XtremeCamera

The Phogtard – Photographer For The 21st Century

July 29, 2008

I coined this word last night in a dream, believe it or not. I was in a discussion with a few friends about our (XtremeCamera) strong belief in how the Internet was changing the face of photography, for the worse, and our attempt to fight back. There were two sides to this argument, one being mine, one being a guy that was demanding that the photography world was better off because more and more people were taking up the hobby.

What I remember about the discussion, in part, was this.

Friend: “With so many people getting into photography thanks to the Internet and easier-to-use cameras, the photography world has never been in better shape.”

Me: “Are you crazy? Look at all the crap being posted on the net! All these phogtards who are spending money on top notch digital cameras and settling by letting that stupid camera decide how something should be photographed and not learning it themselves will cause the downfall of photography!”

That was all I remembered, but phogtard stuck with me. I’m not usually one for making up words.

In an attempt to contribute to the lexicon (a life-long dream), I hereby claim proper ownership to this word, as of July 29th, 2008.

Here is my official definition of ‘Phogtard’, and I urge all of you to adopt this word, use it as I define it, and always, always give the credit to XtremeCamera when the inevitable “Where did you hear that word?” is asked. I’ve always wanted to contribute something to the lexicon, and this might be it.

PHOGTARD – XtremeCamera Definition – 2008

“phog-tard” – 1. A noun, meaning someone who has decided, on a whim, to take up photography, post their work on the internet, and sits back and waits for the acclaim that surely comes. EX: “Jenny the Phogtard, she posted her snapshots on Flickr and people love them. She now thinks she a great photographer.

2. An adjective, meaning the person that never bothered to learn how to use his or her camera in any other setting than Program mode and who seeks attention for said photos in the Internet. EX: “Jenny’s photos always comes out exposed well but they suck in terms of depth of field and shutter speed. Only a real phogtard would think they’re work is that of a real photographer”.

3. A verb, to phogtard yourself. EX: Since buying a camera and posting her shots on her MobileMe Web Gallery Jenny is phogtarding her way to irrelevance.

I think we’re on to something here.

John Manzione