Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Photography

  • 06-07-2009 9:03am
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,826 ✭✭✭


    Hello from the Photography Forum.

    There is a poll running at the moment on the subject of Women and Photography

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055606461

    The results show that women are under represented when it comes to uploading photos there.

    Are ladies less technical minded, as some posters suggest?


«1

Comments

  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 6,376 Mod ✭✭✭✭Macha


    Firstly, I'd say you would have to look at the male:female ratio of users on boards in general and see if there's any differences between that and your Photography forum pole.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,127 ✭✭✭Linguo


    I'm defo into technology and I love photography, hopefully will get the Canon 450d soon, got it for my bf and it's great! I have a good Nikon SLR and I have a camera for using on my telescope for astrophotography


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,698 Mod ✭✭✭✭Silverfish


    I'd just like it if for once, it didn't come down to my gender.

    First of all 'Girls don't play computer games' threads. Then 'Girls can't drive' threads. Then 'Girls don't like airsoft' threads.

    Now I can't even take a picture without my gender coming into it.

    Stop making a big deal out of it, its stupid childish and best left in the playground where ye learned it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,009 ✭✭✭KarmaGarda


    Ok, for me reading this post is completely different than that of the Photography forum and I'm quite disappointed. The topic has changed from "are there more male photograhers than female" to "Are ladies less technical minded."

    Kind of strayed a bit from the original topic, but here's my opinion: I got the impression that most of the posters suggesting that "ladies are less technical" were in fact female posters.

    BUT, some other posters suggested that Females were more creative than guys. How did it suddenly happen that the odd few posts directed in the opposite manner were isolated?

    Anyway, came here looking for a good debate and was qutie disappointed to be honest.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,688 ✭✭✭kerash


    I am a woman, my sister is a photographer and a technical whizz imo. I am not a photographer and technology is not my friend.
    We are just different, imagine that! :eek: ;)


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,624 ✭✭✭✭Fajitas!


    KarmaGarda wrote: »
    Ok, for me reading this post is completely different than that of the Photography forum and I'm quite disappointed. The topic has changed from "are there more male photograhers than female" to "Are ladies less technical minded."

    Kind of strayed a bit from the original topic, but here's my opinion: I got the impression that most of the posters suggesting that "ladies are less technical" were in fact female posters.

    BUT, some other posters suggested that Females were more creative than guys. How did it suddenly happen that the odd few posts directed in the opposite manner were isolated?

    Anyway, came here looking for a good debate and was qutie disappointed to be honest.

    Linked over here from the Photography forum too, and just wanting to state this has nothing to do with "Are ladies less technical minded" and would have to say, it has nothing to do with that...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,788 ✭✭✭ztoical


    taconnol wrote: »
    Firstly, I'd say you would have to look at the male:female ratio of users on boards in general and see if there's any differences between that and your Photography forum pole.

    I think this would have more to do with it then anything else. There's a higher number of male users on boards to start with so most of the forums have high numbers of male users, hell even this forum has alot of male posters. Better to check the ratio at photography courses if you want to look at numbers. Looking at the comics forum one could say very few women read or create comics but this past saturday there was a comic event in Dublin that was very evenly balanced between male and females both in people exhibiting and people attending. And if you want to look at %, the comic book degree course at the School of Visual Arts is around 55% female vs 45% male [SVA's photography course is pretty balanced between males and females]


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,393 ✭✭✭AnCatDubh


    Silverfish wrote: »
    I'd just like it if for once, it didn't come down to my gender..........Now I can't even take a picture without my gender coming into it.

    Stop making a big deal out of it, its stupid childish and best left in the playground where ye learned it.

    Apologies in advance - me being the one who started the thread over on the photography forum. But I think the context of the thread hasn't been full explained as per the opening post. It really isn't as maybe has been portrayed - a male v female thing and hopefully more serious than what one could glean from a cursory glance.

