But first, speaker wire analogies continue....
The image above was photographed with some pretty lux stuff. A Panasonic S1R coupled to a Panasonic S-Pro 24-70mm f2.8 lens. This was shot at Enchanted Rock a couple of weeks back and I'm certain that if we were to blow it up to eight feet by eight feet and print it the file would knock the socks off of anything coming out of my iPhone XR. Really. Cuz....enlargement. More pixels. Super lens.
But then I photographed this cityscape (below) with my iPhone XR and I think it's a technically good image as well. Not because I'm a decent photographer but because the subject matter interests me and the camera in the $700 phone did a great job. When I look at the images side by side here on the web (arguably the only place I'll ever end up putting them) they seem...equivalent to me. No better and no worse.
If any of my engagements with casual photographs were transformed into brow beetling and intense "viewing sessions" during which I sat in a perfectly positioned chair, ancient brandy sloshing in a crystal snifter at hand, with both images writ large and perfectly illuminated, would I see a difference at a viewing distance that makes sense? Probably not. And I've been looking at prints for the better part of 40 years (yes, ever since I was a toddler).
But here's the kicker: There is no takeaway here. I enjoy both images. The one above for its sublime sky and the one below for both the saturated green of the water just beneath the tree line and --- the .... sublime sky. It's the content, almost always, and rarely the technical stuff that draws me, my friends, and a larger audience to enjoy photography. It's the same in music. The actual art is the breath of life. The content, the intention, the selection and style of presentation. The granules of pigment in paint, the film grain, the tiniest third order harmonics in the music, are all incidental to the art itself. Critiquing the quality of substructure is absolute folly. Now moving on to the question of the day.... below:
Over time some photographers become hoarders of a sort. We try stuff and if it doesn't work out of the box we send it back and try again. But there are so many times that we'll try a product and it will work in the moment. Maybe the product matches the style of photographic work that a client drives over a year or so. Then the styles change or the subject matter that drove the initial purchase goes away, replaced by something else that might benefit from a change of tools. Since we're all relatively affluent and masters of rationalization we rush out and buy new tools that more closely match the parameters of the projects at hand. Kind of human nature for a large part of the population.
When we pull up short, stop the game clock, reset the paradigm... or, whatever, there is engendered a re-evaluation of our needs and wants as they relate to our professional practice. And Covid-19 is presenting a hard stop.
I looked around the office yesterday and was unamused by my own avarice. While I can't toss away good hard drives, filled with "priceless" photographs, I can downsize the stuff that's growing like mold in the walls of a swamp house. Here are examples: I have three identical battery powered monolights that are in perfect shaped and served me pretty well during the time over the past three years when I was dragging them on and off airplanes to shoot portraits in locations not served by wire-borne electrical power. The lights were inexpensive to purchase with an average acquisition price around $200. I have three dedicated wireless triggers, one for each light, and a motley assemblage of reflectors which are of the ubiquitous Bowens type.
Now the lights sit in a rolling case and I haven't used them in the better part of a year. What to do with them? I could offer them for sale on the web but then I'd have to deal with multiple buyers, endless questions, the fraught-ness of shipping them out in good working order only to have one or more arrive damaged. Would it be better to find a struggling, young artist to bequeath them to? How does one find a truly deserving young photographer who truly needs better tools?
But then there is all the ephemerata of smaller, less valuable (but more hardy) grip equipment. The multiple super clamps, the Lowell Tota-light I couldn't bear to give up. The weird and variated collection of light stands. The hodge podge of light modifiers. The seven generations of Apple laptops (going all the way back to the "Blueberry" iBook) which I can't let go of because I can't upgrade them and then erase all the hard drives...)? The two Leica slide projectors. The drawer of indistinct, older camera parts and accessories. The filters which seem worthless now but always, when I get ready to move them on, remembering having to re-buy another identical one for now more money when a new need arises. The half-used rolls of seamless background paper. The un-used pop-up background purchased for a marketing shoot with a satellite company that went bankrupt before we could use the background for their portrait sessions. And the seemingly endless binders full of CD's and DVD's of advertising projects that no one wants or needs any more.
If you can't already tell I'm in the mood to purge the endless physical anchors binding me to the way I used to do things in the past.
What's my vision for the future? A small case of speed lights to take the place of decades of bigger lights. (already purchased). A larger case of LED fixtures for the present (already in house and ready). An ever smaller collection of cameras and lenses. (trying to rein that musthavecamera thing in). Just enough light stands for an individual portrait shoot. One perfect portrait modifier which will sit proudly in the studio and sneer at the lesser ones bought on a lark.
