Pet Hates in Photography

Roen

So what are your pet hates?
I'll get the ball rolling....People who spell "lens" as "lense" (even though I know both are correct spellings for the singular).

People who have no respect for their surroundings while shooting, i.e. I saw a lad yanking fence posts around the place so he could balance his camera on one of them to 'get the shot', I was going to smack him one as it's things like that that make farmers stop allowing walkers access to their land.

And a relatively new one, people who don't post up EXIF data on Flickr. The devil is in the details and I love checking exactly what was used to get a certain photographic effect.
No doubt I have loads more but these will do for starters.

Morlar

I hate cheesily ironic photo titles like 'Celtic Tiger' in ironic quotation marks or with a question mark in italics tagged on at the end.

sineadw

Roen wrote:

...people who don't post up EXIF data on Flickr. .

I can't get mine to show! I've checked my account settings etc and its all good. Is it something to do with using a card reader when I upload rather than the camera? Or a setting on the Camera (350D)?

Mine.. off the top of my head.. Those terrible terrible cheesy stock photos you see in crap skinny black frames. I was in a recording studio yesterday and there was one on the wall of a piano, with a trumpet and roses and a man's hat and sheet music. You know the type. They usually have them in Abrakebabras or something.

tampopo

Focus and depth of field behind the subject.

People squeezing in, in a group and loads of empty space left and right.

Calina

People with more expensive kit than I have and who don't know how to use it (well....argghhh)....people who assume that their photographic principles apply to all situations (prime lenses are the only pure way of doing things walk closer if you have to - well you just try doing that for sports photography and lighthouses off the coast of France, right?)

people who assume their way is the only way to do something.

people who only see black and white but not the shades between (let there be an end to Photoshop/no Photoshop and crop/no crop for example)

...............just for starters

Roen...thank you - I thought I had immortalised a spelling error forever on one of my sites. Now I feel better. I know you don't like the spelling, but let's do coffee one of these days? Well you have have coffee, I don't drink the stuff myself but I'm sure there'll be something else.

I show my EXIF at the moment though...I am considering hiding it...mostly if I process as well, that's equally critical information which is not available unless I a) remember and b) choose to tell.

Dimy

Roen wrote:

And a relatively new one, people who don't post up EXIF data on Flickr. The devil is in the details and I love checking exactly what was used to get a certain photographic effect.
No doubt I have loads more but these will do for starters.

I use the save for web feature in Photoshop to reduce the filesize of the shots I post on Flickr, unfortunately this removes the EXIF date, if someone knows how to disable this please let me know . I don't delinerately delete the EXIF data anyway and I think that goes for the majority of people who post on the web and use photoshop.

jaqian

Morlar wrote:

I hate cheesily ironic photo titles like 'Celtic Tiger' in ironic quotation marks or with a question mark in italics tagged on at the end.

Like this one?

magicbastarder

gear heads.

Morlar

Calina wrote:

People with more expensive kit than I have and who don't know how to use it (well....argghhh)..

Yup - thats a paddling.

I hate when people post pictures for c & c and they give a narrative behind it and somewhere in the middle of it they say things like -

'and then the sun came out and the light was just absolutely perfect for this picture'

and you read it thinking - well I will be the judge of that actually and no the lighting was crap.

Also hate when you post a picture for c & c of a car or something and some idiot comes along and says - "well yes thats a nice shade of red in that car but heres a picture I took of a house with a red letterbox which I think . .. . "

Also hate when people are giving critique of your pictures and dont just completely miss the point but go as far as to think that a feature you worked hard on is actually a flaw, also hate the all knowing patronising tone that comes across too. Though having said that I am probably as guilty as the next person on that score.

sineadw

Dimy wrote:

I use the save for web feature in Photoshop to reduce the filesize of the shots I post on Flickr, unfortunately this removes the EXIF date,.

Ahhh.. that would probably be it so.