    The thread over on photography started when I read a piece from a greatly respected magnum photographer who was pondering on the question why was it that there was an apparent imbalance in his experience of the male to female photographers ratio - this in the context of his personal experience of giving workshops where invariably the female photographers come to the top of the heap in terms of their creativity and being at/creating the cutting edge. The guys pondering simply went on to suggest (again in his own experience at Magnum being maybe 10 to 1 male/female) that unfortunately this is slow to transcend into careers and those in the photography profession at the apparent top of their game. He was actually bemoaning the apparent loss of such talent (from the female gender).

    Thereafter, the poll was simply to do a straw poll of the gender of those posting and reading the photography forum.

    While the thread has wobbled a bit from the initial intended discussion I hope it's not perceived as a male v female thing (apologies, apologies, apologies, if it has).


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,561 ✭✭✭Rhyme


    My creative course in Dun Laoghaire is mostly girls, maybe a 3:2 ratio.

    I teach a photography class at the weekends, a 2:1 ratio in favour of women.

    There are a load of famous female photograhers (some of them are favourites of mine too) but there just happens to be more male. Same with there being more male professional photographers (again, from personal experience).

    People can draw their own conclusions but with a obvious differences (as well the aforementioned examples like video games, airsoft) there has to be something in it, be it nature, nurture, inclination, interest, ability etc.

    On Boards.ie, I'd side with their being more guys on the website than girls. Out in the big bad real world, who knows. Maybe someone can deliver some well thought out arguments as to why there is a difference without someone else jumping down their throats.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,826 ✭✭✭Anouilh


    Debate is healthy.

    Perhaps this could be an opportunity to invite posters here to join the Photography Forum and share some of their work?


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18,239 ✭✭✭✭WindSock


    I'm interested in Photography. It is one of my favourite creative mediums (or media?) I love looking at other people pics and I love taking them, but for some reason I am a virtual stranger in the forum. I have my regular forums (or fora?) here on the site that I go to post in. I guess I come on here to write more than display/see pics.
    In saying that though, I don't feel like I qualify to post in the forum as much, as I don't (yet) possess, or know my way around an SLR. But then again, I suppose it's more about the picture rather than the camera.
    I wouldn't call myself a tech head but I think anyone can do anything with technology once they get decent instruction / take time to figure it out themselves.

    Also, why don't female posters in the photography forum post in the LL much?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,131 ✭✭✭Curvy Vixen


    Maybe 'girls' just don't feel the need to get validation and 'cyber-pats-on-the-back-my-balls-are-bigger-than-yours' for their photography :rolleyes:.

    I am a technical genius and love any sort of technology and am more than able to upload photo's to anywhere I want to as well as 'photo-shop' them etc.

    Just don't feel the need for 'peacock showing' them...:cool:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,009 ✭✭✭KarmaGarda


    Maybe 'girls' just don't feel the need to get validation and 'cyber-pats-on-the-back-my-balls-are-bigger-than-yours' for their photography :rolleyes:.

    I am a technical genius and love any sort of technology and am more than able to upload photo's to anywhere I want to as well as 'photo-shop' them etc.

    Just don't feel the need for 'peacock showing' them...:cool:


    The reason I upload to these forums is quite the opposite to "peacock showing" them! I am new to this game, and I like advice. I'm here to learn how to be a better photographer. If I achieve that by throwing my balls on the table to see if they vastly outweigh my fellow boarders balls, then boards.ie has done it's job.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,624 ✭✭✭✭Fajitas!


    Maybe 'girls' just don't feel the need to get validation and 'cyber-pats-on-the-back-my-balls-are-bigger-than-yours' for their photography :rolleyes:.

    I am a technical genius and love any sort of technology and am more than able to upload photo's to anywhere I want to as well as 'photo-shop' them etc.

    Just don't feel the need for 'peacock showing' them...:cool:

    But that's not what it's about 75% of the time, with something as visual as photography, the only way to learn from your mistakes, and show others techniques is to post your photographs, hence people asking for critical comments regarding their photographs.

