Opinion: Bullshit Gear Talk

They say any great photographer, or true photographer cares nothing for the talk about gear, because they realize it really doesn’t mean a thing. This is true. It doesn’t mean a thing. So why do so many people get into the fact that this lens or that lens is so much better? Are they flexing their photographic bank accounts? Let’s take one thing at a time.

Does gear matter in the first place? The simplest answer to it is no. It has never mattered in the least. Street photographers love talking about their Leicas, sure Leicas are good cameras, built to last, but would they have been as popular has Henri Cartier-Bresson used one? We will never know. Are Hasselblads the cream of the 120 crop? Maybe, but there are so many other medium format cameras out there that can in the right hands be just as good. What about Linhof’s Master Technika? Superb 4x5 camera, but will it make you all that much better? I’m going to have to go with the, not-a-chance-in-hell answer here. As it has been my experience, you get worse when you try and take on a much higher grade tool when you haven’t first mastered the basics. So basically saying you’re dying to get that new camera because it’s all nice and shiny, but do you really need it, I mean, do you REALLY need it? Have you come to the point that your basic camera isn’t providing you with the options you need? Yes you say, well then, now is the only legitimate time to go flexing your bank account.

This lens is better than that lens! Either way you can’t shoot worth a shit with either one of them. So many times have I seen people yammer over how good a lens is and that they need it and yadda yadda, when in fact, and this is the terrible truth, they can’t compose for shit with a normal lens. So I suggest to all of you, go out get a 50mm 1.8 lens and learn how to compose your photos for the love of all things holy! And knock off all the gear talk, it just makes you look like you are a walking hard-on with a $700 lens, which in some case I have seen, that basically is the case. I demand that people show me what they can do with the old standard. That should be the only qualifications as to wanting a new lens, learn the basics people, and learn them well.

Now to the subject of bank account flexing. You poor bastards. I don’t know if its to impress a girl or try and make yourself look good in front of others, either way, in front of me it does nothing for you other than makes you look just like the rich guy with the Porsche, dong-compensation. Here are some basics you will need to do a few types of photography. Camera, Lens, Film and Tripod. That’s all you need. The rest is minor details. Night photography, add a cable release. Sports photography, add more hobbies. Your child’s greatest moments, add nothing, just go home and stay there.

Photographs of Lost Cemeteries Pt.3 (4 photos)

Murrie Cemetery found. I'm rather positive that if it wasn't for the kindness of my significant other, I would not have. Early last week, she decided I needed a GPS locator. So she went on eBay and found a Magellan GPS 2000. Why she thought I needed one of those and not just a simple compass is beyond me, I'm more than sure she will chalk it up to, "cause I thought it would be easier for you to use..." and granted she is probably right, I suck with compasses. Nevertheless though I went out there again today armed with two cameras, a GPS locator and the sun blazing down on the lands face. I actually stumbled across it my accident in a way. I was following the way the gps locater was telling me to go and I came onto some land that has a massive field of Indian Paint Brushes, apprently I had walked by the area it was located in a few time, damn me for not bringing my glasses along as well. Either way as I made my way back I had two dogs follow me, good dogs; I decided to go down a hill and into a clear, I was talking to the remaining dog at the time. so I basically said, why don't we try over here, and I walk right onto the spot. So thanks puppy. Now to get to the photos section of this with brief explination as to what the photos are of.

_{This shows the grave stone as it is encircled by I assume Poison Ivy. The seperation in the middle of the stone is not apparently in this photo. But the shade afforded by the many large trees surrounding the grave are.}

_{In this photo you can clearly see the headstone and that of the foot marker. John Murrie was a tall man, at least to me.}

_{Within this photo, the seperation of the two halves of the stone are rather apparent, the metal work use to place them back together is only dimly visiable. On examining the back of the stone I gathered it was cut in St. Louis, as for the cutters, I could not make out the name.}

_{This shot is to show the metal work put in place to hold the headstone together. Pretty crafty.}

All in all this has been a rather fun grave hunt. The man that I mentioned in the previous post was David Horton. I dont honestly need him to show me the grave any longer, as for landmarks to find it...
Take a right when you see a green deer blind, walk to a spray painted fence post. Look to your left, locate another spray painted fence post, this one will have a board screwed to it, walk to that post, turn to your left and you will spot the grave very clearly. Thanks David, you helped a bunch. Maybe for the story of the man, but in the actual location of the site... not so much. Now comes the part where I select another cemetery to try and locate. I'm sure I will return to this one very often if I have the money to put in for petrol. Hell might even clean it up a bit.
Thats all for now.
I would like to thank Jessica for affording me the use of a GPS locator and putting so much hard work behind me, even after coming home from a very long day at work herself. Love you babygirl.

