The Wee Small Hours

strokebloke (e2 Member)

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10 Feb 2012 - 10:43 AM

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The following is one of my Blog ramblings, which several readers have suggested be posted as a forum thread, for discussion. So....

Away you go .........

Willie (Banehawi) and I were chatting across the ether last night. Toronto is probably at least five hours behind us here in the UK. We were discussing my latest offering submitted to the Critique Gallery, and not only how we each respectively viewed the uploaded shot, but also some of the strengths and weaknesses of my psyche in relation to it. Deep stuff ! More than just pixels or silver halide.
There are those on ePz with whom I feel confident enough to be utterly honest and Willie is one of those people.
I call it Friendship. Association. Mentoring, rather than necessarily monitoring.

One of the things that I really do enjoy about ePz, as much as the display of photographic and editing/manipulation/correcting skills, is the enormous variety of expression of those skills. And closely allied to that, of course, is the evidence of a wide ranging variety of interaction between participants of the Galleries, Forums and off-site associations. There’s easy associations and intense ones; fluid and brittle; amiable and angry; forthright and shy; appreciative and combative; delightful and derisory: ideological and satirical. And the key to so much of what we each are, of course, is our photography and the manner in which we demonstrate it and the value and impact it has in lives.
For the professional it is their livelihood. For the non-professional, it may be a source of enjoyment, or personal attainment. For many it is the inspiration to ‘get out and about’. For some, it is the ability to see those things, events and activities, places, people, plants, animals, insects and birds that would otherwise have been overlooked or missed entirely.
It is so much more than the subjective sum of its constituent parts that we record upon a sensor or film.
What we shoot and how we shoot it says so much about ourself. Our expectations; our desire for approval or indifference to it; our propensity toward an art form or the technology and function of it; our tendency to conform to the rules of photography; or conversely our completely apparent disregard of all rules: Or our satisfaction with any comfortable (to us) position between the two extremities.
But primarily, if we do not enjoy doing what we do we, quite simply, wouldn’t be here doing it.
Sometimes we have to work hard to achieve our enjoyment, but we consider the arduousness of the task well worth it. Sometimes enjoyment falls into our lap with no apparent effort at all. Sometimes our enjoyment is evident only to ourself and at other times it is manifest to everyone.
It delights me enormously to evidence the thrill, pleasure and gratitude of someone who has just received their first GE, HC, EC or particularly a Junior Award.

I enjoy being a member of ePz.
I couldn’t, nor would I attempt to, categorize all of the reasons why I enjoy it. But that’s not the point.
Enjoyment per se so rarely lends itself to analytical scrutiny. Such is, by nature, a complete contradiction of the exuberance of enjoyment.
Photography works for me.
And whether, at the moment, it is a struggle or a walk-in-the-park, is entirely immaterial.

When it ceases to be enjoyable, I shall have a sabbatical.
I live for today. Tomorrow is yet to come.

ianrobinson (e2 Member)

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10 Feb 2012 - 11:40 AM

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I really like EPZ too for the sheer diversity of photographers photography.
Since being on here i have learnt so much from other individuals that produce wonderful images and from there help too, so i thank all those including your friend Willie or Banehawi for there support and help.
I remember Banehawi has helped me on many occasions and i will never forget that help and who helped me, lots of respect to Willie.
There are lots of others on here of course that give help too and the site it's self which of course is a lot down to Peter.
It's a great place to learn and be and i love it on here, i am on this site every single day reading the forums reading about new cameras and lenses coming out putting in my images looking at others images and creating threads of my own too, it's a fun place to be.

cattyal (e2 Member)

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10 Feb 2012 - 12:18 PM

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Quote: Well, that's two of us, out of more members that Pete & the Mods can point a stick at. Good for you Ian

But some of us are slaving over piles of files (well I am) and can only sneak in to EPZ for a couple of minutes at a time

strokebloke (e2 Member)

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13 Feb 2012 - 8:55 PM

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Well. It looks like there's only four of us on ePz that like it, then.
2012 is obviously going to be a bumper year for Pete & the Mods.