quality of the equipment which gets better almost every day. For example; the camera in Matt's phone probably has a far better spec than my old Fuji F401 which I still carry around with me.

I enjoy taking photos & get a lot of pleasure out of it. However, I've never considered myself a photographer or understood the obsession with Anet that so many people seem to have. I take my snapshots for my own pleasure.

As a comparative newcomer to the hobby I'm slowly learning the ropes. This takes time but experimenting is part of the enjoyment for me. I don't always succeed but know the results I'm after which might not fit the "experts" idea of what photos should look like. There is a certain amount of snobbery in photography as there is in the art world as a whole. I think this is a mistake & it would be a very boring world if everything was the same. I can only put up with seeing so many images of the same airliner in certain liveries.

It all depends on why you take photos & what you want to use them for. My passion is for vintage light aircraft & 'warbirds'. I started out a few years ago with the idea of taking photos of as many rare birds as possible, preferably in the air. Reliving my past when these aircraft were commonplace but I had no camera to record them. At the time I didn't realise what an undertaking this would be. My photos are for my own use first & foremost but if anyone finds them interesting I'm delighted.

I must admit that I haven't been as active on this forum as I used to be. There are several reasons for that but one is that I have no wish to enter any competitions, either for my photos or my ability to edit them. The hobby seems to be as much about graphics editing as skill with the camera these days. To be frank I have no interest in that. There should be room for everyone to post their photos no matter how good they are or which equipment they use. As Craig pointed out this used to be a lot of fun & the fun seems to have gone out of it recently. Please remember, owning a custom Gibson Les Paul guitar doesn't mean that I will ever be able to play like the man it's named after. It's not so much the equipment or how much it cost but what you do with it.

[61_OTU]

It all depends on why you take photos & what you want to use them for. My passion is for vintage light aircraft & 'warbirds'. I started out a few years ago with the idea of taking photos of as many rare birds as possible, preferably in the air

The thing that I find most enjoyable most about your posts in the photo forum Doug is not just the images themselves, but the interpretation that you put with them, particularly your extensive knowledge of historic aircraft and the industry. Combine this with very fine images from smaller out of the way events, that most of us would not have heard of or have the time to travel to, and it means that your posts are some of the most informative and interesting on the forum.

I know that you weren't fishing for praise Doug (you're probably wishing that I hadn't posted this already ) but it's a fact that in my threads I attempt to provide the same level of consideration and information that you do. I also hope that like you I try to provide a selection of novel or interesting shots.

Besides Doug, if we had a competition for "Best ever shot on Simviation" then your Spitfire Girl would still win hands down  ;)

[Hagar]

Besides Doug, if we had a competition for "Best ever shot on Simviation" then your Spitfire Girl would still win hands down  ;)

LOL That was just a happy accident & proves what I'm trying to say. The situation is never likely to be repeated. A deserted air show bar with a lovely young barmaid who was no stranger to the camera.  I took 3 shots with my 2 Mp F401 on full Auto. Two of them are classics, probably the best photos I will ever take if I live to be a hundred. 8-)

[Omag 2.0]

I have a split view on things here lately. I for one, am not totally unguilty when it comes to the "mine is bigger than yours" thing ( mine certainly isn't the biggest anyway  ;D), but people who buy new stuff usually are happy to show them of a bit... Certainly as my camera is the first real treat I've allowed me in quite a time. Anyway...

As it comes to the pictures themselves, I feel that this forums should be very open to all sorts of styles and qualities. Afterall, it's the aviation part that connects us all.

But on the other hand, where's the challenge in all of this? I'm currently a member of Belgium Digital, a photoforum. In the picture-forums you have "photo critiques" and "the showcase".

Posting in the photo critique part is very casual. Members give you all sort of advise on what could be better, what's good etc.

The showcase is meant for the best of the best shots. You think twice before posting in that section, because the replys can be rather clear if it's not up to the quality standard. But this challenges you to think about your work. To see the flaws and mistakes, so you'd pay more attention next time...


I'd love to see our members grow in quality. But I understand that not everyone is in photography like that and that some people just want to show their shots...