Are some photographers really that shady?

[Toua]

I visit a few photography forums and is also part of the hmong photographers group on FB. I realized that when  newbies come in and see other photographers work and asked how the look was achieved, the photographers/people who posted the images would completely ignore the newbies, but respond to others. Seen it quite a few times and i'm starting to think those photographers are shady and afraid of others surpassing them.

We all learned from someone else, so why so shady? Most questions  asked are related to photoshop and many are just so silent about their post process steps. I would always purposely throw a tutorial in the author's thread exactly how his/her post process was done to achieve his final look. I bet this pisses them off.. 

when i see stuff like this, i always think to myself like, "whatever.. your post processing steps aren't a secret. I'll spilled your steps right in your own thread."  A MOD actually deleted a few of my replies. the MOD PM'ed me and said, "You should respect the original poster if he/she doesn't want to reveal his/her secrets to others. You shouldn't spilled his/her secrets.." LOL!

some are so shady that if others asked what equipments they have/used, they will not say a word...

[Toua]

But hey, between the two, it doesn't get as bad as the Hmong Couponers page!

is it that bad? no one wants to share? lol.. hahahaha i need to check it out for kicks.

[Finest]

Soulless, I've seen some of your posts on that group and laugh along with you bro! 

What I cringe the most at are the ones that are getting paid for shoots and still asking simple business questions like "how much should I charge?" or "can I do this for this package or should I charge more?"  Almost everyone is an amateur on that page, they don't command $8k wedding packages or $1k headshots yet!  Be happy you're getting paid $100 for a senior photo shoot.  And if a client asks for something extra, why not do it for the learning experience and gain more exposure for yourself at the same time?  Everyone wins.  But the FB group tells them to sell the client another package just on principles.  LOL!

I keep it a hobby, because as soon as I make it a business it'll ruin the fun and creative aspect of photography for me. 

[VillainousHero]

I think that holds true to most other things as well.  I know nothing about photography, but volleyball is another thing.  There are some people who are genuine and will share, discuss things.  Then there are those who are just as you described.

Then again, you might have to wonder that some people just stumble upon things by accident so they can't tell you a thing.

[Toua]

Soulless, I've seen some of your posts on that group and laugh along with you bro! 

What I cringe the most at are the ones that are getting paid for shoots and still asking simple business questions like "how much should I charge?" or "can I do this for this package or should I charge more?"  Almost everyone is an amateur on that page, they don't command $8k wedding packages or $1k headshots yet!  Be happy you're getting paid $100 for a senior photo shoot.  And if a client asks for something extra, why not do it for the learning experience and gain more exposure for yourself at the same time?  Everyone wins.  But the FB group tells them to sell the client another package just on principles.  LOL!

I keep it a hobby, because as soon as I make it a business it'll ruin the fun and creative aspect of photography for me. 

i remember responding to that post. I had more to say, but didn't wanna sound like i was hating, so i stopped. Besides, most probably looked down on my comments and figured a noob like me wouldn't understand or know anything.  But yeah, i was thinking, "seriously, sell the client another package? really?" 

i would never be able to make photography as a business because i will almost always go fishing given the day is perfect for both activities. lol.

[Toua]

I think that holds true to most other things as well.  I know nothing about photography, but volleyball is another thing.  There are some people who are genuine and will share, discuss things.  Then there are those who are just as you described.

Then again, you might have to wonder that some people just stumble upon things by accident so they can't tell you a thing.

agreed, but i am sure if that person stumbled upon those things by accident, others  surely have been there before. personally, i'll share/teach others whatever i know if asked. Most just want me to do the work though and don't wanna learn..      And those who wanna learn always seem to cross path with shady individuals who will not share a thing. 

[zena]

It's not just the Hmong photographers.  It's pretty much everyone and it's not just photography but everything else.  I frequent photo bloggers sites (non Hmong) and they don't reveal anything either.  The ones who do are trying to sell you something and will only share so that you return to their blog/store and they usually don't share the details.  It may appear rude but it's not.  I mean, how much are you willing to share what you know?

If you want to really learn photography (only if you think you don't know enough yet), you will have to take a class or classes, online or onsite.

[zena]

agreed, but i am sure if that person stumbled upon those things by accident, others  surely have been there before. personally, i'll share/teach others whatever i know if asked. Most just want me to do the work though and don't wanna learn..      And those who wanna learn always seem to cross path with shady individuals who will not share a thing. 

I C.  I guess the question is, what do you know that others can benefit from?  Do you know things everyone already knows or do you know new things that others can learn from?

[Toua]

I C.  I guess the question is, what do you know that others can benefit from?  Do you know things everyone already knows or do you know new things that others can learn from?

new, secret or no secret, there are many out there who do not know and i don't see what the problem is with sharing. some people aren't even willing to share some common techniques ..