In impulsive moments I feel like dragging the big garbage "can" over to the door of the office and just shoveling stuff in until I can see the tops of all the horizontal surfaces in the office and can walk, unimpeded, across the studio floor. Tabula Raza.
And then there's the unkempt nest of wireless microphone systems, weird audio interfaces, viper wraps of balanced cables and so much more. None of it getting much use. All of it falling into obsolesence.
So, if you know of an easy and cost effective way to rid oneself of endless photographic clutter would you be kind enough to give me your considered advice in the comments? I'll blend the best of the ideas and see if I can move forward and take myself out of the paralysis of owning too many small and cluttery things. Thanks.
One more thought... The image of an old copy of the English edition of Zoom Magazine (below) surfaced in my endless machinations to bring order from chaos. It reminded me why the job of thinning out possessions is so hard. You come across a magazine you haven't opened in 25 years and find yourself fascinated by the huge page sizes, the beautiful quadratones of impeccably nude people, see amazing colors and smart work. Mostly done by people who owned one or two cameras, no lights and certainly no ever expanding collection of lighting modifiers, and you remember why you didn't recycle the magazine in the first place...
I guess this is a ramble with a certain amount of circular direction and no beginning or end. Well, until we drop quite dead surrounded by a life time of unstructured collecting.
oops. I forgot to mark this post: NSFW. But I didn't really forget, I just didn't care.
20 comments:
Suggestion - Give the stuff to a local community college that teaches photography. Ours on North Carolina are always looking for these items.
For the laptops, destroy the hard drives by drilling a hole into them. For the electronics including cables, etc. take them to a recycling collector. Trash the rest and don't burden someone else to dispose them. For the future, buy less and use what you have.
Suggestion: sell some on Craigslist, sell the rest on Ebay, anything worth much trade at B&H or Adorama or UsedPhotoPro or locally for what you need. Craigslist is a hotbed of crime (according to a local police officer with whom I spoke when I was scammed). But probably okay if you know how to weed out the crooks - they'll try to meet you at Starbucks...after hours, Uh, yeah. Ebay is easy - just take stuff to UPS and have them box it. Unwieldy stuff, sell on CL or give away locally. Or pay somebody a commission to do it all for you - the imaginary local student-in-need; feels better to give them a good deal in exchange for a service, they'll feel better, too.
The only photo gear that even mildly attracts me now is the forthcoming Canon R5 body, but nah. I could use an iPhone XR for video, though, but I'm more interested in good audio for video, which I've got covered.
Tom Devlin - you took the words from my mouth. I teach at the community college level and we are very well equipped in our darkrooms, studio and equipment check out cage. This is due in part to donations made to our program which may well become more important as funding starts to shrink as a result of the yet unseen effects of the Covid19 pandemic. If not at the community college level, then why not UT? The laptops? Oh boy, seems like a hazardous waste donation to me.
TB
Well you could send some of the wireless microphone setups to someone doing pro bono videos for non-profits, like me. Hint hint.
If you find a new home for your Leitz/Leica Pradovit projectors, please let me know. I have one that needs a new home as well.
Gordon, Will do. Eric, considering but put off by the complexities of international shipping...
Tom, a good suggestion. But Tom Brayne, UT has pretty much abandoned anything that even smells like studio photography or photography that actually requires more than rudimentary lighting. It's also kind of uninspiring to donate to the second or third wealthiest school in the world. I'll look for an underserved program instead...
To build on Tom Devlin's excellent idea: If the community colleges and even high schools in Austin are well-stocked, consider San Antonio or any of the other towns and cities across Texas that may not be as well off as Austin. There may also be colleges outside of Austin that could use it - Texas State U in San Marcos? UTSA? Stephen F. Austin? SW Texas Jr. College? Someone in UT's art department may know someone at another of the schools that could use the equipment. Just some thoughts.
As for the expensive audio cables, isn't the old expression "there is an audiophile born every minute"?
Ken
You could sell me a slide projector, and if it arrived broken (I promise I wouldn't lie about it) I'd just send it out to the landfill. My wife and I have a housekeeper who comes in on Fridays, and is death on flea markets. That's where all my excess, non-personal things go; it's a small bonus for her, and a pain out of my ass. If you know somebody like that, who is a friend of some sorts and probably works several different gigs, consider asking if he/she could "use" the stuff. My housekeeper would clean you out in an instant; and, you might actually be buying somebody food, given the current virus problem. The downside: you know in your heart that they'll be sold at a fraction of their *real* worth, which is hard to take, considering what you paid for them.
The computer problems are especially painful. I have two aged iMacs that will no longer update to the current operating systems, and three old laptops, which sit unused. But...they're so good! I eventually will pull the hard drives and take the bodies to Best Buy, which will send them to the proper landfill. No way around that.
