21 July 2006

Do you ever wonder why people hate lawyers or law firms?

Having had the pleasure of dealing with them both for several years now, I don't wonder. And having received this post on my travel blog today, I really don't wonder:

Anonymous said...

not to hate or anything, but to be completely honest, your pictures kinda suck. NYC has never looked so boring. they're nothing special. and today with digital cams, anyone can do it. don't quit your day job anytime soon.

8:49 AM
This anonymous poster's opinion may very well be correct, although I don't remember asking for his/her opinion, nor do I recall saying I was on the verge of quitting my law practice to become a professional photographer. I have no problem with constructive criticism, whether of my photography or of any of the opinions I spout on my blogs. But I won't stand for gratuitous, unproductive meanness, as this blog is my escape from that.

What does this have to do with lawyers or law firms, you ask? Well, this is the information my Sitemeter provides concerning the kind person who made this post:

Domain Name
jackscamp.com ? (Commercial)
IP Address
38.118.25.# (Performance Systems International)
ISP
Performance Systems International
Location
Continent : North America
Country : United States (Facts)
State : Virginia
City : Arlington
Lat/Long : 38.8782, -77.1054 (Map)
Language
English (United States)
en-us
Operating System
Microsoft WinXP
Browser
Internet Explorer 6.0
Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1)
Javascript
version 1.3
Monitor
Resolution : 1024 x 768
Color Depth : 32 bits
Time of Visit
Jul 21 2006 8:42:15 am
Last Page View
Jul 21 2006 8:45:27 am
Visit Length
3 minutes 12 seconds
Page Views
2
Referring URL
http://eyebrow-raisi...re-nyc-pictures.html
Visit Entry Page
http://lisaswanderin...ay-two-brooklyn.html
Visit Exit Page
http://lisaswanderin...ay-two-brooklyn.html
Out Click
Post a Comment
http://www.blogger.c...5356689&isPopup=true
Time Zone
UTC-5:00
Visitor's Time
Jul 21 2006 9:42:15 am
Visit Number
3,174

Based on my research, "jackscamp.com," the domain from which this post was made, happens to belong to a law firm called Jackson & Campbell, P.C., with locations in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, according to their web site (http://www.jackscamp.com/). In fact, they claim to be "one of Washington, DC's (sic) most respected law firms." I don't have much respect for them, given that one of their employees seems to have a propensity for visiting web sites and providing unsolicited mean-spirited comments without the courage to identify him/herself.

I always wondered what Heather and Melissa are talking about when they reference the hostile emails or posts they receive in response to things posted on their web sites. My site isn't remotely in the stratosphere of theirs (nor is my writing ability), but now I know what they mean.

Thanks, my friends, for being such kind and supportive visitors that this came as a splash of cold water to me.

Gratefully,
Lisa

Posted by Lisa at 10:16 PM  

9 comments:

Betty said...

I'm really sorry about your bad experience with anonymous. What a coward, not to sign his critique. It wasn't even particularly vitriolic, just cowardly. Anyway, I enjoy your photos and so does everyone else who visits your blog regularly. Remember, don't let the b*strds get you down!

Jul 21, 2006, 11:18:00 PM  
steve said...

Anonymous bites. There's enough unsolicited destructive comments in the world - ya wonder why he/she felt the need to take the time to post that.

On another note, I just noticed you list "A Prayer for Owen Meany" as one of your favorite books - it's one of my favorites too. I'm reading "Until I Find You" now... so far, so good.

Jul 21, 2006, 11:31:00 PM  
Lisa said...

Thanks, Betty--you're sweet! I didn't mean to overdramatize . . . it just shows me how lucky I am to have really nice regular visitors like yourself!

Digital J, thanks for your support, too. I do love my Owen Meany book (even the movie was pretty well done, if you haven't seen it) and have Until I Find You on my shelf of "to reads" as we speak! Maybe I'll start that one next and we can compare notes!

Jul 21, 2006, 11:44:00 PM  
jd said...

It's difficult to take someone's critique seriously when they write like they haven't made it out of the third grade. Of course some folks write in all lower case to be cute, but usually their prose is more eloquent. Anonymous's prose reads like an uneducated twit. I'd delete the comment and forget about it. I personally enjoyed the Brooklyn pictures.

So tell me, you asked the artist for permission to take his picture. How do you determine when to ask and not to ask? I always feel odd taking photographs of people, but they are in fact the most interesting subjects.

Jul 21, 2006, 11:46:00 PM  
Jenn said...

Mean people suck. Mean people who leave rude anonymous comments, and, as JD phrased it "write like they haven't made it out of the third grade" suck even more.

And I cannot help but wonder how skilled "anonymous" is as a lawyer (if he is, indeed a lawyer) with those kind of writing skills. Note to self: don't hire anyone from that firm if I need someone from Washington DC to represent me.

And I am curious to hear the answer to JD's question, as I wonder it myself. The people in your photographs are so natural.

Jul 22, 2006, 5:25:00 AM  
Lisa said...

Thanks, Jenn and JD! In answer to your question, I constantly struggle with taking pics of people because I'm always nervous that they will get mad or something. So here's my not-very-noble answer: if I can take their picture without them knowing it, I don't ask permission. Or, if they see me preparing to take my picture and look pleased or happy at the thought of it, I don't ask. On the other hand, if they don't have a look of obvious delight upon noticing I'm about to snap them, then I ask if they mind. Also, with kids I typically ask the parent for permission, because in this world of extreme cautiousness, it takes the fun out of it to be mistaken for a photographing perv.

With this artist, I asked if he minded me snapping his photo because he happened to look up just as I was preparing to take his photo. A few minutes earlier, I walked through the kids' part of the park, hoping to get fun candid shots of kids playing in the water fountain. I asked a mom's permission to take her kid's photo and she refused. I think that's the only time anyone ever told me no about that.

My personal challenge when photographing people is to have the courage to get close enough. Believe it or not, I have to force myself to overcome the shyness and get close enough to make the photograph a good one. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don't.

Probably more than you ever wanted to know . . .

Jul 22, 2006, 7:57:00 AM  
Jay said...

Ok, so I commented last night about anonymous's limited ability to write or speak in complete sentences. I guess blogger ate my comment. grrr

Anyway, Lisa don't concern yourself with some twit who dosen't even have the cajones to put his name on his critiques. What a loser.

Jul 22, 2006, 9:52:00 AM  
Lisa said...

Thanks, Jay . . . if it makes you feel better, I did actually receive your other comment via email, though I have no idea why it didn't show up on the blog. I appreciate your kind words!

Jul 22, 2006, 10:06:00 AM  
jd said...

Those seem like reasonable picture taking rules. I am glad I'm not the only one that struggles with people getting mad at them for taking their picture.

Jul 22, 2006, 11:14:00 PM  

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