    The other 25% of the time, photography is something to be enjoyed and shown, yes, it's showing off, much the same as someone being good at painting, or having a nice car, or wearing nice clothes. If you can, why not. If someone else enjoys it, even better :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,497 ✭✭✭✭Dragan


    WindSock wrote: »
    In saying that though, I don't feel like I qualify to post in the forum as much, as I don't (yet) possess, or know my way around an SLR. But then again, I suppose it's more about the picture rather than the camera.

    When i started posting in the photography forum i had a Fuji point and shoot, don't let the whole idea's of needing to own an SLR to post put you off at all.

    It's a great forum, i credit a lot of the improvements i have made in my photography to things i learned in there.

    Seriously, give it a shot, it's my favourite forum on boards to be honest.

    As for the question in the OP, my girlfriend is both more technically minded that me and also a better photographer, so go figure.

    Interests are interests, and the things that dicate them have very little to do with gender. It's pretty much impossible to figure out what will peak the human interest and why...thinking it would have anything to do with gender is such a limited view when you look at the huge sphere of things that could possible manipulate such a thing.
    Maybe 'girls' just don't feel the need to get validation and 'cyber-pats-on-the-back-my-balls-are-bigger-than-yours' for their photography :rolleyes:.

    I am a technical genius and love any sort of technology and am more than able to upload photo's to anywhere I want to as well as 'photo-shop' them etc.

    Just don't feel the need for 'peacock showing' them...:cool:

    I have to be honest and say i find that post to be as pointless as the question in the OP. I have never once gotten the impression in the Photography forum that people are "pea cock showing". The one thing i can honestly say about any regular in the Photography forum is that they have a strong desire to get better at their art. If you want to do that, you need feedback, you need critique and you need advice.

    People like me are very lucky that a place like the Photography forum on boards even exists, it's one of the few Photogrpahy forums i have found where people are accepted regardless of gear, goals or ability....as long as they love photography. It's great.

    I also don't see the problem with people be proud of having taken a good shot. I love showing off my work...I understand it's safer to keep all our creative efforts in the closet, but improvements comes from daring to show them off i think.

    Also, I am pretty sure it's a "girl" who posted the OP?


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,698 Mod ✭✭✭✭Silverfish


    Dragan wrote: »
    Also, I am pretty sure it's a "girl" who posted the OP?

    Yes, we were responding to the sentiments expressed in the post, rather than the gender of the poster, I would think.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,497 ✭✭✭✭Dragan


    Silverfish wrote: »
    Yes, we were responding to the sentiments expressed in the post, rather than the gender of the poster, I would think.

    The person i had quoted implied "girls", then gave a reason why "girls" don't feel the need to post their shots, i was pointing out the irony with an easy refute as the OP themselves, someone who posts their own work ( which is very good might i add ) brought the point up, completely refuting the implied generality.

    Or was i too subtle?


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,698 Mod ✭✭✭✭Silverfish


    Perhaps, I assumed the new paragraph and the 'also' was an additional comment in general and not a part of the response to the quoted poster.

    It wasn't clear, sorry.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 6,376 Mod ✭✭✭✭Macha


    Silverfish wrote: »
    I'd just like it if for once, it didn't come down to my gender.
    True.

    Why don't they have a poll on what your religion/sexuality/ethnicity/age etc is? The perpetual obsession with comparing men to women does a lot of damage, IMO.

    I really don't know why people get such a kick out of thinking they've found some amazing "fundamental difference" between men and women. I guess some people just like putting people into boxes.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,085 ✭✭✭Xiney


    I'm a woman and I'm a photographer, I'm even going to be starting a photography business in the Fall.

    I just don't like the boards.ie photography forum that much so I don't hang out there, and I hang out other places instead.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,009 ✭✭✭KarmaGarda


    taconnol wrote: »
    True.

    Why don't they have a poll on what your religion/sexuality/ethnicity/age etc is? The perpetual obsession with comparing men to women does a lot of damage, IMO.

    I really don't know why people get such a kick out of thinking they've found some amazing "fundamental difference" between men and women. I guess some people just like putting people into boxes.

