LHRSIMON From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2002, 1342 posts, RR: 25 Posted (8 years 8 months 3 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 2556 times:
Well im 5 months into photography and A.Net. Even if i do say so myself im pretty happy with how things are going. I have 163 photo's in the database with only a S7000 and im only only processing photo's i took in May !!!!
Anyway back to topic...... I starting to wonder which direction my photo's should take. Ill give you the problem
artistic
--------
Photo's like this are the ones i realy like. BUT they have such a big rejection rate due to things like bad distance , bad angle , bad people etc etc. Some do get in but MANY MANY which i also realy like get rejected...... The hit rates on most of these photo's is very height which is what im after but im starting to wonder if the rejection rate is worth it !!! I have taken a mixture of aircraft types
For the database / new aircraft
-------------------------------
I also have tried to help the database (after all thats what it is) by adding standard photo's of new aircraft like this,but the hit rate most of the time is pathetic.
So as i said im not sure which way to go. At the moment im just trying to vary it,but must admit im getting very frustrated with the rejections when i try to do something different..... Should i stick to standard photo's that get accepted of not ??? I don't just want to get stuck in a rut and end up shooting 200 photo's like this every day !!!
Sulman From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2004, 2028 posts, RR: 35 Reply 2, posted (8 years 8 months 3 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 2527 times:
Simon,
GA doesn't hit well generally, unless the image is particularly dramatic in some way. It's great to get stuff on the DB, but shoot for yourself, not for a.net.
IL76 From Netherlands, joined Jan 2004, 2235 posts, RR: 51 Reply 3, posted (8 years 8 months 3 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 2516 times:
You don't HAVE to shoot 200 of the same style of 'safe' pictures, unless A.net is the sole reason for photographing aircraft. But is it?
If you don't like those kind of pictures, you can also simply not take them! Just make the shots that you do like, with the risk of them being rejected if you upload them. If so: too bad... Don't be bothered by it too much. You'll just have to find another way to share those pictures (own website, photobucket, whatever...).
If you're in a rut, take a different subject and start taking pictures of animals or whatever. Don't make Airliners.net the single reason for doing photography...
Cheers,
Eduard
Ckw From UK - England, joined Aug 2010, 530 posts, RR: 18 Reply 4, posted (8 years 8 months 3 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 2515 times:
A.net is what it is - a collection of what I would call by and large "reference shots". The standards and screening process all contrive towards "normalising the database" - yes there are exceptions, people DO get great artistic shots accepted, but A.net is not an environment where the development of your skills in this direction are encouraged. A.net is not a site about the "art" of photography. This is not criticism, just observation.
If your goal is to get hits and pictures in the database, then you will have to accept A.net as it is, shoot to the accepted standards, and pick subjects which are of interest to the majority of visitors. Sorry, doesn't matter how good your shot of a Piper Cherokee is, the subject matter is simply not of interest to the majority of visitors.
If your goal is to develop your photography skills, then you would be mad to shoot anything other than the subjects and styles that interest you most.
Me, I shoot a mix of subjects and styles - if, in the course of doing so, I get pics which are suited to A.net, they are submitted (of course some are rejected) - but the large majority of my photographs don't get submitted here ... they were shot for me (or occasionally a 3rd party), and all that really matters is that I'm happy with the results and my photography is going in a direction which is important to me.
I will admit that acceptance on A.net used to matter a lot to me, but one day I caught myself at LHR shooting departures that would get accepted here, quite frankly bored out of my mind. And I thought "what is the point of this?"
Yes, I'll still make the occasional visit to LHR - I can still get a kick out of a 747 taking off - but not as a regular diet. These days when I reach for the camera the question is "what do I feel like shooting today". Often its airplanes, but it could be the zoo, landscapes, whatever ... and I'm a happier photographer becuase of it. In fact, I get the biggest buzz tackling new subjects - I love the "how the hell do I shoot this?" feeling, and then working out a solution.
LHRSIMON From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2002, 1342 posts, RR: 25 Reply 5, posted (8 years 8 months 3 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 2505 times:
Thanks for the comments guys.... To answer a couple of points.
1) I don't just take photo's for A.Net but also myself. Having been a spotter for 25+ years this side of things is very new to me and is a sideshoot of my spotting. Though i have to admit that im starting to enjoy the photography side of things more and more !!!! After all for me its just only a hobby. I just realy feel sad/dissapointed whatever you want to call it when i cannot share a photo on the biggest/best website. And a photo i know would get good hits and people would enjoy....
2) As i said i don't yet feel i am in a rut but at a crossroads. If a year down the line im still at LHR taking pictures of BA 320's then i would feel i still am. I feel it would be doing nothing for me as a photographer or A.Net who must already have 10000000 pictures of the same aircraft landing at LHR. Regarding photo subjects,i have already started taking photo's of family etc etc. Im also looking into Ice Hockey photography for a club im involved in called the Slough Jets. So that will keep me happy in the cold winter months. You will not find me at the end of the runway at LHR when its -10 iand raining thats for sure !!!!