Roen you do realise you've open the can of rant worms? I have more but I'll limit it to one post an hour

elven

I second the lens'e' spelling issue, the gear love syndrome, housewives with DSLR's that use them on auto with the kit lens and complain "there are too many buttons", but definitely, definitely, condescending feckers who dole out sage advice and criticism as if they are the authority on everything.

And - people who think photoshop is somehow cheating. Did someone say this was a game? Are there rules I don't know about????

Also, being sneered at for using flickr as if the amount of bad photography up there reflects on my own stuff, somehow...

It's fun to rant.

Fenster

I'm fairly certain we're all guilty of the above criticisims at some point. I know I am especially, having actually done most of the above in the past week.

Let he who is without sin...

But to play the hypocrite:

DSLR. Wide open midday landscape scene. Pop-up flash in use. Why?

rymus

pop-up flash in use full stop! Major no no

pete4130

I really only dislike 1 thing. Thats people using the LCD viewfinder on P&S cameras to compose a picture. It makes no sense. its hard to see what your taking in.....I really don't know why it bothers me but it just does. I see that alot of smaller new P&S's don't even have a viewfinder......

magicbastarder

pete4130 wrote:

I really only dislike 1 thing. Thats people using the LCD viewfinder on P&S cameras to compose a picture.

do you mean the LCD screen on the back, or the LCD screen in the viewfinder which is available on some bridge cameras?

Valentia

People who say " Ah, there is too much noise in that picture, maybe you should try noise ninja" JAYZUS!!!!

If anyone saw the Fergus Bourke docu last week? The photos were crap they were so noisy!

FreeAnd..

having to work for the man when i should be out with my camera..

Fionn

you only miss the pop-up flash when you have a camera that doesn't have one
it's a handy emergency light source!!!

i'm not sure why looking through a viewfinder would be a pet hate!! i mean isn't that what it's for!! the alternative is to hold the camera in your outstreatched arms, not great for steadiness is it?

i spell lens lens (singular) and (plural) lenses when i've drink in me its lens all the time

I don't really mind condescending bores or gear heads or any of that you'll get that in most pass-times anyway I'd probs fit into many categories too or peeps with really expensive stuff, i used to be like that with car owners - when i was driving clapped out things, i think thats just the green eyed monster

my current pet hate is not checking the ISO and taking over a hundred event shots in broad daylight at ISO 1600 :eek:
thank God for neat image!!!

CraggyIslander

pop up flash............. eeeek!!!!!!!

Isnt Lens a place in france?

Flickr! although thats not a photo pet peeve, but a yahoo! hate and everything "web 2.0" related hate

My no 1 pet hate is not making enough time for myself to shoot more pics

Eirebear

Were all so perfect in this thread arent we?

TBH with you i really dont care what other people get up to with their cameras, or if a picture is posted for C&C how the view it, at the end of the day your leaving yourself open for that very situation just by posting it up are you not?
take what you feel is valuable from the whole experience and forget about the rest.

As for gear heads, at the end of the day, if we could all afford 1Ds or whatever.....wouldnt we all have one? Jealousy gets us nowhere.

My pet hate?
people who dont think they're guilty of any of the above

leinsterman

magicbastarder wrote:

gear heads.

Anti Gear heads ...

pete4130

Magicbastarder,

Yes I meant the LCD screen for viewing images rather than using the eyepiece viewfinder to compose pictures. I just see it as being very lazy. I also see that this is how most people with P&S do take their photos. Alot of the time its for a visual aid to remember a time, place and people who were there (ie utter touristy snaps) and I do differentiate those types of images with people who are more serious about their photography even if all they have to work with are P&S's.

I totally agree with Fenster about pop up flash for midday landscapes....it makes me chuckle!

FreeAnd..

dont you have to use the LCD for most P&S cameras? The viewfinder on those do not actually represent the image that will be taken as there is no mirror like in an slr. I think they do not have zoom through the viewfinder and is really only there cosmetically and for a rough general guide..

dalk

"Lense" is how some Americans spell it. Bit like color or authorize etc. Somehow i prefer how the word "lense" looks compared to "lens". "Lens" looks like it might fall over without the "e" at the end.;)

Pet hates?

