Welcome and Introduction
One morning you wake up and realize that time has passed you by, your mind tells you that you are still 25, but your driver’s license shows you as middle-aged and hopefully a lot wiser. This realization is often accentuated when working with young people; in my case photography students.
I certainly had little time to devote to a new website, but felt more and more compelled when I observed the proliferation of bad information on the net. Through the years I have had the pleasure of having photography students and interns working with me. Some are fascinated by photography and seek out knowledge, finding accurate answers to some of their questions on the net can be challenging. The poor and misleading information can be confusing, not for experienced long-time photographers, but for people that do not have the ability to filter the good from the bad information.
As if this was not enough, there is undeniably a gigantic problem with the dumbing down of western civilization. What is so upsetting is not the overly simplification of sciences, but the praising and celebration of ignorance. It is not unusual to see people ridiculing terms and processes just because they do not understand them and make no effort to learn these. In the era of misinformation, they are not shy to fabricate nonsensical verbiage or fake terms like aperture hole, depth of sharpness, dark and light apertures, creamy images, etc. The sad part is that these unfounded terms are catching on, even some equipment manufacturers (shame on them) are partaking just to please the masses.
The gap between amateur photographers and professionals has never been so wide in my lifetime. Fewer and fewer people are getting involved with photography, even if more photographs are taken worldwide. The masses rely on their cell phones for ridiculous pix and ego-feeding selfies. Professional photographers have reached new heights and some are creating spectacular work while utilizing technology to the fullest. But how many young professionals are joining the ranks? So many professional photography jobs have dissolved in the last decades. Professional photography is no longer a viable profession, at least not as it used to be. Photojournalism is on a steep decline, as is commercial photography.
Those individuals that are attracted to photography are often hobbyists that enjoy the creative part. They have to navigate through misinformation and clever product marketing for technical information. Most manufacturers are taking advantage of their inexperience to push their latest products with all the bells and whistles. The reality is that the latest is often far from the greatest, especially regarding lenses.
This site is set up for film photographers, collectors, nostalgics, and photographers who like to explore alternatives like some of the high-quality lenses of yesteryear. There are plenty of websites dedicated to the technical aspects of equipment. My goal is to bring you more practical user-based information while occasionally directing you to existing technical reviews.
Lastly, this website, like all websites, is opinion based. It is up to you if you wish to follow the advice of a novice or from an experienced professional who acquired a respected photojournalism degree and has worked successfully in this industry as a photojournalist and commercial photographer for 30 years.
I hope you enjoy the content and find it useful and educational.
All the best,
Anthony Vanderlinden