Photography has changed

Or is it the photographers ?
I have just been awarded "photo of the week " on birdguides with the Jay/Woody shot that was on here. There have been numerous comments from people saying how much they enjoyed the picture.
But a couple intimated that the Jay was stuffed.!! They made it worse by duplicating their posts. Sour grapes or what ? I have posted the next shot in the series with the bird in mid air just to imply "testicals", really.
This has taken the edge off it for me. Why bother ?
At 70 years old - if I was going to stuff anything it would,nt be a bloody Jay !
Just thought it might cheers you all up !!
Cheers
JR

Photographers have changed John and some just don't understand what you really have to do to get a shot. Good on you anyway winning stuff still show these young uns how to do it,

Danny

John, congratulations on your success

Well done John. I wouldn't worry about it.

Things seem to got worse since the digital revolution, Lots of wide boys/fanboys and back stabbers on lots of forums, Its certainly not as enjoyable as it was in the days of slides, Anyways congrats and enjoy the moments-Dont let the bastards get you down

Dave

Thanks all.
Don't want to be soppy, but it has got me down a bit. You put the time in and neglect daily things and become a little obsessed and try hard and the you get the "ballon prickers."
I appreciate your interest and comments anyway, it,s appreciated
What really gets to me is that the ones doing the really snide comments are usually the ones that don't post any pics. Unless of course they are using dubious ID,s
Cheers
JR

Congrats on the weekly pick John - why don't you focus on that rather than the single negative comment you got about the image?

At the end of the day the world is full of people with different views and the internet lets us all express them...if you want to see some proper internet hate, read comments on youtube videos...

Mark
Point taken.
JohnR

Hi John

Just one of those slightly disappointing attributes that advances in digital technology have seen increase in recent years. In BBC Wildlife a couple of years ago they published a particularly snotty letter from a reader accusing Frans Lanting of digitally manipulating an image ( showing an adult emperor/king? penguin huddled with some monochromatic youngsters). Without any apparent knowledge of penguin behaviour, or the pedigree of the photographer himself, he and his colleagues in his camera club had decided that the image couldn't possibly be real and therefore had to a fake. Lanting had taken it on film 10 years earlier as part of an assignment for National Geographic! His response was priceless though!!

As Mark said, I'd just be happy with the achievement

Andy

Hi John,
You won the award. They have won nothing. How does the saying go? Never argue with an idiot in case you are mistaken for one of them.
Congrats on winning; it's richly deserved and just thank God you haven't just been born because life is becoming more absurd every year.
Eric

Congrats on your award John and dont let it bother you. You and you alone know what the image is all about.

Major.

Don't let them get you down John. Since digital photography there are so many new 'photographers' it makes it even harder to win anything. So many pictures are entered in any competition you should be proud to win it. I did not doubt your jay/woody shot for a second. It's a stunner and big congrats. Enjoy.

Ed

More than thirty years ago at a local camera club I showed a deliberately blurred pan shot of red deer running taken with a 300 f4 lens on K64, when I was young and experimenting, and there was little sign in magazines and camera clubs of any images that were anything other than razor sharp, and when a deliberate blur shot was regarded as being very likely an excuse for failure to get it sharp. I explained the technique and how what I 'd hoped to capture was not just red deer, but the essence of red deer...the way they run, their elegance and grace...etc

At the end the club president thanked me and asked if anyone had any comments or questions for me and one very loud tweed-cloaked lady stood up and in front of 60 people remarked how she'd loved the show but particularly the deer image, how artistic it looked and rambled on about it and then tried to explain JUST how good she thought it was and remarked:

"....its so good.....er so good that.....er um so good that it looks like you copied it out of a book!"

And delighted with the rapier sharp compliment she'd delivered sat down triumphally, wondering why all the rest of the audience were smirking! I had to smile and gracefully accept her compliment!

Those that can - do
Those that cant - become teachers
And those who can do neither - become critics

Enjoy your success John and dont let the snotty little green envy posters spoil your fun.

