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Depressed Cheesecake !wFh1Fw9wBU
Lacking any kind of personal blog, I would like to bring up an interesting discussion in hopes of getting some opinions from other photographers.

I'm an aspiring aerospace engineer. One day, I'll have to memorize formulas, solve equations, design critical systems for my career. Then there's photography. It's ... pure. It's not empirical. It's not objective. It's, well, creative. The technical side of photography can be learned, it seems, through a few books and websites in the course of a month. From aperture to lighting, the basics of photography isn't rocket science (pardon the pun). Someone once told me "Photography is easy to learn, but difficult to master". I don't consider myself a master of photography, far from it, in fact. However, looking at top editorial, commercial, and fine arts photographers in the world, it's hard to warrant as much respect for their contributions as, say, that of a surgeon or engineer.

The question I pose, which is perhaps a hypothetical one, is this: is photography easy? Is taking a picture and having people admire it something that can be learned, something that must be learned, or a talent one can simply be blessed with? Can one compare the work of, for example, Ansel Adams to that of Albert Einstein?

I'm not looking to belittle the art world, nor insult any photographers, rather obtain an understanding of what photography means to people, in terms of how taxing it is on their self.
>> Anonymous
my lord.

How many /p/hotographers are in college to be engineers? i'm an EE fag, and i know butterfly is Aero
>> Butterfly !xlgRMYva6s
Taking a picture is very easy.

Taking a photograph is a bit harder.

Taking a good photo is harder still.

Taking a great photo is you get the point.

I'm a 3rd year Aero Eng student, operating the camera is easy, its deciding what to put infront of it thats the hard part.
>> Depressed Cheesecake !wFh1Fw9wBU
>>151733
>I'm a 3rd year Aero Eng student
No kidding? Where do you study?
>> Butterfly !xlgRMYva6s
>>151742
Mike?
>> Anonymous
(Good thread topic, OP.)

>I'm an aspiring aerospace engineer.

Besides Butterfly, you're in the company of Josef Koudelka, who majored in Aerospace Engineering in college.

>However, looking at top editorial, commercial, and fine arts photographers in the world, it's hard to warrant as much respect for their contributions as, say, that of a surgeon or engineer.

I'd respect an editorial or artistic photographer as much as a surgeon or engineer. The editorial photographer's role is just as practical and essential to a functioning society. And while art might not be essential to a society on a bare, mechanical level, humans aren't robots. We have spiritual needs and curiousities that need stimulating, so we mke the best use we can of the practical and of our own lives.

Plus, everyone has different skills. I do think, though, that an artist- of any sort- ought not to make a living through it, both to keep money out of art and to keep the artist from being cut off from the broader world. My favorite example- Franz Kafka worked an office job his entire adult life, but at night he went home and wrote some of the greatest literature ever.

>Can one compare the work of, for example, Ansel Adams to that of Albert Einstein?
Yes, definitely.
>> Depressed Cheesecake !wFh1Fw9wBU
>>151743
What? No :[
>> $19.99
>>151732
Electronics engineer here
>> Butterfly !xlgRMYva6s
>>151742
Liverpool Uni, UK.

>>151743
SEGA!

>>151746
I agree with this a lot, but i belive that even if you arnt naturally artistic/creative you can apply scientific process to art and still create good works. Ofc if you are un-creative and dumb, you are in trouble.
>> Anonymous
>>151732

Environmental Engineering fag reporting in
>> sv !!vC9KZM3Ch/H
>>151773

Where you the guy writing the paleoclimate paper?
>> Anonymous
>>151774

correct. were you the one about to fail paleo-microbiology?

if so, i'm sorry for my harsh words to you. =(
>> Anonymous
Aviation tech here. Looks like most people don't take photography as a career, just as an expensive hobby
>> Vincent !!8LCSE0Zp1mL
>>151841
Thats because its a stupid career to get into for the most part (Always exceptions)
Competition is something fierce, Its like entering a subsidized Perfectly competitive market!
>> Anonymous
I am in Chem. Engineering! Working in Pharmaceutical!
>> Anonyfag of Borneo !bHymOqU5YY
>>151732
I'm EE too.
>> sv !!vC9KZM3Ch/H
>>151822

Haha, I actually passed that bitch test with an 83.
>> $19.99
Haha so many applied science fags on /p/!
>> Anonymous
>>152034


soup guize

ee fag here

currently being raped by physics
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>>152034
>> Anonymous
Like anything else, becoming a good photographer takes practice. Therein lies the difficulty of the art. Knowing -how- to practice so that your photographs get better and better is tricky, difficult, fun, whatever you want to call it.