The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

The thing about GetDPI ....

cunim

Well-known member
Recently, I have seen some valued members state that they are withdrawing from participation here, at least for a time. I very much regret that, as we are already pretty thin on the ground. The membership issue has come up many times, but matters do not appear to be improving.

A key benefit of this site is that members are courteous, and show appreciation for a broad variety of skill levels. Knowing that some of my photos will be "liked" is motivating. In contrast, when I post to places like Frames (for example) I tend to be ignored. Here too, but less so. Because I am noticed, and because I like the technical discussions, I continue with GetDPI.

However, a great majority of the posts and reactions in the MF forum come from a small subset of the membership. That's a problem. To maintain interest, we need more photos and more points of view. Given that new members appear only rarely, I am wondering if we can motivate more of the existing members to participate. I know this is a landscape site, but can we interest more of the other categories (wedding, product, still life, pets etc.)? Any suggestions?

darwin5 (1 of 1).jpg
 

rmueller

Well-known member
Thanks for the wakeup post, agree. Last two years I worked on a project that didn't involve MF, so I had not much to show here. This year is different, coming back to MF land. I might withdraw from certain threads here but certainly not from GetDPI, the one site responsible for dragging me into Dante's inferno many moons ago.

Oh, and don't believe there is no pet at my place. Shot with H6D-50c and HC 100 at f2.2

004455_H6D.jpg
 

Knorp

Well-known member
Recently, I have seen some valued members state that they are withdrawing from participation here, at least for a time. I very much regret that, as we are already pretty thin on the ground. The membership issue has come up many times, but matters do not appear to be improving.

A key benefit of this site is that members are courteous, and show appreciation for a broad variety of skill levels. Knowing that some of my photos will be "liked" is motivating. In contrast, when I post to places like Frames (for example) I tend to be ignored. Here too, but less so. Because I am noticed, and because I like the technical discussions, I continue with GetDPI.

However, a great majority of the posts and reactions in the MF forum come from a small subset of the membership. That's a problem. To maintain interest, we need more photos and more points of view. Given that new members appear only rarely, I am wondering if we can motivate more of the existing members to participate. I know this is a landscape site, but can we interest more of the other categories (wedding, product, still life, pets etc.)? Any suggestions?

View attachment 218690
Well 99.9% of my MF snaps end up in the 'Mount Fuji Active' thread or 'Images to Share' threads ...
But I do appreciate and enjoy the professional quality of the photos here in the 'Fun with MF images' thread.
I rarely post anything there though (sorry).
All the best.
 

cunim

Well-known member
This has turned into a really enjoyable pet thread - my bad, I started it - but we don't seem to be generating suggestions that might help motivate more members to post.

Here's one. Establish three threads - landscape, people/animals and objects. In these, members can acknowledge (link) a posted image that they have particularly liked. No images, just links to images posted in other threads. Sort of a super like. Every few months, the top two shots in each category are shown and the threads are reset. Does the site code support automating that sort of tracking?
 

PeterA

Well-known member
What a shame that (some?) peopel have decided to have a break - Ive always enjoyed LokBook's B&W shots...I seem to have missed other similar announcements - if people are driving people away they shopuld have a good long hard look at themeselves.



I think forums are all under pressure for people's time - whilst social media platforms like Instagram provide much larger audience reach for those that need or want or aspire to that sort of validation.

I think that something worthwhile like organising a book which invites people to include a photograph in it would be a nice way to have some physical object to have - things like that work to build and maintain community.

The forum also lost an immense amount of its history when the site underwent some changes - it was a slap in the face of long time posters and contributors - as in a BIG SLAP in the FACE. Which only went to underline the impermnence of places like this ...

Perhaps the founders of this forum who no longer seem to have any interest or invovlement in it might shre why they dont - there doesnt seem to be much direct invovelment from teh current owner(s)? either.

I will keep posting in here for as long as the people I have come to know continue to do so - so many intersting photogrpherr and nice people here still!
 

vieri

Well-known member
What a shame that (some?) peopel have decided to have a break - Ive always enjoyed LokBook's B&W shots...I seem to have missed other similar announcements - if people are driving people away they shopuld have a good long hard look at themeselves.



I think forums are all under pressure for people's time - whilst social media platforms like Instagram provide much larger audience reach for those that need or want or aspire to that sort of validation.