Digital cameras and cheap storage means people often have too many photos... A simple request of "can i see some of your pics" can lead to hundreds and hundreds of pics. Thats ok if they edit their work down to the good pics or are good photographers, but otherwise i'm thinking of polite excuses to get away.

People who "pixel peep" and/or are obsessed with sharpness and/or camera shake and/or blown highlights etc etc but who don't actually look at the photo i.e. judging a pic solely on its technical merits. A pic can be technically flawed but still be a good image.

leinsterman

elven wrote:

And - people who think photoshop is somehow cheating. Did someone say this was a game? Are there rules I don't know about????

Don't get me started !!!! ... that has to be my biggest pet hate ... the majority of people who say things like that are most likely to also think it is fine to leave their film to be developed in a lab

... having never had the courage to do their own or maybe they'd understand that if photoshop is cheating then the same applies to using chemicals and a developer ... they are missing the whole point that - One of, if not THE most under estimated skills in photography is post processing!!!

As to having your film's developed in a lab ... now that is cheating!! ... but acceptable cheating in my book ...

.... and while I'm on this rant I really really really get peeved with film photographers who feel you have to "serve your time" in film before being expert enough to take on digital ... what a load of codswallop ...

... man I love an good rant ... thanks for the opportunity.

... of an yes I'm probably guilty of quite of few of the aforementioned sins ... I make no claims to perfection ... just a healthly dose of over enthusiasm..

Roen

Fridays went a bit quite since B0rg vanished, and I thought I'd get in ahead of Elven for a change and stir things up a bit.

elven

I represent that remark

Valentia

Roen wrote:

Fridays went a bit quite since B0rg vanished, and I thought I'd get in ahead of Elven for a change and stir things up a bit.

Worked nicely, thanks.

rymus

ooh ooh actually... when people walk up to you when you're displaying prints somewhere and despite knowing practically nothing about photography they pose the question "Is that digital or film?". Then when you say digital they look down their nose at you and walk off in disgust.

After one too many of those experiences I now answer that question with "You tell me"

Calina

@roen: you want to be TroubleMaker in Chief? for a while?

Mantel

FreeAnd.. wrote:

dont you have to use the LCD for most P&S cameras? The viewfinder on those do not actually represent the image that will be taken as there is no mirror like in an slr. I think they do not have zoom through the viewfinder and is really only there cosmetically and for a rough general guide..

Indeed, the viewfinder on some P&S's is horrendious. Although most of them I've used do have a zoom in the viewfinder, the LCD screen gives you a much larger picture than squinting through a tiny hole stuck somewhere on the body.

Just wait till we see people with SLR's that have liveview using the LCD to compose pictures when they can use the viewfinder.

Calina

depends on the battery hit tbh...but I prefer the viewfinder...less interference from bright sunlight.

Roen

Ah no Calina, I'm a quiet old soul. I just was pissed off seeing as since I started the new job there hasn't been one bad weather day.

311

Forgetting to wipe half used memory cards ,before I go out.

elven

_Brian_ wrote:

Forgetting to wipe half used memory cards ,before I go out.

Or, writing over ones you've just used before downloading the pics woe is me... I just ordered a 2gb card to stop that happening again!

Fajitas!

People anal about making sure their kit never gets dirty. If you pay a couple of hundred or thousand for kit, use it! (That's not a reference to you Roen, just a general comment)

People who think they are pro's because they have the money to buy gear.

Pro's who think they're better than everyone because they are pro's. I promise there's an amatuer that'll show you up.

Pixel peepers.

Arrogance.

Digital vs Film arguments.

Photoshop vs 'purist' arguements.

There's plenty more...

Hmm, have another idea for a thread...

Roen

Thing is, my gear does get mucky, I just clean it instantly after, same as my mountaineering gear, boots etc, it's a habit that would serve anyone well.
Although I am a bit of a fuss pot

sineadw

Julie I meant to ask you if you managed to salvage anything from that?

My P&S has no viewfinder full stop :rolleyes: Pain in the ass on batteries.