I sympathize on the magazine problem, I'm definitely obsessed with those. Have a few Zoom issues still hanging around but my worst vice is issues of Nat Geo with features by my favorite photogs, Abell, Allard, Harvey, Nachtwey, from their heyday in the 90's and so on. Good luck.
Peter Uitvlucht
RVA
Interesting that you used the word "anchor." That's the word at the top of my de-clutter list.
A number of good ideas, above.
Vocational/technical schools?
Keep the magazine, if it symbolizes something unique to you. After all, they don't make them anymore.
Kirk,
all those objects that are left in the end...
Turn Artist!
Assemble them in arty or funny or allegoric or modern art objects, or whatever.
It might become the best modern art exhibition in years in Austin!
Or, if you should so prefer, an excellent parody of modern art...
:-)
I can already imagine the winning piece:
"A photographers nightmare"
:-) :-)
( "A photographers daydream" would probably need to contain some still sellable stuff.)
:-)
It's kind of interesting that everybody commented on how you can get rid of old stuff but nobody mentioned the iphone comparison.
At a time when vacations look like a distant hope and family gatherings are all cancelled, I'm wondering more and more what the point of owning dedicated cameras is, let alone why to buy new ones. I take pictures with my phone almost daily (clouds, sunsets, empty toilet paper shelves in the grocery, etc) but I can't remember the last time I touched any of my dslrs, or the last time anyone wanted a print.
Put an ad up telling the local community first come first serve, it is all free. The faster you are rid of it the better is my philosophy. People will come and collect it, just group the items into sensible groups and make it their problem ;)
Your dreams can come true!
On donating to schools/collages - most have online forums where students can request /offload gear. See if you can get it added there.
We have three universities here and anyone looking to give away gear or sell it reasonably can shift it quite quickly to a deserving home. There'll be someone who wants to specialise in that kind of photography, even if the schools are well stocked.
Mark
Kirk,
I'd be surprised if you cannot find a local, deserving recipient of used equipment! Even if the Universities and Colleges in a wealthy area are doing fine, I'm sure there are students or graduates that would appreciate the equipment. Or, perhaps a less fortunate struggling photographer impacted by the Covid-19 slump could do with a boost?
Again, as for your laptops, there are lots of people out there who would love a Mac but could never afford the admission fees. My late 2011 MacBook still works beautifully, even though I can't upgrade beyond High Sierra 10.13.6. 4K video editing is a struggle, but otherwise, fitted with a 2Tb SSD and 16GB of RAM, all is good. More than the photo equipment, the longer this can be kept out of landfill, the better. Maybe you'll find a generous trade in program somewhere at some point in the future?
My name is Cathal, and I used to be an audiophile. A proper flat earth, Linn turntable, Naim amplifier sort of person. That was before I had a family. Now, its all on my iPhone. I no longer own CD's. I have a music subscription. Less clutter, more more convenience, and always with me. Thinking of my changes makes me realise how similar the change was for those who gave up their cameras for iPhones as their photographic medium. No need for an intermediary computer. Photos shared in an instance. Convenience is a huge factor. I'm not there, and don't expect to ever be there totally, but raw shooting on an iPhone can produce some very satisfying results for an "always with you" camera. It's the image that counts, always has been, and for a lot of people, its "good enough".
Cathal
https://avaaonline.org/greater-tomorrow-youth-art-program (Greater Tomorrow Youth Art Program, Austin TX)
https://creativeaction.org/programs/
Creative Action, Austin TX
I'm sure there are other, not-for-profit arts and visual communication programs in the greater Austin area that would gratefully benefit from a donation of serviceable equipment. My daughter interned for a Summer youth film program in Chicago last Summer that was led by a talented instructor doing similar work in that metropolitan region.
"It's the content, almost always, and rarely the technical stuff that draws me, my friends, and a larger audience to enjoy photography."
Nailed it.
I might be able to provide a home for a 50mm Kern Switar lens!
eBay can still be a good way to get top dollar for your unwanted stuff, and a great way to dust off those product photography skills, but it's real work too, and both eBay and PayPal take their percentage.
When I'm not quite sure whether to unload something, I put it in my "halfway box", and right now, it's contents include a former dream lens which turned out to be a bit larger and heavier than I cared for, and a cult-y compact that I swore never to sell. And if, after a few weeks or months, I have basically forgotten about these things, then it's a pretty safe bet that I'll never regret parting with them. Anyhow, it seems to work about 95% of the time for me, and on those rare occasions where I did feel compelled to repurchase, I've usually been disappointed.
Jeff in Colorado
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