John, Your POTW was well deserved, one only had to see how many ticks it got to see that. However the Jay does make the picture look odd. Had those on Birdguides known what we on here know about it being your "mate" and its problems they may well have viewed it in a different light. I knew immediately that it was what it was but to someone who doesn't know the jay does look somewhat unusual.
That doesn't forgive the critics who suggested it looked stuffed, I think you did the right thing and explained the birds problems in a later reply and I think those who criticised it were left feeling a little silly.
I submitted four pics last week and would have been happy if any of them had even got a noteable, which unfortunately they didn't so you should concentrate on the acheivement and ignore the k**bs who want to pee on your parade. Well done.

Wow John - you mean you can make your stuffed Jay fly? Every time I've tried it the catapult snaps and or it breaks a few more feathers on the stuffed bird and I have to clone them back in again . I think you deserve an award for your prowess with a catapult never mind anything else .

John,

I'm afraid it is a sign of the times but, like many other things that have changed (for the worse), it is hardly worth getting stressed about. As has been said already you got, and fully deserved, the award!

Just think how many of us look forward to viewing your submissions on the Forum - always quality shots. I, for one, have fits of depression if I don't get my regular dose of JR! Cliff

So, It was not stuffed then!
Kind regards
Frederic

Thanks all.
Maybe I over re -acted a bit. I feel better this morning.
Stuffing the woodpecker was the hard bit !!
Thanks JR

Hi John, jealousy is an awful thing. Keep puting in the good stuff and that will sicken them. As for what you might be stuffing at age 70 the mind Boggles.

I knew that it was the woodpecker who was stuffed and not the jay!
Kind regards
Frederic

Hi John congrats on the award don't let snide remarks get you down they are probably jealous,you won it so be proud,I won POTW with my kingfisher and have had snide remarks in some places but it doesn t bother me I got the shot and feel proud of it and you should to it was a great shot

Contrats John, like everyone else says its just jealousy. dont let them get you down.

love to see you pics on here each week.


Mark.G

Hi John

dont let it get you down it was a cracking picture and its yours, I suspect that it was mostly sour grapes on their part






Ians top tip :

Dont use round headed nails next time you nail a stuffed Jay and GWS to a perch,panel pins are much less noticable

Come on ,John Thirty overwhelmingly positive comments and one hopefully tongue-in-cheek comment "Are they stuffed!!? That Jay looks a bit moth eaten???. Is pretty dammned good IMHO.

http://www.birdguides.com/iris/pictures.asp?mode=potw&rty=0&r=1&off=236630&v=1

At least people take the trouble to comment when they view your images.

Keep up the superlative work and give us many more images to enjoy.

PS

Last year I was awarded an EP for this image http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/ic.cgi?a=vp&pr=126455&CGISESSID=ffd219619e9f4ea7df7e5fd4aa95b8dd&u=18446
but nobody from UKNP mentioned it apart from Craig Jones

It also came third here

http://www.dpreview.com/challenges/Challenge.aspx?ID=2152

3,439 votes but one comment only!

Such is life

Thanks .
David
I would have been nice if they had put their full names on .
Cheers
John

David,

I think you will find (know) that many on UKNP don't go onto the greater NPN - a touch sad as there is some excellent work on there.

T

Tom, I wholeheartedly concur. The trouble is, there are so many on the web, that one could spend their whole time viewing other people's images and not have time to produce their own.

You should have said no the Jay isn't stuffed but the woodpecker is!!!

Hi John,
Congrats with the winning picture. And don't worry about the negative people. You did enjoy it and that's the most important thing, at least for me it is.

Hi John
Dont let them put you off, if they can not tell the difference what can you say!
Congrats it was a great shot
Bronia

Congratulations John - well deserved. You should be flattered that anyone thinks you are still capable of stuffing at your age
I'm off now at high speed..............................

Congratulations, John and don't let them get you down. Just go on and enjoy it.

Congratulations with the award John and well deserved. I learn a great deal from the work posted by yourself and other excellent photographers on this site so please keep them coming.

Congratulations on the award John. We live in a cynical age and there are always bound to be a few silly comments from those who know no better. As for

'At 70 years old - if I was going to stuff anything it would'nt be a bloody Jay ! '

I'm saying nothing...

David