Photographs of Lost Cemeteries Pt.2

As I have said, this is an ongoing thing. I got into work today around 2-ish after running around for a bit, I mock up a paper and whatnot, my normal thing when dealing with buisnesses that are not in my vacinity. Then my boss walks in, he tells me, The East Texas Journal has to be two places at once. Thats a tough thing to do, so I was handed the craft fair thing for tomorrow. Before he left I told him about this project that I am working on, I may have peeked his interest, hes going to see if he can get me in touch with a guy that might know how to find it pretty easily. Thats a plus in the right direction. So hopefully soon I will be able to get some photos of this one man cemetery. Might do some more research and see if there are any living decendence of the family name of Murrie. Hopefully I will find a back story for this event with only a single old gravestone to commorate it. I dont know why this is so interesting to me to be honest. Just dont know. Hopefully I will update with a part 3 that will have me finding the site and being able to document it.

_{Stainglass Window, Camp County
© Copyright 2006 Thomas Simpson}

Photographs of Lost Cemeteries Pt.1

I dont know how it got into my head, I suppose it was when I was photographing an old abandoned church out by what people around these parts call Argo. As for how this turned into serching for abandoned and possibly lost graveyards, is slightly... Unbeknownst to me. Today I went out and decided to find a certain graveyard. The name it was given was Murrie Cemetery. Contents of the graveyard? One grave supposedly. I say supposedly because I have yet to find it. It is located somewhere in the back woods of Northeast Texas. I located the area of it, but not the actual place.

I was slightly lost looking for it, for one I'm not exactly familiar with all the roads names and markers in the area. I got close when I stopped and asked for directions a second time. It was an elderly man sitting in the chair, reading a magazine and having a drink out of a Dr.Pepper can. I asked him this that and another, and we began chit chatting, very nice fellow. He had never heard of the place or the name. But he did point me in the right direction nevertheless.

I then found the road, and started down it, _1/10th of a mile. Location sort of found. I was suppost to head north for another _1/10th of a mile and I would find it, I have a inkling that I headed in the wrong direction, but not all was lost. I did happen upon an old barn, possibly a house, and an old water well that had been filled in. I took a few snaps of them, mainly for documentational purposes. The weather wasnt looking too good. So I headed back to my truck with it in mind that I would very well try it once the weather was clear and I could get some deep shadowing and what not in the photo.

In other news Im having my negatives scanned and placed on disc for me. They are not of the previous events I just told but once I develop those negatives Im sure I will have them scanned as well. This is an ongoing project I plan to see out. To me its rather interesting.

Art and Self Contemplation

Contemplation seems to be mans worst problem, right behind the other fifty million. I think I have a problem. I think I’m slacking on my works and its hurting me creatively. I spend a little bit of time in the darkroom these days than when I started. Namely my job hinders me, being on a different schedule as my girl friend hinders me. I’m not use to doing things in the photographic arts so slowly. It’s rather depressing when I think on it in more fanciful notion. I have started looking at my negatives more closely once a print is made and think to myself that 98% of them are utter shit. Maybe one or two or worth the effort in making master prints of. The rest can be burned, wouldn’t matter. I don’t know if I need to just get outside and shoot the ever loving shit out of a few rolls or look at what I have done and really look at it closely and decide a direction I want to take or feel I should take. I have so many ideas that there seem to just be too many to make up my mind with. Maybe I should have some of my negative scanned, maybe not, I don’t honestly know. I am in a predicament.

I’m also slightly scatter-brained at the moment. Can’t remember things, and those I can’t don’t me shit in the end. I have become offensive and rather blunt and insensitive towards my love, and I feel like she feels dejected by me, and that isn’t in any way no matter how you look at it a good thing. It’s almost as though I am creating a larger rift between us and as if the Pacific Ocean wasn’t already large enough in that sense. She once told me she felt like we were losing it. I would almost agree with her now, now that I think upon it. Maybe it isn’t the same as it was before. But puppy love should have its end point. I suppose I blame my financial standing and funds at the moments. I’m sure we have all been in that place before. Wanting to shower a woman with gift and affection and being unable to do so. A rather irking sensation in my mind.

Sometimes I lay in my bed at night with the side table lamp on, when I told her I have went to bed and she thinks I’m sleeping; I’m slowly contemplating our future ahead or the lack of one. Everything can be looked at logically, but love. Art can be and certainly is for me a logical process with given rules and breaking of certain ones. Love on the other hand, not so much. I know she’s going to read this, she always does, that’s one thing I know for a fact, and more likely than not I will get yelled out. But then again sometimes you have to just put yourself out there, and say what needs to be said. Now what to do about my art. God forbid one would want to know what the most logical step should be and cant see passed their short comings.

Tomorrow is a new day, a new time and a new direction. For some. As for me, that’s yet to be seen.