Pet hate no 2: Lab staff who have absolutely NO CLUE about photography. I spent half an hour a while back trying to explain to a girl of about 17 the difference between a high res scanned negative and an enlarged print. And apparently she was the one who ran the machine. Ok ok, it was my own fault leaving them into the local chemist/lab place, but come on! She then proceeded to swear blind that the only place you can get B&W developed is down the country somewhere and it takes weeks. Emmmmm... no. Just nod and agree Sinead..

And as for leaving film into a lab - Simon I triple dare you to try developing colour film with my two knocking about. Julie met one of them for five minutes and I think he put her off childbearing for life. Plus I KNOW one of them would find a way to get at the chemicals and either start a chain reaction nuclear meltdown accident of some sort, or drink the stuff. I am speaking from experience here.

Other biggie has to be staff in camera shops who look down at you if you don't have €80,000 worth of equipment dripping off you and ignore you at the counter whilst they talk ****e to the man next to you for 20 minutes, and then go on to talk to you like you just learned to stand upright. I think this may be a gender issue however :rolleyes:

elven

Nah I didn't get anything back Lesson learned the hard way!

I quite like it when people in a camera shop think I'm there to buy batteries or a p&s and I surprise them - also when it comes to film, there's an assumption that if you're fairly young (>30) and shoot digital you won't know what velvia is...

P.S. I wasn't that maternal before I met the child, don't give him the blame

Quackles

Fenster wrote:

DSLR. Wide open midday landscape scene. Pop-up flash in use. Why?

My neighbour was using his built in flash to take photos of the lunar eclipse I came very close to losing bladder control laughing at that.

Overly fuzzied borders are my current peeve... they make me angry. You know the type.. a picture of a doggie and the border is made fuzzy.. I csn use photoshop, check this border out!

Valentia

People who:


Turn up to a venue, with a big que, marching to the front, and in a loud demanding tone, saying 'I'm the Photographer' (needs a capital P) and walking in infront of everyone.

Pretend not to know how to use a P&S when someone asks to take their photo, while they have theie SLR over their shoulder.

When seeing someone proclaiming the greats of film, taking a photo and proclaiming 'Ah shur, I'll fix that in photoshop' just to wind them up.

Know their gear costs more than your neighbours car.

;)

Fajitas!

Old farts

thebaz

seeing something great -- and either not having the camera handy or worse, screwing the shot up , with shake , or out of focus , or missing some detail from the shot -- when it happens i feal like packing up --- on Al's point about being anal , i have dropped my SLR 3 times , slipped on a mountain with , and it still goes , but each time i turn it on i expect something to be broken -- touch wood -- i never dropped my cheap p & s.

Fenster

Young whippersnappers.

Muineach

I'm still a fairly noob at all this, but trying to learn about composition/lighting etc.
What really really really really annoys me is when I manage to get a "good" photo that I actually like and happy with, then someone, not boards people just people with point and click cameras saying "well you have a good camera"
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :mad:

350 rebel if you must know

Quackles

Muineach wrote:

I'm still a fairly noob at all this, but trying to learn about composition/lighting etc.
What really really really really annoys me is when I manage to get a "good" photo that I actually like and happy with, then someone, not boards people just people with point and click cameras saying "well you have a good camera"
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :mad:

350 rebel if you must know

Ah yeah, but in fairness, you do have a good camera

leinsterman

People who make a big deal out of their 500th post!!!!

Muineach

Quackles wrote:

Ah yeah, but in fairness, you do have a good camera

:mad: i'd pull some hair out if i had any left

Muineach

just had a dohh (homer style) moment, just realised that all the photos I had sent to get developed were at 72dpi, not the originals at 200dpi

magicbastarder

pete4130 wrote:

Magicbastarder,

Yes I meant the LCD screen for viewing images rather than using the eyepiece viewfinder to compose pictures. I just see it as being very lazy.

what freeand said; what you see on the screen iswhat you get in the photo, not an approximation like you get in a viewfinder which is somewhat tenuously related to what the CCD is going to capture.