    Again, just plain rediculous. Have you actually read the post? It's nothing to do with finding a "fundamental difference" between male and female. The post is actually reffering to the loss of excellent female photographers later in careers, and suddenly it's become some a sexist poll. I honestly can't believe how much out of context this post has been taken, and exceptionally disappointed to be honest.

    Jesus, you can't say bleedin boo these days and yer head is bitten off. I have sympathy for AnCatDubh for posting this now because you really have taken his very legitimate debate and turned it into some sexist BS.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,085 ✭✭✭Xiney


    KarmaGarda, nobody was biting anybody's head off.

    However, this is the Ladie's Lounge, and sometimes the community here gets annoyed at being treated like a focus group for "what women think of this". At least when it comes from people who don't post here normally, regardless of their sex.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,698 Mod ✭✭✭✭Silverfish


    No I'm sorry, but with all due respect, I completely disagree.

    It was turned into sexist BS way before it was brought here, it's only when we defended ourselves or called it BS we were accused of 'turning it into' sexism.

    It was there, we just pointed it out, and discussed it here.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,009 ✭✭✭KarmaGarda


    Ok, well I'll gracefully step out of someone elses argument so. I've no idea who turned it into a sexist debate, maybe I'm just blind and can't see it!

    It just annoys me when things are taken out of context such as the reason why the poll was posted in the first place. It was in fact a compliment to womens ability and how bad it is to lose that through whatever reason later in the career path. Then it somehow was insinuated somewhere that it was a comparison between men and women (not pointing any fingers! :pac: )


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,009 ✭✭✭KarmaGarda


    Silverfish wrote: »
    No I'm sorry, but with all due respect, I completely disagree.

    It was turned into sexist BS way before it was brought here, it's only when we defended ourselves or called it BS we were accused of 'turning it into' sexism.

    It was there, we just pointed it out, and discussed it here.

    I could quote a hell of a lot to go against this but I'll bite my tongue.

    Can't pay ye a compliment these days eh!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,150 ✭✭✭kumate_champ07


    i better not say anything here....


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,756 ✭✭✭Jules


    Karmagarda and kumate champ07 if you have nothing of value to add to the conversation please refrain from commenting at all.

    Consider yourselves warned.


  • Posts: 14,344 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    I'll be honest. I think the thread in the photography forum by AnCatDubh is well worded and is pretty quizitive. He wonders about the male/female population in regards to photography and general interest in the subject.


    Anouilh ruined his/her post with the last, unnecessary line, where he/she referred to women as being less technically minded, which I don't think anyone really believes.


    I'm pretty sure everyone over the age of 12 knows that men and women are different, but that doesn't mean that all men or women are the same.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 22,048 ✭✭✭✭Snowie


    Fajitas! wrote: »
    But that's not what it's about 75% of the time, with something as visual as photography, the only way to learn from your mistakes, and show others techniques is to post your photographs, hence people asking for critical comments regarding their photographs.

    The other 25% of the time, photography is something to be enjoyed and shown, yes, it's showing off, much the same as someone being good at painting, or having a nice car, or wearing nice clothes. If you can, why not. If someone else enjoys it, even better :)


    I agree, I do know one thing, my dad's been a professional photographer, for nearly 30 years. and at the grand old age of 65 he says hes still learning. He teaches a fair bit, He has more women on the course and generally the women are better then the men they want to learn new things and aarnt stubern where as the men are hung up on there own ways and dont really want to dent there pride...

    what annoys me is amateurs farting about oh I've 5 lenses great. what happens if you see a shot you look through the few finder figure out You've got the wrong lense on or one you don't use very often do you risk the shot? or do they franticly dive in to there bag looking for the right one? Experience of hanging around cameras/photgrapher's more or less since I was 2 would say that really good photographers use on average one lenses and get better results why because they know their gear spending money on gear is futile a good camera a pack lunch pair of walking boots an idea of where your going and see where your path/weather/lighting takes you on that day is all thats needed...


    tho I will say that women are just as good as men as photographer's I'l try find a link to my old land lady's web sight she worked in film as a still photographer... She tock pictures of famous people but to be honest i prefer natural dramatic lighting.

