posted 06-05-2002 12:47 PM ET (US)        

We will argue that it's probably not the limited-usefullness model that you may have thought.

I've sent a few photos today to Jim H. and so you may see some show up soon.

posted 06-06-2002 10:26 AM ET (US)            

I do want to state publicly that it is not at all necessary nor desireable for contributors of photographs to make a posting which acknowledges that they have sent me some photographs.

In truth, I tend to dislike such postings a great deal. By making an announcment that so-and-so has sent jimh photographs, I feel pressured to make some use of them. I don't think that I respond to the pressure, but I do feel that it is applied.

I have many, many, as yet unpublished photographs that people have sent me. Some are wonderful and I plan to use them. Some are awful and I plan never to use them. How do I decide which ones to use and when? It is a non-linear, semi-chaotic process for sure.

As I have mentioned before, I prefer to have some type of theme for each page of Cetacea, rather than just to post a random sample of photographs. Sometimes this works in favor of a particular photo; sometimes it works against it.

For example, I recently published a series of Cetacea articles that showed restorations of 13-Whalers and repowering. Not long after I received a set of photographs showing a 13-Whaler being restored. These are not likely to be used anytime soon because of their similarity to the others. Numerous technical problems with the images also weighed heavily against them.

This submitter also took to public announcement of his submission and subsquent displeasure at non-publication.

Some time ago another individual sent me photographs of his boat, probably the most popular, common, and well-known model of Whaler there is. The photographs showed a boat that looked every bit its age, was not in particularly good condition at all, and had no distinguishing features. The photo were taken in a driveway, with the boat on a trailer, at awkward angles, with poor lighting, and really showed nothing new or different except for how bad teak can look if given little care for a decade or more.

To continue this story, the submitter promptly began a message thread demanding to know why his photographs were not published--this about a week after sending them. His outrage was so great that he eventually posted his disgust with the entire website and began his own in competition, including a forum, etc. I have not heard from him since.

I don't mean to dump all this on you, Bill, but I do want to take this opportunity to make clear that I would greatly prefer if people did not begin a public message thread about the status of their photographs and when they have been submitted. If everyone who sent photos did this, there would be hundreds of such threads, none of which would really add any content to the website.

I will now go dig up your images and look at them. Please be assured that I have every intention of using them if they prove appropriate to the theme of future Cetacea article.

Best regards,

posted 06-06-2002 02:17 PM ET (US)            

So noted. Actually I don't know how you do all you do here on this site. Certainly don't feel pressured in any way to post the photos. I could have just said "I have photos", I guess; anyone can contact me if they are interested.

posted 06-07-2002 12:57 AM ET (US)            

And LHG, the Ansel Adams of Boston Whalers, who has sent me so many wonderful shots I could go two years before I used them all up, your're right. All the almost 500 pictures in Cetacea and the hundreds elsewhere are very welcomed contributions to our collective viewing pleasure.