Would you like to see a photography section?

[James Langford]

+1 for a photography section. If anything, it would declutter B&G and the equipment forums by pulling out those photography related threads.

James

 

[Scott Weberpal]

When I first read the thread it sounded like a weather photography is what is wanted, not a general photography forum. I don't know what the original intent was, but I'm all for a weather photography section.

 

[MatthewCarman]

If people want a photography forum I see no harm in it if that is what Tim wants. One way to make sure people who join who are only into the photography and not weather related discussions stay in that forum is to only give them access to that forum. You may have to ask them before they join if that is the only reason. That would make the storm chasers and weather enthusiasts happy. On the other hand we could also have the beginner forum open to these people incase any of them become interested in the weather (Maybe after awhile let them join the advanced forum) and still keep the advanced forum for just weather related members. Just an idea.

I do feel to many sub forums may change this site from a storm chasers site to a weather related website. If we went down that road I think a Glossary or Wiki would be nice additions to the site. The Almanac is collecting dust and not as usefull as an wiki. I would be happy to help out with that if one was ever added. We could show off photo's in the wiki as well and have a list of storm chaser websites,blogs and weather related websites. Just another idea.

If people want this to just stay a storm chaser website (mostly for storm chasers or people who want to chase in the future) then we should probibly not bother adding any more forums or sub forums etc. If we did add more stuff that is less storm chaser orientated and more weather enthusiast orientated we would probibly bring alot more members to the site. That would probibly bring more weather enthusiats then storm chasers to stormtrack though.

 

[Jim Saueressig]

But hey if everyone wants a "universal" forum they might as well make a sports section, a hunting section, a vacation section, a shopping section, a entertainment section, a business section, a environmental section or anything else someone might have an interest in; they could even change the name from StormTrack to HobbyTrack.

Your argument makes no sense, unlike all these other things you posted photography is actually chase related. We already have numerous threads that are photography related. They could all be moved into one section that you could easily avoid since you obviously don't like the idea though it already exists.

At worst this photography section brings down the clutter on the forum.

I really don't think a branch off from equipment, for discussing cameras would really be all that bad, however the initial intentions of this discussion seemed to be aimed at "open" photography topics and threads, not limited to storm related stuff. If you want to see and critique or have critiqued, pictures of butterflies or anything else, find a photography forum, though I would go for a section with modeling photos....

Uhmm, Good point. I do think it should still be the usual stuff we post. Weather related in my opinion is storms, lightning, sunsets (because without weather we don't get a picture worthy one) and astronomy (spaceweather) because it covers something we here seem to do in the off season.

I in no way want to see a whole lot of stuff people photograph that they think is "art". I think the HDR type threads are ok in that it is a newer and effective way to capture storms and weather.

Maybe a Chase, Weather, Clouds, Astronomy and Techniques type disclaimer?

 

[Mark Farnik]

I Endorse the Creation of a Weather and Atmospheric Photography Section

I think a weather photography subsection on Stormtrack is an excellent concept that should be executed. Fantastic idea, Jim!

But just like any other section on Stormtrack, it's purpose should be very specific from the get go and it should have a set of established guidelines in regards to what can and can't be posted.

Here's my pitch for this section:

Given that so many of us photograph not only weather, but all sorts of other atmospheric phenomena, I believe that an appropriate name for this section would be Weather and Atmospheric Photography.

Threads in this section would obviously be limited to discussions relevant to photographing weather and atmospheric phenomena - this would NOT be a 'general' photography section that some have alluded to in previous posts.

I see the Weather and Atmospheric Photography section serving these purposes:

a)To provide a place where techniques for photographing all different types of weather/atmospheric phenomena could be discussed.

b) To give members a venue in which to show off illustrative examples of these techniques.

c)To establish permanent FAQ's on hot topics such as HDR, lightning, low light shooting, etc.

d)To condense the majority of the photographic related threads into one place and de-clutter other sections, such as B&G and Equipment, thereby increasing the quality and relevancy of the posts in other sections.

I believe this would be a truly useful section for many of our members - we are fortunate to have a large pool of very talented weather/atmospheric photographers among ST's members, and I think this section would be a great place for everyone to learn from one another and help us all become better weather/atmospheric photographers.

If this section were to come to fruition, I know I would certainly be posting in it quite frequently, both to present my own techniques and also to learn new techniques. Everybody photographs a little differently, so someone will always have something new to bring to the table and keep the discussions fresh and interesting.

In conclusion, I think the creation of a Weather and Atmospheric Photography section to Stormtrack would be a very beneficial addition to the forum because it would provide a focused venue for high quality discussion of weather and atmospheric photographic techniques and any related questions related to those techniques.

 

[Dustin Wilcox]

but hey if everyone wants a "universal" forum they might as well make a sports section, a hunting section, a vacation section, a shopping section, a entertainment section, a business section, a environmental section or anything else someone might have an interest in; they could even change the name from StormTrack to HobbyTrack.

Your argument makes no sense, unlike all these other things you posted photography is actually chase related. We already have numerous threads that are photography related. They could all be moved into one section that you could easily avoid since you obviously don't like the idea though it already exists.

