General public's opinion of photography - ONLY landscape?

combat squirrel

combat squirrel

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As title, I find that 'non-photographers' all generally think that 'photography' is just pictures of nice landscapes - does anyone else find this ? I just say this as all my friends on facebook have albums labelled 'photography' and all it is a billion images of pretty landscapes.

These comments maybe quite cutting, but, in a way a bad landscape is harder to get, I am just curious as to what psychological elements make people think this is so, has anyone else found this also ? :)
 
I think as much as anything the average non photographer just thinks photography is easy and anyone can take a good picture on an iPhone. They therefore don't put any value on photography and there has been a few threads about that, particularly when it comes to wedding photography or studio photography where people just think people charge a "fortune" for "a few photos".
 
Not really but a photo of a car is a photo of x make and x model of that car. Same with people photos, it's x's daughter etc, that's what people see when they see these types of photos. An undisclosed landscape is a nice picture with the subject matter being the whole thing.

Same argument with art, some people see and unmade bed as an unmade bed and a lamb in formaldehyde as a lamb whereas others see it as 'art'
 
Probably more to do with catagorising subjects, than perceptions of 'photography'....
I mean, they wouldn't label albums of photo's of their girlfriend "Glamour" or pictures of the party they went to last week "Candids" would they? It would be "Cindy shows of her flabby bits" and "Jims BBQ" Pictures of the rambling weekend with the inlaws will be "Hiking in the Lakes", their Holiday, "Corfu 2013"
"Photography" is as like as not to merely be those pictures they have spotted on thier travels that dont fit into other catagories, and when they think they are doing something a bit more propper photography ish... which is like as not to be when they spot a sun-set on thier way home, or moody clouds over a power station or whatever, we class as 'Landscapes'.
I think your reading a lot into it, that's probably just not there.
Point is, that they have recognised 'something' as being more than a mere 'snap-shot', even if its not by standards of more studiouse photographers.... and from little acorns do great oaks grow....
 
Most of my non photographer friends/"clients"/family/aquaintances do not think of photography being "just landscapes".

I agree with Mikes post.

As a hobbyst I mostly shoot motor sport, classical music concerts, family, nature and 'scapes. Even with the 'scapes the feedback varies depending on the the type of 'scape.
 
I'm not sure the majority of people give it any thought at all. Most of the ones I know just take 'snaps' of people in the pub, at parties, with kids, on holiday and whatever. They know that some people take it seriously, as a hobby, and others earn from a living from it, and they're impressed by a 'good' photograph, but I doubt if any of them categorise subjects or actually care enough about it to try.
 
It's the Instagram Photographers you need to watch out for ;)

I get tired of the comments on Facebook on photos that have been snapped on an iPhone and then adjusted ''Aww hun u should b a photograffa innit, u iz wel amazin wiv ur camra''
 
Flightphoto said:
It's the Instagram Photographers you need to watch out for ;)

I get tired of the comments on Facebook on photos that have been snapped on an iPhone and then adjusted ''Aww hun u should b a photograffa innit, u iz wel amazin wiv ur camra''
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Oh b****r let me go close my Flickr account! I started with Instagram :lol:
 
Thankfully now I'm away from there, ( and don't talk like that!) ....seriously I do agree you get loads of that!.... A bathroom tap with an IG filter should be hanging in the Tate blah blah :grin:
 
Most of my non-photographer friends with cameras (<oxymoron alert!) don't take landscapes but happy snaps at parties etc. One or 2 might snap the scenery while on holiday but usually with their other half in front of most of the view!

Looking at the photos of mine I can see on the wall (mainly 6x4s in a sleeve), I'm not sure any can be classed as landscapes (or even seascapes). The 2 than might possibly be included as landscapes are sunset shots which (almost inevitably) include some lnd in the foreground. There is a vertical pan looking straight along a path and up at the bamboo arching overhead but that's not really a landscape either (IMO) and neither is the shot of Edinburgh castle shot from the gardens below or the Sacré Coeur cathedral shot looking up the steps.
 
combat squirrel said:
Haha well, probably not! :P, I live in North Wales though so the amazing landscape helps quite a lot! :lol:
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It is very easy to take a very uninspiring landscape regardless of the subject. I could go get you a crap snap of Death Valley, or Mount Everest, or Glencoe, or Iceland if I wanted.

I think you underestimate the effort involved in producing good landscape photography.
 
I grew up in North Wales and that was when I started with photography. I can assure you that it is very easy to take crap pictures in Snowdonia - fortunately for me the evidence has got lost in the mists of time.

Now, over 30 years on, knowing what I do now I realise that with my approach and ability back then it would have been a pure flook for me to get an image that I would even consider half decent now.

Pretty scenery does not automatically make a good photo - far from it.
 
It's disgusting, I'm a fan of classic art - those that spent days painting a masterpiece like Davinci etc, I can't stand this crazy stuff, I'm a firm believer that these soo called modern artists never escaped their years as a toddler when flicking paint at a piece of canvas lol :)

I'm seriously tempted to borrow my 2 year old cousin for a few hours and give her a tin of paint and a 40x60 inch canvas then roll in the millions, then to make it more classy I'm going to sit a tampon on the top! :p
 
Flightphoto said:
It's disgusting, I'm a fan of classic art - those that spent days painting a masterpiece like Davinci etc, I can't stand this crazy stuff, I'm a firm believer that these soo called modern artists never escaped their years as a toddler when flicking paint at a piece of canvas lol :)

I'm seriously tempted to borrow my 2 year old cousin for a few hours and give her a tin of paint and a 40x60 inch canvas then roll in the millions, then to make it more classy I'm going to sit a tampon on the top! :p
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Ew you sick sick b****r lol!...
But yes that's exactly what most look like :-)
 
Modern art? Much of it is a load of ... Gilbert and George's favoured medium.
 
Prior to my interest in photography, my own opinion was photographers taking photos of: landscapes, sunsets, events (eg weddings) and studio portraits. It never occurred to me all the different types of photography. Even now, I'm still ignorant but learning.
 
combat squirrel said:
but, in a way a bad landscape is harder to get
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You are joking right? The internet is littered with billions of totally boring landscape shots.

Even taken in the most picturesque of locations I see shots with poor and boring light, poorly composed etc. etc.

and I see loads of awfully desperately photoshopped and terrible HDR images.

There is a lot of effort and time involved in taking fantastic landscape shots.

Paul.
www.photographybyriddell.co.uk
 
combat squirrel said:
As title, I find that 'non-photographers' all generally think that 'photography' is just pictures of nice landscapes - does anyone else find this ? I just say this as all my friends on facebook have albums labelled 'photography' and all it is a billion images of pretty landscapes.

These comments maybe quite cutting, but, in a way a bad landscape is harder to get, I am just curious as to what psychological elements make people think this is so, has anyone else found this also ? :)
Click to expand...

As a landscape photographer I find the public's perception of photography is weddings and people. Nobody wants to look at landscapes! :lol:
 
Even though I find landscapes some of the best photos. They give you that moment of realizing the beauty without the chaos of mankind getting in the way and ruining it lol ;)
 
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