I think that something worthwhile like organising a book which invites people to include a photograph in it would be a nice way to have some physical object to have - things like that work to build and maintain community.

The forum also lost an immense amount of its history when the site underwent some changes - it was a slap in the face of long time posters and contributors - as in a BIG SLAP in the FACE. Which only went to underline the impermnence of places like this ...

Perhaps the founders of this forum who no longer seem to have any interest or invovlement in it might shre why they dont - there doesnt seem to be much direct invovelment from teh current owner(s)? either.

I will keep posting in here for as long as the people I have come to know continue to do so - so many intersting photogrpherr and nice people here still!
So many great points, Peter.

People driving people away; owners (past and present) not participating and seemingly not caring much; forum history lost; all these are very good reasons for people to stop posting here. Add lack of moderation and the resulting free rein to members, with the consequent more aggressive stance of some members than others when debating left unchecked, and it's not hard for me to see why many people decided to spend their (little) online and forum time somewhere else.

I am still checking the forum daily, reading here and there, and will stay here and post whenever I feel it's worth it, but I definitely can't blame those people who decided to take a break instead.

Best regards,

Vieri
 

rmueller

Well-known member
Agree to @PeterA and @vieri . I believe there are many reasons, one of them is certainly the maturity of the technology in MF space.
I do remember back in 2008 when I joined, I did come here and read every single post of @fotografz (and @PeterA and few others). Those were the days when the first digital backs became kind of affordable, like the CFV-16 and 39 from Hasselblad or P20 and such from Phase and Hasselblad announcing the H3D-39, its first integrated camera after the acquisition of Imacon if I remember correctly and there was a fair and friendly dispute going on about HB vs. Phase and everything was kind of new and exciting.

Fast forward and some key people left, the MF space is matured to a technical level where it really doesn't matter which camera to pick. So what is left is talking about the images itself, yeah and this is a big bummer on a tech forum, isn't it?

So much more to say about this, just sharing my perspective after 16 years on this forum which is still the only forum I come to on an almost daily basis. I'm not on Insta and I'm not on FB either BUT in general I have reduced my online time quite drastically. Life is too precious and short for daily MF tech discussions.

EDIT: For serious discussions about images I prefer face-to-face with prints on the table. I feel I need to know the people personally, online forum discussions are not the best medium for this, people feel offended easily, emotions are not recognisable over the internet and hitting a like button (or the lack of it) doesn't tell much.

Warm regards,
Ralf
 
Last edited:

tenmangu81

Well-known member
There are plenty of reasons why people participate less and less to forums. I did it a lot to forums a few years ago, mostly French, but not anymore now, first because people go to IG, FB and other social media to try to attract more and more "followers". Second, because technical considerations are less and less relevant now, as cameras don't need that much technical comments. Third, especially for MF work, forums are not the best place to show images. MF images need full definition or prints rather than small IG windows. And many other reasons could be added....
P.S. Sorry, I don't have any pet !
 

MGrayson

Subscriber and Workshop Member
There are plenty of reasons why people participate less and less to forums. I did it a lot to forums a few years ago, mostly French, but not anymore now, first because people go to IG, FB and other social media to try to attract more and more "followers". Second, because technical considerations are less and less relevant now, as cameras don't need that much technical comments. Third, especially for MF work, forums are not the best place to show images. MF images need full definition or prints rather than small IG windows. And many other reasons could be added....
P.S. Sorry, I don't have any pet !
No pet? And you call yourself a photographer!
:ROFLMAO:
(Homage to an old New Yorker cartoon where a guy at a counter says "No lattes? And you call yourselves a bookstore!")
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
I abhor "social media" sites, FaceBook and Instagram in particular. Much rather participate in forums like GetDPI, Rangefinder Forum, etc. where the audience and participation is known to be people who are interested in and doing the sorts of things I am doing and want to discuss/share work and working notes.

I haven't participated as much as I once was simply because of things going on in my life and times outside of Photography that have been absorbing my energy and time. There is always a flux, and i've been in an ebb on rendering and posting photos for a bit of time. This will change again. Also, I've been shooting a higher percentage of 35mm and 120 film for the past three-quarter year than in the previous 10 years, and that means both my total exposure counts are down and the time it takes me to process and then scan/render the results takes more time as well.

Things are settling down a bit, I'll be shooting and rendering more this year again (I hope). I look forward to what 2025 brings along. :D

G
 
Top