    Maybe 'girls' just don't feel the need to get validation and 'cyber-pats-on-the-back-my-balls-are-bigger-than-yours' for their photography :rolleyes:.

    I am a technical genius and love any sort of technology and am more than able to upload photo's to anywhere I want to as well as 'photo-shop' them etc.

    Just don't feel the need for 'peacock showing' them...:cool:

    to be fair, Photography's about taking picture's.... Picture's are meant to be seen.... Not good sitting in a dusty hard drive.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,131 ✭✭✭Curvy Vixen


    Yeah I was probably being a bit facetious and a touch antagonistic in my post ;) but as has already been said, the original question was a fair one but was there a need to add the 'are women less technically minded' question at the end?

    I was merely offering another point of view as to why women, as a gender, maybe don't show off their work as much as men. I could have been really facetious and said that they were probably too busy doing housework and painting their nails to upload their photo's :D

    Again, as has already been stated, why do we need so many questions that 'blame' the lack of something in the gender rather than query as to why specific people don't do the act in question.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,826 ✭✭✭Anouilh


    ...but as has already been said, the original question was a fair one but was there a need to add the 'are women less technically minded' question at the end?


    Yes.

    I chose a question in order to stimulate debate.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_method

    And here is another one:

    Would the posters here like to join the Photography Forum and post photos, please?

    This is an open invitation...

    (And thank you for your time and for such an interesting discussion.)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,009 ✭✭✭KarmaGarda


    Again, as has already been stated, why do we need so many questions that 'blame' the lack of something in the gender rather than query as to why specific people don't do the act in question.

    As a statement I completely agree with this, there are far to many people too quick to cast blame and cause gender related arguments. I hope you understand that this isn't what I've been debating here with ye. All I'm simply debating is that the original post from the photography forum was taken out of context.

    I appreciate that you here can get annoyed when things like this crop up, but I feel that this time is was way off the original topic, so for me I was disappointed that this post ever happened. But that's just personal opinion.

    On the otherhand though, if the argument was gender related, I don't think there's anything wrong with debating gender differences in this manner. It happens across all manners of differing social views/positions/etc. I think that having a poll on religion/sexuality/ethnicity isn't ethical, but the idea of age based debate isn't. The views of different people depending on their age bracket is extremely interesting to me. Doesn't make me ageist though.

    So my question is:

    Why do so many people hate gender related discussions?



    On a side note:
    Jules wrote: »
    Karmagarda and kumate champ07 if you have nothing of value to add to the conversation please refrain from commenting at all.

    Consider yourselves warned.

    All I can do is laugh at this. Come back when you've something constructive to warn me about!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 22,819 ✭✭✭✭g'em


    KarmaGarda wrote: »
    All I can do is laugh at this. Come back when you've something constructive to warn me about!
    No, you can come back in a week when you learn how to speak to other people courteously and not argue with a Moderator in-thread.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,393 ✭✭✭AnCatDubh


    Anouilh wrote: »
    Would the posters here like to join the Photography Forum and post photos, please?

    Well, you don't quite join the photography forum, or the ladies lounge, so i'm not sure what the above question is intended to raise. You join boards.ie thereafter you participate in the forums as you wish with the exception of the hosted forums (is my understanding).

    I could be wrong, but the way the debate has been received here as it's been lifted from the photography forum hasn't been with great gusto - if I were an active member here, I certainly wouldn't be encouraged by what has transpired. But I think the question posed here in the ladies lounge is fundamentally different to that which originally inspired the thread on the photography forum.

    What is interesting to me (having posed the original thread on the photography forum) is that the piece I read which suggests in general (obviously not all circumstances) that the female gender are the more creative and more edgy and that their work generally floats to the top passing out their male counterparts, hasn't been disputed (iirc) once on either thread. Its just an interesting observation.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,883 ✭✭✭shellyboo


    AnCatDubh wrote: »
    What is interesting to me (having posed the original thread on the photography forum) is that the piece I read which suggests in general (obviously not all circumstances) that the female gender are the more creative and more edgy and that their work generally floats to the top passing out their male counterparts, hasn't been disputed (iirc) once on either thread. Its just an interesting observation.


