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[OM] Shooting styles revisited

Subject: [OM] Shooting styles revisited
From: Ken Norton <image66@xxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 01 Oct 1999 09:09:13 -0500
Having Mike V. on the list has added a much needed professional
perspective.  It is very true that sports and photojournalism shooting
styles have completely changed in the past 15 years.  The day and age of
the "artisan" or even the "technician" are pretty much gone from
"professional photography".  With few exceptions it is shooting the
"formula."  What is the formula?  Depends on the subject matter:

Sports - Keep the button pressed whenever there is any action--period.  As
a result, there will be four keepers out of 1-2000 pictures shot during the
event.  Another thing that has happened is that sports photographers today
don't develop the timing or the "look ahead" ability that the older sports
pros had.  Most sports photographs pretty much look the same now and are
taken from the same locations.  Fewer sports photographers know how to
position themselves in relation to the action.  The buyers are ending up
publishing "grip-and-grin" shots from the events.

News - Ah! The dying medium.  Newspapers have really gone to
"grip-and-grin" and staged shots more and more.  The photography
departments at most newspapers has been gutted and the need to be "first"
with the story or photograph is gone.  Most of this is caused by lack of
print competition.  Few cities have two or more newspapers anymore.
Through the years most newspaper photographers carried two types of cameras
with them--one setup as a P&S (glued settings) and the other for higher
quality shots.  The Nikon F4, F5 and Canon EOS-1n revolution has given them
P&S cameras that can take high quality shots.  Unfortunately, lens focal
lengths have changed through the use of zoom lenses so the "decisive
moment" is often lost now as there are more "options" for the photographer.
 Few news cameras have the 24/2.8 mounted on them anymore.

Photojournalism - Probably the one formula that hasn't changed much.  The
top pros are still using manual cameras.  This isn't a technology arena,
but a people arena.  The good photojournalists have extremely good people
skills and a sense of being.  Their #1 requirement is a camera that is
unobtrusive and extremely reliable.  The M6 is still king.

Stock photography - Now it gets a little more creative, but not much more.
It is a given now that in stock photography there is little that is new,
but just updating and adding to already over-supplied categories.  To be
seen and noticed you have to be shooting medium format (or even
large-format) and either be such a generalist that nothing is
exciting/fresh/origional or such a specialist that your collection of
carpet-fiber photographs is the only one in existance.

Wildlife photography - Probably the only category where technology has been
absolutely revolutionary.  You can easily take pictures with the Nikon F5
that were previously unattainable.  This is the one category where the new
technology is absolutely required.  I wouldn't dream of trying to do
serious wildlife photography without an F5.

Commercial/Industrial photography - Many of these professionals are experts
at lighting and equipment usage.  They will use whatever tool is necessary
to accomplish the task.  The top pros are equally at home with an 8x10
cameras as with a 35mm camera.  As there has always been, there are two
distinct classes of pros here-- the technician/artisian who really is an
"expert" in the field and those who are "professional" by name only.  With
the advent of digital technology more and more computer techies are calling
themselves "professional photographers."

Wedding/Portrait photography - Modern technology is VERY slowly being
adapted here.  It mostly has to do with the costly investment in equipment
(Hassys, Mamiyas, etc.)  Most photographers in this category are using a
camera such as the Canon A2 as their 35mm auto-focus camera.  Medium format
equipment is designed to last a lifetime and the bulk of wedding/portrait
photographers have been in the business for over 15 years and still using
their origional cameras.  The formula for this type of work is "control."
Control of DOF, light, light ratios, image compression and composition.
Auto everything is good, but still the need to measure lighting and adjust
accordingly is key.  There is a new breed of wedding photographers using
35mm Wonderbricks that do not have a clue about flash/ambient ratios.  Most
of these will fall into the category of "K-Mart" type of wedding
photographers.  Those customers with money and the desire for quality will
continue to keep the artisians in business for a while yet.  B&W
wedding/portrait photography is also making a comeback too.

Scientific/medical/forensic photography - Cameras such as the F5 have been
very welcome in this area.  The data backs are extremely important for
forensic and scientific work along with lenses capable of UV and IR
applications.  Medical, including dental, photography is generally macro in
nature and extremely good flash options are required.

Non-Professional photography (the hobbiest) - This category includes most
of us on this list.  This type of photographer really cares about the
images being created and spends the time to get the shot right.  This is a
shrinking category.  The glory days of 1975-1985 are long gone.  More and
more are converting to digital and the creative options there.  Others have
gone to medium format and 4x5.  Others have gone to the Pro-Am models from
Canon/Nikon while many continue to embrace high-quality cameras/optics from
the "glory days."

Snapshooter - This category represents the bulk of photographic dollars
spent, but constitutes the lowest grade of quality.  This is the category
that Kodak keeps introducing the new "formats" to.  120, 110, Disk, APS...
the list goes on and on and on...  Disposables have reached a high
acceptance and now digital is being foisted upon the consumer as the "new
format."  The P&S cameras of the late '80s and early '90s were
substantially better than today because the manufacturers didn't realize
yet that quality didn't matter.  The early Nikon One-touch cameras actually
took good quality pictures and were sharp from edge-to-edge.  P&S cameras
today have more features (sell-points) but the lenses are getting smaller
and with less quality.

How does all of this pertain to the Olympus list?  I believe every category
is represented on this mailing list.  Every camera manufacturer has
identified their target markets.  Olympus has decided to go after the
snapshooter category in a big way as that is where the bulk of dollars are.
 Smart move actually.  Unfortunately, it might be short-sighted.  Without a
premium model line to "anchor" the name with, it becomes a battle of the
masses with lots of non-optics companies introducing the camera of the day.
 The OM-3Ti and OM-4Ti keep the non-professionals happy and also the macro
lineup with flash capabilities are extremely good for the medical fields.

At this point, it seems like Olympus is pretty much dead in the water when
it comes to the other categories.  The bulk of professionals have moved on
and adapted their styles accordingly.  For them, there is no return.  We
may be surprised if Olympus pulls a "Contax", but it is something that we
shouldn't hold our breath for.  The Olympus distribution network is in
shambles and the concept of "supply-side economics" is completely foreign
to them.  I fully expect a complete shutdown of the OM line when stocks of
unsold items reach a level that they can write-off the rest without much
discomfort/lost pride.  This very well may be the last year of the OM.  I
doubt that they want to start the new century with an albatross.  The
OM-team has either been moved on to other assignments or is retired.  I
doubt that there are many OM supporters left inside the Olympus corporate
structure.

It must also be understood the Japanese culture and mentality towards
technology.  It is very much different that our American and European
cultures. Europeans (especially the Brittish and Germans) put mechanical
engineering high up on their priority list, Japanese put electronics high
up and the Americans are very much "Systems" (including procedural--keep it
simple, stupid) people.  These aren't bad things.  In fact, it points out
how interdependent we are in this "global" marketplace.  

What this points out is that Olympus is a "cutting edge" technology
company.  It's just that the cutting edge has moved beyond us.  Digital,
APS and who knows what else has supplanted 35mm in today's marketplace.  In
the early '70s when Olympus introduced the OM-1, 35mm SLR cameras were THE
marketplace for the masses.  Not anymore.

We OM-System users are a special breed and frankly, what is currently
available really meets our needs.  Those categories where the OM is not
well-suited for really requires equipment from manufactures with extensive
expertise that those areas.  If Macro is your primary usage, there is no
better than Olympus, but we do need to adapt accordingly.

Ken Norton

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