Well, I see that some of you out there in photography land simply don't get it. There is no such thing as a subject that would not make a wonderful photograph if it were seen in an exciting way. No subject matter is out of bounds. I am willing to bet you guys, and anyone who feels as you do, that a good photographer can make a fine photograph anywhere. I know I can. That's the easy part and is really rather uninteresting. The point of making photographs, as I see it, is to challenge oneself and to thereby grow, not just to make good pictures.

Just the other day our assistant, having a few hours off, wandered over to a place where we are doing some construction and made a wonderful photograph of a rough concrete slab. This slab was something I would certainly walk right past, and I warrant everyone reading this would, too, without even vaguely considering that it was worthy subject matter.

if you are somewhere that moves you to photograph, and you cannot get a good photograph of it be asured that it is you, not the place or subject that is the problem. Always.

Now about "practice," I'm not against using lots of film. The way anyone learns the most is from their own mistakes. But Ader wrote that the problem he was having was a continual problem. At a certain point, if you are not getting it, there is no sense in using more film. something else has to change. That is what I was talking about. It appears you (Thomas and Bob F) took my comment about practice out of context--out of the context of who I was responding to.

When you are stuck (as a photographer or at anything else) it doesn't make sense to keep repeating the same thing--in this case making more bad pictures--something else has to change. When you are spinning your wheels you don't keep doing it, you get out, find a board or something, or if you cannot get out of the rut yourself you get a tow.