    Trying to get to the crux of the question here.

    Are you asking why, when women are allegedly more creative and are better photographers, more men than women post pics in the photography forum?


    If that's the gist, I'd go with a mix of the fact that there are more men on boards than women, and secondly, that women in general are more afraid of censure than men.

    I was going to call it modesty, but it's not really. Women in general are less likely to put themselves or their work out there for criticism because - well, for a number of reasons, really. Women are harsher on other women, and men can also be harsher on women - as evidenced by this thread.

    If a woman is bad at photography, that apparently means women are less technical. But if a man is bad at it - what sweeping generalisation can we draw from that? Men are less technical? Everyone is less technical?

    Or, some people aren't good at some things. Some people includes both men and women.

    The reason this thread has gotten such a hostile reaction is because about ten threads a week in here boil down to the above statement.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,131 ✭✭✭Curvy Vixen


    Anouilh wrote: »
    Yes.

    I chose a question in order to stimulate debate.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_method

    Well what was your real question then?

    a) Why don't women post more photos in the photography forum?

    Or

    b) Are women less technically minded (and for that a lot of people read 'less intelligent') than men???

    One is a very valid query and the other is a generalised insult tbh.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,698 Mod ✭✭✭✭Silverfish


    Ok, for clarity, I would like to point out the posts on that thread I was responding to.

    I have my own theory, which is that fora like this can get very technical which can appeal to the boys a lot more.
    At DCC the emphasis is more on the image itself & the technicalities are an aside to that. I think that approach appeals to the girls a lot more.
    It's hard for women to be single minded & focused on a goal without letting other distractions getting in the way.
    Personally, I think that there is a little more male involvement in photography only because cameras are geeky toys, always were and always will be.
    Most the female photographers i know ( bar a few of course) aren't very creative at all... women in general almost have a set style the all follow

    And the way it was paraphrased here, which was 'Are ladies less technical than men?'.

    So it was presented to us that way here, when I read the thread it still reads that way to me. Yes, I admit I was probably too strong with my post on the thread, I should in fact have posted that here and not there, but I believe I paid the price with the venom I received in response.

    It may not have been the way the thread was intended or started, but it was the turn the thread took long before the posts here. In my opinion, none of the quoted posts above answer the original query in the OP either, so it wasn't just the people here defending ourselves that got the wrong end of the stick.
    And like shellyboo said, a lot of us here are tired explaining and justifying people's prior misconceptions continually on this forum, and many others.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18,239 ✭✭✭✭WindSock


    Anouilh wrote: »
    Would the posters here like to join the Photography Forum and post photos, please?

    This is an open invitation...

    Ok. Just tell me how to compress pics on my PC and I'm away...:pac:

    Invitation works both ways, btw.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,393 ✭✭✭AnCatDubh


    Just a point on the poll as it appears to be part of what the misunderstanding is. The poll which btw Dev has posted an excellent refute on thread (but probably missed it's original intention) tells one thing and one thing only - Of those that respond to it(which isn't definitive), what respondents indicate is the breakdown in gender of users of the forum.

    It has shifted a little over the time of it but it basically says 1 of 4 boards users who frequent the photography forum (posters or lurkers) are female - this according to Dev is similar to the boards census average. The Magnum photo agency average (which is what the original post referenced) was about 1 of 5 so in theory albeit with unproved statistics we are a little better than the Magnum agency.
    shellyboo wrote: »
    Are you asking why, when women are allegedly more creative and are better photographers, more men than women post pics in the photography forum?

