Eye contact, and pylon photography

[wingman]

Re: Eye contact, and pylon photography

I cannot argue with most of that. I resisted Photoshop digital for years, and used CS6 long after its good till date. When I eventually felt forced to subscribe I had to play catchup for months, because so much was new and different. The problem was that the digital version is far better and more comprehensive. The things you can do with it are really quite wonderful.

I personally have problems with your take on cell phones vs subscription software. For me as a user, the end result is the same -- get a service and pay for it. It may not cost Adobe anything additional when I sign up, and they may not be maintaining a network, but they spend a lot of money on updates and maintenance of all of it. I wonder what the profit margins are for Adobe vs the big cell phone networks. I'm about the only person I know (other than Birgitta) who still absolutely refuses to own a cell phone. I detest and fear the tracking and monitoring functions far more than I dislike Adobe's business model. That said, if I needed a cell phone in my life I would put my qualms aside and get one -- unhappily -- just as I subscribe to Photoshop -- unhappily.

I'm not at all happy with Adobe, but I need it and have not found anything else with anything like the power and functionality of Photoshop. Affinity is interesting, but far from what I need.

So I guess I'll just have to soldier on without a cell phone and with Photoshop. YMMV...

Neal

[wadeh]

Re: Eye contact, and pylon photography

I personally have problems with your take on cell phones vs subscription software. For me as a user, the end result is the same -- get a service and pay for it.

Here is an example of how it's different:

I have an old iPhone 6, which was retired from cell phone duty after an upgrade many years ago. I still have the old phone and have removed the SIM card from it. I can install and run all the software that I use on my main phone. It functions beautifully as a music player and mini tablet. I have software that lets me remote control my telescopes. I actually use it every day. It costs me exactly nothing to do this. If Adobe made the phone, I would have thrown it away years ago.

It may not cost Adobe anything additional when I sign up, and they may not be maintaining a network, but they spend a lot of money on updates and maintenance of all of it.

I have no problem paying for software. As I mentioned, I am retired from the software industry. Software paid for everything I have, my kids' education, etc.

If any software company wants more money from me, all they have to do is make something that I value. Before Adobe went subscription only, I paid for upgrades when there was something new that had value to me. This is the right model. If a company wants more money, they should do something to earn it.

As for maintenance, security updates and important bug fixes should be free. This is critically important. As the software industry has matured, companies have less interest in genuine innovation, and more interest in maximizing profit above all else. When I started out in the industry, we actually used engineering practices and targeted a 10 year working life for each major version.

The quality of software is not getting better by any means - quite the opposite. By the time I retired, I was pretty much amazed at how far we'd come from those days, and how little quality control is retained from the way we used to do it. If companies thought that they could get away without providing free security updates, they would have no incentive to keep what little quality control that they still have.

But hey, getting back to the subject at hand, I love this thread. I do not consider myself a good terrestrial photographer in any way. I have some pretty decent technical skills, but no eye for composition, no concept of having a "story to tell", etc. Reading about what people look for to make a photo interesting is really valuable to me. I'm always interested in hearing peoples' comments about the images here.

Outside of astronomy, photography is really challenging for me. I think that I'm probably face blind. When I watch movies and characters change clothes, or hair, between scenes, I often don't make the connection that it's the same character. When I see people that I know in an unexpected environment, I often don't recognize them at all.

I have been a sound engineer for our church's worship team for a long time. I can hear really subtle things that most people don't. When I think about a song, or other sound, I can "hear" it in my head. I have no ability to "see" anything in my head at all. None. I was talking to my wife one day, and I made that comment. I was astounded to learn that she actually can "see" something in her head. It never occurred to me that anyone could do that.

[wingman]

Re: Eye contact, and pylon photography

An interesting post. All this stuff (abilities, strengths etc) varies immensely between individuals. I see the world in colors and shapes and somehow have the ability to see and extract patterns that others miss til they see my photographs. I am pretty good at this -- my stuff has been bought and published for many years (airplanes, landscapes, desert flowers, air to ground, air to air, architecture, etc etc.). I obviously have some talents here. But I cannot tell whether my clothing colors are harmonious, and if you give me a wall and a bunch of pictures to hang I'm at a total loss. I have zero design sense, but can take a chaotic landscape and see multiple interesting (and usually simple) photographs to be made. Go figure...

Neal

[RAD2LTR]

Re: Eye contact, and pylon photography

More eye contact shots.







Will

[wingman]

Re: Eye contact, and pylon photography

More good stuff here, Will. I especially like the closeups of IF1 numbers 11 and 31. The pilot-cockpit areas could still be pulled up a bit -- those smoked canopies are murder for photography. It can be done -- I ran across a great example yeserday of a white airplane with smoked canopy that really changed when I fussed with it a little. I'll try to post it later today.

Would you put together some photos of Fraed Not over the years and especially this year with Steve Temple? We knew the designer builder of that airplane and saw it being built up. Dan passed away not long ago, but that is a Hell of a Racer he built.

Neal

[RAD2LTR]

Re: Eye contact, and pylon photography

Non Bipe cockpit/eye contact...










These should be in the other thread...






Will