I think the comment "Take the photos that you enjoy taking most, unless someone pays you to do differently". Sums it up well i think. Maybe i can dream of a day i can give up my office job and get people to pay for my photo's....I wish !!!!!
Thanks
Simon
Canon 1D Mk III,Canon 20D+17-40 L f4.0,70-200 L IS USM f2.8,400 L USM f5.6,135 mm L f2.0, 50 mm f1.8,1.4 x II extender
INNflight From Austria, joined Apr 2004, 3765 posts, RR: 62 Reply 6, posted (8 years 8 months 3 weeks 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 2490 times:
I have taken LOTS of aviation images during the last 2-3 years, but I am a bit bored right now, so I only go to the airport for special visitors or my own pleasure.
I started to take lots of landscape images, flowers, animals, buildings and sports. Again, now I really enjoy photography, I love it!
Try something different, aircraft are not what photography is all about!
LHRSIMON From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2002, 1342 posts, RR: 25 Reply 7, posted (8 years 8 months 3 weeks 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 2478 times:
Don't get me wrong and i cannot point this out enough.....
I LOVE AIRCRAFT !!!!!!!
Most of my hobbies involve them (PC Flight sims/spotting/photography , collecting herpa models). Even my job involves working at LHR !!!!!
I will always take pictures af aircraft and enjoy doing so,but the reason i started the thread was to ask which TYPE of photo's should i take..... Artistic or standard.....
Thanks to alot of the comments i am now clearer in my mind which way i will go. But aircraft will always be one of my main subjects !!!!
Canon 1D Mk III,Canon 20D+17-40 L f4.0,70-200 L IS USM f2.8,400 L USM f5.6,135 mm L f2.0, 50 mm f1.8,1.4 x II extender
Dehowie From Australia, joined Feb 2004, 1044 posts, RR: 38 Reply 10, posted (8 years 8 months 3 weeks 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 2414 times:
G'day Simon
Interesting that you note that the high hitters are the artistic shots which A.Net does its best to discourage!
I still to this day have no idea as to why there is such a negative attitude around here to beautiful artistic photographs of aircraft on what is supposed to be the premier aviation "photography" website.
Take the shots you like and display them elsewhere like photobucket and pbase or some of the other site's which are far more accepting of these photographic skills than here.
Love that sunset 74 shot,very nice indeed.
Darren
LHRSIMON From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2002, 1342 posts, RR: 25 Reply 11, posted (8 years 8 months 3 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 2308 times:
Thanks for the comments Darren...
The 74 photo believe it or not was my first on A.Net and my best photo to date. I had only had the camera 3 days and it was taken on Auto as well. Pretty much point and click as i was still very knew to photography. Beginners luck or what !!!!
Canon 1D Mk III,Canon 20D+17-40 L f4.0,70-200 L IS USM f2.8,400 L USM f5.6,135 mm L f2.0, 50 mm f1.8,1.4 x II extender
Spencer From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2004, 1624 posts, RR: 19 Reply 12, posted (8 years 8 months 3 weeks 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 2265 times:
It's absurd that you shoot for hits!! Why would you want to do that? It doesn't hone any skills, and at the end of the day doesn't reflect really how good a picture is, just how many people like it!
Spencer.
EOS1D4, 7D, 30D, 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 70-200/2.8 L IS2 USM, 17-40 f4 L USM, 24-105 f4 L IS USM, 85 f1.8 USM
LHRSIMON From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2002, 1342 posts, RR: 25 Reply 13, posted (8 years 8 months 3 weeks 3 days 23 hours ago) and read 2234 times:
Spencer. Did you read any of my replies... I do not absurdly just shoot for hits as you so kindly put it !!!! I shoot for myself but also for others on A.Net to enjoy. I still enjoy going to small fields and taking GA photo's but if only 18 people look at the picture i sometimes feel that i should use my time on other subjects.
The thread as the title states is more to do with what direction im trying to decide to go.... Ie for the sake of the database (ie lots of new reg's) or more artistic photos.....
Yes i admit that i enjoy it when i see a GA shoot getting 900+ hits , yes i get a buzz but who don't !!!! I also feel "was it worth it" when i see a photo getting 20 hits. Its not a case of just doing it for the hits but trying to take photo's that people think "ill have a look at that"....
I could say "i don't care what other people think , just as long as my photo's are good " but im not that way as i wish others to enjoy them. If that was the case i would not bother downloading to A.Net in the first place !!!
Simon.
Canon 1D Mk III,Canon 20D+17-40 L f4.0,70-200 L IS USM f2.8,400 L USM f5.6,135 mm L f2.0, 50 mm f1.8,1.4 x II extender
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Just make the shots that you do like, with the risk of them being rejected if you upload them. If so: too bad... Don't be bothered by it too much. You'll just have to find another way to share those pictures (own website, photobucket, whatever...).
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