    The question resolved around why women who in a generalised sense appear to be 'better' photographers (evaluated on a criteria of creativity and edgyness) don't actually transcend into those recognised at the top of their game - in the Magnum agency's example at a ratio of only 1 of 5. Some absolutely do - Eve Arnold is one of my favourites. Jenn Ackerman has just been awarded a burn emerging photographer award - she produces some bleeding edge stuff. We have some amazing creative and edgy talent over on the photography forum from female photographers (a number of males too). But the odds (anecdotialally) are against this talent from making the leap or transcending whatever chasm is there.

    Silverfish has passionately and eloquently posted on both threads - the content of which I am grateful for. At one point Silverfish suggested that life circumstance doesn't favour the female gender in this regard. (Silverfish - I hope I understood and haven't misrepresented your posts which also has to be added refute much of the technical/geeky perhaps irrational discourse). My original question may be answered as simply as that although I had thought that it might have a far more complex (or less travelled) reason. It does stack up and probably withstands argument.

    Again, thanks for your time here folks. I appreciate this isn't my natural home forum on boards and hope I haven't upset anyone unduly. If I have then I apologise sincerely.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18,239 ✭✭✭✭WindSock


    Perhaps it is only the edgy female photographers that get noticed? The ones that have to work that little bit harder to be at the top of the game?


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,561 ✭✭✭Rhyme


    WindSock wrote: »
    Ok. Just tell me how to compress pics on my PC and I'm away...:pac:

    Invitation works both ways, btw.

    If you upload them to Flickr, you can link people to a large thumbnail as far as I know, I'll have to investigate that when I start using Flickr again :p

    /offtopic

    Being 'edgy' will get you noticed but it's talent that will usually get you recognised. I wouldn't consider Cindy Sherman edgy but I would call her talented and has earned her reputation through the clever use of that talent. Incidentally, she's one of my favourite photographers :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,497 ✭✭✭✭Dragan


    WindSock wrote: »
    Ok. Just tell me how to compress pics on my PC and I'm away...:pac:

    Invitation works both ways, btw.

    Don't worry about compressing. Depending on the camera you have the size of the actual output might be pretty small.

    Set up a Flickr account ( this is what i use ) it's incredibly easy to batch load stuff and add tags and names and all that jazz, plus on the free account you still get 100MB a month to upload, which can be plenty of pictures.

    It's always interesting to see new work so if you do it would love to get a link to your stuff.:)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,967 ✭✭✭mrmac


    What an emotive thread, sadly, producing some mis-guided hostility imho.
    I'm going to stay away from any generalised comments and try to bring this back to what the original thread in the photography forum was started for.

    I have posted a few pictures on the photography forum, and have greatly enjoyed the good natured camaraderie that pervades that forum. I feel it is particularily void of any gender reference, and when giving or recieving comments, I wouldn't be aware of the posters gender (or care for that matter).

    My Wife, of 15 years, is much more creative/artistic than me! She has a portfolio in the attic that is amazing, but now a days, her hobbies are else where. If I get a quite hour, I'll have a read through some of the posts on boards, if my Wife gets a quite hour, she'll do some gardening or watch some TV in peace! Not easy with two little ones!

    In our circumstances, I like to, (or try to,) be creative in order to escape, whereas my Wife needs to escape in order to be creative. If you can understand what I mean?
    Therefore it is much easier for me to participate. My Wife has different interests - (that's allowed!) - and I'd be totally rubbish at her hobbies! (I'm just not talented enough tbh!).

    To put it another way, I can be in a room full of kids, working on a picture, my head miles away!
    Where as, my Wife needs to be in a quite room, left on her own, to let her imagination blossom.

    I'm not painting a picture of everyone, or saying this is a gender issue, merely trying to give a resonibly response to the original question, based on personal experience.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,624 ✭✭✭✭Fajitas!


    However, this is the Ladie's Lounge, and sometimes the community here gets annoyed at being treated like a focus group for "what women think of this". At least when it comes from people who don't post here normally, regardless of their sex.

    Just poking fun here, but that's opposed to when someone comes into the photography forum, and treats it as a focus group for "What photographers think of this" or into Gigs & Events and look for "Gig lovers opinions of this"...

