Does it come with a free membership in the dead camera society?
-bob
i am sure that this was meant to be cute, but it's only just.
and excuse me for bringing this back to seriousness, but... it's at the core of why this forum is not the same as when it started. at least for me...
as is the departure of they who shall not be named. most notably:
Maggie.
okay. a lot of us did not feel quite as strongly as Maggie about the base sexism of a certain thread. that doesn't mean that there wasn't any validity to her point of view, not that she should have been LOL'ed in response. if it had been me and i'd felt so strongly, i would have asked how much money those husbands had spent on Luigi cases, camera cases, and other frou-frou stuff for their manly camera gear.
as it stands i'm proud to say i would happily own both Leica Luxes and Louboutins. regardless, Maggie was thought overly sensitive and belittled for her feelings. the same nature that drove her away from here is what brought such vibrancy and joy to many of her posts. her generosity and inquisitiveness was huge and we all benefited. she is sorely, sorely missed!
Mitch.
Mitch brought a load of us small sensor users on the board here and, frankly, it hasn't been the same since he stopped posting there. when he made the move to Nikon, many (myself included) followed him there to see how he got on. how did he get on? he was shat upon, plain and simple. that one thread, IMO, more than any other, changed the face of this forum. i was appalled by the criticism, finding it mean-spirited rather than constructive.
it made me loathe to share my work here as my images fall much more into the spirit of Mitch's than many other pixel-peeping static work here that is so praised. i'm not ragging against those perfectionists as i do quite admire the skill and precision needed to take them. frankly, though, they're not my cup of tea. i want motion, emotion, and imperfection. i want to feel something! but that's me and, obviously i am in the minority. but why bother putting my images up when i knew they would be derided?
back to Mitch. even though he may have been more than a bit full of himself in many's eyes, Mitch was very generous to us starting out with small sensors. be it shooting techniques or post-processing or whatnot. he was an invaluable resource and his voice is missed as are his photos. he had a style that i never tired of looking at.
Sean.
last but not least, Sean. Sean brought many people here and it was amazing to have him as a resource. i really don't think i need to say more as his lack of presence here speaks volumes. my biggest regret is that all of his posts were deleted. i am guessing that it was by his choice. if only i had known, i would have copied many of his threads as they were so insightful. i am frustrated that i can't refer back, but
c'est la vie.
*************
perhaps we will get more strong presences in the future, but these three will never be replaced.
maybe now people will think twice before dumping on others or ridiculing their sensitivities. a little more respect is in order, rather than some blatant belittling that goes on frequently.
this isn't to say i'm going away. although i many times feel like a second-class citizen here, i've got a very thick skin. and i have found some very warm and generous spirits here that i treasure. i would not have met them if it hadn't been for this forum and for that i am forever grateful.