Really? We definitely need a vacation section as a ton of chasers vacation is chasing, we see many threads discussing other tourist type things to do in the plains on a down day, must mean we need a vacation section.... I do A LOT of shopping for chase gear and apparel, must mean we need a shopping section as well... I suppose we could probably limit some of the clutter and just combine the entertainment and vacation section, but I definitely see a need for it, we have a lot of threads discussing the best restaurants and food on the plains... There have been a lot of posts regarding oil and fossil fuel consumption, perhaps we need an Environmental thread to house all those type of posts... We certainly need a business section as well, since many of us have profit generating businesses setup thanks to chasing... There sure are a lot of threads discussing chase vehicles and setups, we probably need a section devoted towards vehicles, I'd say my vehicle that gets me to the storm is more chase related than the camera and or techniques I use to photograph it... We definitely need a HAM radio/cell phone section, since reporting the storms comes before and is more important than photographing them... Probably more important than anything though is we definitely will need a Introduction section to house the influx of “I’m new hereâ€￾ posts from new members… Photography is far less chase related than many other things without a section.... I can see it already, Joe Schmo is gonna come join and post his out of focus, grainy picture of some low hanging clouds saying look at this wall clound I took a picture of, all that will follow will be two or three posts saying, "oh nice pic Joe, and welcome to the forum"

 

[David Drummond]

If people want this to just stay a storm chaser website (mostly for storm chasers or people who want to chase in the future) then we should probibly not bother adding any more forums or sub forums etc. If we did add more stuff that is less storm chaser orientated and more weather enthusiast orientated we would probibly bring alot more members to the site. That would probibly bring more weather enthusiats then storm chasers to stormtrack though.

StormTrack stopped being "just for chasers" a while back. Did anyone even notice when the "Serving Chasers since 1977" tagline disappeared?

 

[Terry Tyler]

IMO you want to see posted photos or post photos yourself, join a photography forum. Why clutter the forum with more stuff not chase related?

i agree with that, dustin...if a section for photos was created, i could see a major influx of non-weather related material...while at the same time i think that a moderated section with rules exclusively for photography of weather events would eliminate that issue and be good for people who want to showcase their pictures...that way, if they want to show off their work they dont have to post into a thread of their own or hope someone clicks on their website...of course there will always be little idiosnchrasies or whatever but it cant be perfect...

im kind of neutral on the subject because i can see additional board resources being used...mickey makes a valid point about there being many other websites out there that discuss photography, and that if you let too many people on there it might distract the whole weather thing...on the other hand, i also see where some people could just come here and ask questions as opposed to going out there and trying to learn on some other forum...a place to showcase your work on a site that alot of people come and visit could be helpful to some chasers, and give a place for open feedback...

personally, i wouldent be opposed to seeing a photography section opened...i like looking at pictures, and a section chunked full of different chasers material would be a good 'melting pot' you know what im saying?

 

[Robert Dewey]

There are many sites out there for photography.

Mick

I think the problem is that people want the interaction with the ST community - something you won't get on other forums.

I've been on ST for so long (+1 visit per day since I registered) that I've grown accustomed to the people and their responses here, and generally have more trust as to what they know or don't know. If you're looking for meteorology-based photography, I would recommend the ST community over anything else.

Just my opinion, anyway.

 

[Mark Farnik]

Dustin -you seem vehemently against this idea, and I understand why you are concerned. If not executed properly, such a section could potentially open the door for less and less chase related sections, thereby diluting the quality and the focus of Stormtrack.

But allow me to clarify this for you.

The Weather and Atmospheric Photography section, were it to be created, decidedly would NOT be a 'Joe Schmo posting crappy pics' section; yes, the section will serve as a showcase for our photos, but it also will serve as an educational setting for the discussion on, demonstration of and FAQ/How-to's for weather and atmospheric photography techniques, which I think everyone on this forum would benefit from.

See my earlier post for my very specific and detailed plan for this section, if it was to get the nod from Tim and be created.

I hope that resolves your concerns.

Thanks

 

[Jim Saueressig]

I don't see an influx of non chasers as it is still a chaser forum that doesn't have an open registration.

 

[Melanie Kern-Favilla]

Just my $.02, as if anyone cares...

I belong to several photography forums, Photosig being the largest example. But I post here because Stormtrack is truly a community in my eyes. Photo & camera threads allow me to contribute to the community when I might not have as much to add to weather-related threads at that particular time. It's also nice to be able to stay active here while the cold days of winter slowly tick by.

I don't see a problem with a Photography area. You could sub with weather-related threads and non-weather related threads. But if people don't want me to post my non-weather related photography, then I beg someone (mods?) to speak up and I will certainly cease and desist...

Melanie

 

[John Wetter]

So I'm just trying to think this out, and do we see this addition as a section to:

A) Have a tips/tricks spot
b) Talk about all of the latest (and unnecessary) equipment being released?
c) Post pictures? (I do NOT believe this should be what the section is about. A picture should be posted with a chase account or some other weather post with more content than just the pictures.)
d) become StormTrackTube?

It might be nice to split out the equipment part, but as much as I love photography, in the context of StormTrack, it should be with a weather story to augment or show what happened with an event. We have some amazing photographers here, but I don't know that stormtrack should 'get in the photography business'.

 

[Dustin Wilcox]

Dustin -you seem vehemently against this idea, and I understand why you are concerned. If not executed properly, such a section could potentially open the door for less and less chase related sections, thereby diluting the quality and the focus of Stormtrack.

LOL not really, honestly it really doesn't matter all that much to me, three things just happened to come together to make it seem like I REALLY care; First thing, I just straight up enjoy debating, secondly I first saw the poll/thread late Friday night after a few libations, making me even more up for a debate, and thirdly the initial posts attempting to petition for the idea, really lacked a good credible reason, despite the fact there may be a few.

 

[Chad Cowan]

LOL not really, honestly it really doesn't matter all that much to me, three things just happened to come together to make it seem like I REALLY care; First thing, I just straight up enjoy debating, secondly I first saw the poll/thread late Friday night after a few libations, making me even more up for a debate, and thirdly the initial posts attempting to petition for the idea, really lacked a good credible reason, despite the fact there may be a few.

You can add my name to this.