    I don't think any offence was meant by the thread - I don't think it needed to be posted here, but it was, and it is. *shrugs shoulders*
    WindSock wrote: »
    Perhaps it is only the edgy female photographers that get noticed? The ones that have to work that little bit harder to be at the top of the game?

    Oh, absolutely not. Look at Hilla Becher' straight-on-studies on buildings, or June Winters' fashion photography back in the 70's/80's/90's. Susan Sontag's studies of the banal and ignored. There's loads of female photographers out there that stay away from the sensationalist dream, and still make it quite big. There's loads more names that I could drop (And be a big fan of... and not be edgy... or sensationalist... or just boobs-out-self-portraits-for-the-lads...)

    But, Windsock, do as Aidan said, set yourself up a Flickr, add a few folk on it (You can even keep your photos hidden from the public) and see what happens. As I mentioned before, the best way of learning is through showing your photos and looking at other peoples, asking questions and giving answers!

    With regard to Curvy Vixen's post;
    Well what was your real question then?

    a) Why don't women post more photos in the photography forum?

    Or

    b) Are women less technically minded (and for that a lot of people read 'less intelligent') than men???

    One is a very valid query and the other is a generalised insult tbh.

    I don't think any insult was meant by the thread starter, the original thread starter or any other posters (Inc. myself :) ). I'd hate to think any of this was a case of "Women don't know how to use *blah blah blah*". As such, I don't think the real question was a question at all, but a prompt to a debate, which has certainally happened.

    Apologies if any of the above is seen as nasty (Esp. the first part), I don't mean it to be.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,698 Mod ✭✭✭✭Silverfish


    Fajitas! wrote: »

    But, Windsock, do as Aidan said, set yourself up a Flickr, add a few folk on it (You can even keep your photos hidden from the public) and see what happens. As I mentioned before, the best way of learning is through showing your photos and looking at other peoples, asking questions and giving answers!
    .

    I've another question.

    Why flickr? Everyone told me to use picasa which I did cos I always used it so I was all smug, now (and indeed, before picasa) everyone says flickr again.

    Is it just to confuse and bewilder me, or is there another reason?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,624 ✭✭✭✭Fajitas!


    Tbh, it's just to piss you off :pac:

    Well, the main reason is... We're all there (Mostly). There's a Boards.ie group, it's easy see other Boards.ie contacts, which makes it all so much easier to post on each others photographs! I think there's a bit of a changover these days to www.pix.ie but I'm not cool enough to follow through on it... in fact, I stopped uploading photographs publically to Flickr.

    Tbh V, there's nothing wrong with your photoblog either, which is another (Very active in Ireland) side to photography on t'internet.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,698 Mod ✭✭✭✭Silverfish


    Fajitas! wrote: »
    Tbh, it's just to piss you off :pac:

    I knew it!!!


    Ooh I'll show them.... I'll show them all.....



    /creates flickr account


    EDIT: yeah, I prefer picasa.

    CONFUSE ME, WILL YE?!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,826 ✭✭✭Anouilh


    Silverfish wrote: »
    I knew it!!!


    Ooh I'll show them.... I'll show them all.....



    /creates flickr account


    EDIT: yeah, I prefer picasa.

    CONFUSE ME, WILL YE?!

    Here's looking forward to seeing your work.

    The poll now shows an increase in the number of women on the Photography Forum.

    We should all stand up and take a bow...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,691 ✭✭✭Lia_lia


    I like photography. I do multimedia in college and I have a camera. I don't like putting pictures up on the photography forum because I feel like they are awful compared to to the others.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,698 Mod ✭✭✭✭Silverfish


    Anouilh wrote: »
    Here's looking forward to seeing your work.

    The poll now shows an increase in the number of women on the Photography Forum.

    We should all stand up and take a bow...

    Well Ive posted a number of photos on the photography forum in the past, but in light of that thread and this I don't really feel that welcome there anymore, there were a lot of venomous comments.


    Sorry.


  • Advertisement
Advertisement