[Toua]

It's not just the Hmong photographers.  It's pretty much everyone and it's not just photography but everything else.  I frequent photo bloggers sites (non Hmong) and they don't reveal anything either.  The ones who do are trying to sell you something and will only share so that you return to their blog/store and they usually don't share the details.  It may appear rude but it's not.  I mean, how much are you willing to share what you know?

If you want to really learn photography (only if you think you don't know enough yet), you will have to take a class or classes, online or onsite.

personally, taking courses on photography is a waste in my opinion. photography can be self taught and easily learn from reading books and watching videos on youtube.

in facebook, there is a page that sells photoshop actions to to enhance photos for like $50-100. i wrote a few tutorials on the page comment section but all got deleted. one day, i will duplicate all those actions and let people have them for FREE!

nobody should have to pay for some silly actions that are similiar to instagram photo filters. i know i sound like a hater. i've received many free tutorials from others and i think others should receive simple preset actions for free too.

[zena]

Do you have any idea of the time that goes into making those actions?  Sure, it can be easy, but the thing is that it's their idea.  They created the action so they have the right to sell their creativity. 

Yes, feel free to make actions and give it out freely.  You will still not take anything from those who sell it because they've got loyal followers.  In fact, I follow a couple of actions creators and I've played with their actions.  I play with it 'cause it helps me learn.  I'm one of those people who have to take the toy apart to learn how to make it.

I make actions too and mainly I make it for myself but I'd like to sell some of it.  Here is an example of something I'm working on that uses two actions.  These are steps to resize photos, batch process  to create borders, batch process to convert from PSD to JPEG.  This is what I created from my own idea.  I've tested it and it works awesome (in CS6).  I still need to test it in Elements so I'm currently looking to hire an Elements tester.

1. Run Contact Sheet to resize.
2. Run Batch action to create border.
3. Run batch action to convert from PSD to JPEG and put into a folder and delete from Photoshop workspace.

In order to run the batch action, I need to create the action first (which I do have and which I've spent a lot of time working on and tweaking to perfection) then pull the action into the batch process.

So you see, actions are not just for enhancing photos.  For what I do, they eliminate redundant steps.

[zena]

new, secret or no secret, there are many out there who do not know and i don't see what the problem is with sharing. some people aren't even willing to share some common techniques ..

Because they don't know how much you know.  Maybe they think you know more than them and they are afraid you'll tell them how to do something and they don't want to hear it.  Or maybe they think you are a noob and are trying to get stuff out of them that they had to learn the hard way.  Maybe they are afraid you'll steal their ideas.  Who knows.  Whatever you are looking for, I'm sure you can find it online, on youtube, or in forums.  I don't find FB to be very open and helpful.  I do find forums to be helpful...some times...not all the time, but they are more helpful than FB for sure...that's only based on my experience.

[zena]

personally, taking courses on photography is a waste in my opinion. photography can be self taught and easily learn from reading books and watching videos on youtube.

 

I think it depends.  I get all my photography information from my husband who took photography classes a long time ago.  I haven't taken any photography classes but who knows, maybe some day I will.  Nothing has interested me.

I do take classes in graphic design and drawing, digital painting and such.  I feel more passionate toward this type of art than photography so I tend to spend more time, energy, and money in it.  I have a collection of art magazines that I reference.  I think I only have two photography magazines that I reference.  Recently renewed one and cancelled the other so now I really just have one for photography.

[zena]

Another thing with actions is, you don't just download it and then run it on a photo (like Instagram filters) and be done.  You have to tweak it (or you should) to get the look you want.

I personally don't use actions to enhance my photos.  I just appreciate the ability and capabilities it has.  I use presets on my RAW files.  Similar process to actions (the file has to be created) but ACR allows me to edit much freer after I've ran the preset.  I use Photoshop to remove unwanted distractions, blemishes, etc.

[maipovci]

I visit a few photography forums and is also part of the hmong photographers group on FB. I realized that when  newbies come in and see other photographers work and asked how the look was achieved, the photographers/people who posted the images would completely ignore the newbies, but respond to others. Seen it quite a few times and i'm starting to think those photographers are shady and afraid of others surpassing them.

We all learned from someone else, so why so shady? Most questions  asked are related to photoshop and many are just so silent about their post process steps. I would always purposely throw a tutorial in the author's thread exactly how his/her post process was done to achieve his final look. I bet this pisses them off.. 

when i see stuff like this, i always think to myself like, "whatever.. your post processing steps aren't a secret. I'll spilled your steps right in your own thread."  A MOD actually deleted a few of my replies. the MOD PM'ed me and said, "You should respect the original poster if he/she doesn't want to reveal his/her secrets to others. You shouldn't spilled his/her secrets.." LOL!

some are so shady that if others asked what equipments they have/used, they will not say a word...

LOL, i'm a creeper on that page. I get all the feeds and sometimes i'll feel compel to make a post or comment on a photo and i do but that is rare. i think it's important to share information, techniques and ideas. i just think that page is super cliquey and maybe it's more about praises than critiques but that's just my 2 cents.