Home Forums Main YANAP Discussion Forum A Pinterest-ing Discussion…

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  • #9598
    iliketag
    Participant

    Ha! Admit it, that amazing pun drew you in. Diabolical.

    Ok, ok, so the reason I find myself starting another opinion thread is partially because it’s one in the morning and I have a tummy ache preventing me from sleeping and I love a public forum. There is a virtually limitless audience, brimming with their own unique inputs, ready to share at any given time. I also want something to read while I’m at work.

    That being said:
    I have a love-hate relationship with Pinterest.
    On one hand, Pinterest is an excellent tool for organizing bookmarks and making quick, recognizable references available in nice little categories.
    On the other, I find myself constantly digging through too many damn posts to find said bookmark quickly when I need to.

    I first avoided Pinterest like the plague. I didn’t need another time sink and I was almost overwhelmed by the sheer amount of content on the site. When a coworker coerced me into signing up for my own little tackboard, I was instantly hooked. I utilized it primarily as a way to share photo tips and basic trainings with customers when I worked in the digital imaging department at my store. Customers were always making the joke “Oh, can you come home with me and show me how to use it?”. Several asked for my personal facebook or email or even phone number and I felt that was a bit more than awkward… so my account was peppered with “Learn Aperature, Shutter Speed and ISO” articles and a lot of how-to’s and what not.
    Then came the dreaded “inspiration” board…

    I think that may have been what disenchanted me. About a month ago I took a look at that board and sighed a deep sigh. Was I actually drawing inspiration or was I flat out trying to mimic and not adopt my own flavors or try out my own spins? Many were there just as a note to myself “pay attention to lighting here, this looks much better when done this way” and “don’t count out a cloudy day just because it’s nippy out”… but when I started repinning and not customizing the messages to myself, I knew I had a problem.
    I am guilty of having a friend build a board of her photographic expectations. She was an avid Pinterest user and I figured this was a good way to communicate visually with someone who lived outside the same city leading up to our time together for shooting. I sensed a mild disappointment in her when she realized later that we hadn’t copied a single pose… She was very happy with her Christmas cards but she had these big, grandiose ideas that her two year old just would not take to and I think it was a big eye opener for the two of us.

    The dilemma of “Pinterest-perfect” photos is the same we encounter when someone instantly reacts with the “That’s a profile pic” reaction. There’s nothing wrong with aspiring to exposure through thousands upon thousands of repins, but it carries risks… for copying most notably. Not only that, but I’ve seen fauxtogs with HUGE exposure thanks to a recreated idea from pinterest or a fresh idea that others have seen and recreated (but with better results), only the one with more (market?)-saturation receives the praises.

     

    It’s a little late and I may not be entirely coherent here, but I am curious about what this community thinks of Pinterest and how it has helped or even hindered you. I really hope I’m not the only one in this boat.

    #9599
    cameraclicker
    Participant

    Try Alka-seltzer or Pepto Bismol.

    I have barely heard of Pinterest and don’t visit there.

    #9604
    theflyingkitty
    Participant

    This belongs here. Was going to give it it’s own topic, but this thread seems perfect. “Reasons you should never reenact Pinterest photos”

    http://www.buzzfeed.com/ariellecalderon/reasons-you-should-never-reenact-pinterest-photos

    #9606
    IHF
    Participant

    I tried to get into Pinterest a while back, but it just didn’t click with me.  I think if I could make boards privately, I might use it to organize my favorite tid bits that I like to refer back to. Recipes, beauty tips, and just random info that interests me. But I have a pretty good system going on my desktop.  I just don’t quite get the social aspect to it all.  I had 10 strangers following me within a day.  Why?  And why would I want to follow them?  I wouldn’t mind following my sister, or a friend, but… I don’t know.  I just don’t get the appeal of it.

    Some of my photos have been pinned, and I even had someone buy a small print that was found on Pinterest.  Possibly others that did as well, but we didnt communicate personally through the transaction and it was done annon through a POD site. (i really dont like that and want to leave the whole pod thing and only self fulfill) But pinterest isn’t supposed to be used for self promotion, right?  I know I would feel uncomfortable doing that.  Plus what happens after tons of repins?  Do you have to dig to find where the original came from? (Seriously, I don’t know, do you?)

    There are some photographers that absolutely hate pinterest and are trying to shut it down and/or get better copyright protection.  “Artists against pinterest” or “photographers against pinterest”. I can’t remember which.  This I think is silly.  Pinterest isn’t going anywhere.  Isn’t it like number 3 in social networking now?  Your fighting a losing battle folks, especially when there are a billion of me out there who don’t feel threatened by it like you do, and would never freak out and cry “thief!” When an image is pinned.  lol seriously they do this, and have given pinterest take down notices and what not.  I guess I shouldn’t laugh, to each their own, and I have no idea how they market or make their money of their photography, and obviously they find it a real threat to their livelihood for whatever reason.

    Then there are photographers/artists who love it!  And follow Trey’s lead on the whole dealo
    http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2012/02/13/why-photographers-should-stop-complaining-about-copyright-and-embrace-pinterest/

    lol I just realized I rambled on and on, just to say I personally have no feelings one way or another when it comes to pinterest.  Yay! For people who love it, calm down to people who hate it, and fear it!  But this is coming from someone who really isn’t interested at all in it.

    Inspiration boards: I have noticed lots of photos out there that have “I found this on  pinterest and had to try it” look to them that makes me want to vomit or Laugh out loud when they are done so badly, but to each their own.  Inspiration to me is finding someone that has an interesting niche that works well for them and wows me.  I also admire versatility.  some commissioned/commercial togs just blow me away with how very versatile they are, yet stay completely recognizable.  I mean holy crap!  i wish i had that talent!  I don’t try to duplicate in either case, because most times it would be impossible for me to, but they drive me to get out of my box and try something new within my own genre and capabilities (I regularly fail, but with each failure i get better and better) I haven’t consciously tried to emulate a photo I have seen (not that I feel there is anything wrong with it) but I will try to emulate the light, or the color, or the mood/feel of it.  But, I’m not a family portrait artist (just a someone who is very interested in it on the side of what really gets me going, and I’m having a lot of fun learning portraiture), I think that’s a different ball game in a way, because people/customers see something they like and want it emulated for them.  You, in this case have to do what pays the bills, and using ideas from whatever source is actually necessary to keep the ball rolling, I would think.

    #9607
    IHF
    Participant

    LOL. I love that link Kitty!

    heres a link talking about the legal aspects of Pinterest  (many blogs and posts like this floating around)

    http://ddkportraits.com/2012/02/why-i-tearfully-deleted-my-pinterest-inspiration-boards/

    (Yes, I realize I’m being too serious, as usual lol)

    and before you think “wow! For someone who doesn’t care one way or another about pinterest, you sure have a lot to say”. I should explain.  recently I felt compelled to research it when I ran into a copyright infringement activist that was arguing with me about my feelings on personal use, pinterest, Facebook, and not watermarking Etc I needed to know her side of things more clearly, so I’d have a better understanding of her feelings instead of just wanting to whack her on the head, to wake her up ;). I only wish she would have shown me the same consideration (eye roll)

     

    #9613
    iliketag
    Participant

    I am totally, 100% OK if this thread morphs into a Pinterest Fail showcase!

    IHF: So, thankfully Pinterest does have some pretty right things going in terms of how it links. Items pinned directly through Pinterest itself retain the origin link when you click on the image. Things pinned from tumblr, for instance, link to the tumblr and not necessarily the origin. So repins from tumblr, reddit, blogs, etc may not link you back until you follow the link-trail. So there is a mixture.
    When I first started using Pinterest I was very tactical in my pinning. Meticulously organized with personal notes on everything and making sure articles were worth putting on my boards before actually pinning them… but I found lately, that when I would log in before bed or something and just peruse, I would just pin. No custom messages or little notes to myself, no “fact checking” to make sure the links were not something stupid… I had gotten really lazy and I think that’s what made me have to take a look at it and essentially encouraged my “spring cleaning” of all the clutter I had built up.

    The “inspiration” side of it is a little weird for me, too. Mostly it’s details or little reminders. Things here and there like a collection of different photos of the same pose; examples like that are more of a reminder that I don’t need to shift a client a bunch of times to get different shots. I suppose that could be mimicking the concept though. I have mixed feelings about someone creating a photo board and that being my checklist. Every photographer does things differently. There may be one shot I can get that’s better than the example and another that’s just not quite right. I suppose the conflict I see most often there is that Pinterest provides a great visual idea to a client but then they expect something spot on and there may be things that play in that make a carbon copy hard… not to mention completely compromising your value as a professional (and an artist).

    The legal part of it is something I find really interested. I always thought it was kind of common sense that if you put your work out onto the big, bad internetz, you were at risk of it being stolen or copied. I have a facebook page for my “business” as a placeholder for the name that is completely blank. Until I am ready to launch it with the correct licensing and financial securities (liability insurance, legal paperwork ready to go, etc), I intend to leave it that way or possibly re-categorize it for hobby if I feel like watermarking anything. Sites like pinterest and facebook (and even flickr) that can compromise metadata worry me, so I simply don’t post there until I can embed watermarking in what I need to… this can be a real pain because I do lose some social media outlets to display and talk about the work I have done, but I’m not sure I would be prepared to fight someone selling my work as theirs if that ever came up… so preventative measures are what I’m using in the meantime.

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