Sam Chui

[PhilDernerJr]

I was playin around on Airliners.net and decided that I'd scroll through Sam Chiui's portfolio on there.

I gotta say, even with all the hate that people have dropped on him (I'm even guilty of it a bit), the man is a good photographer.

You can talk about attitude problems or say he's used money to get where he gets, and sure that's a big factor in getting the access he does and ****. But, no matter what access you get, you have to be a pretty good photographer to get certain kinds of shots. I have no chocie to but to applaud the talent that he does have.

I've always thought that one way to measure whether a photographer is good is to see how many of his photos on Airliners.net has over 1,000 hits. Though obviously not the be-all and end-all, but it's one way.

By this form of measurement, Sam has 1,716 photos out of his 2,819 shots. That's over 50%. I only have 70 out of 349 shots like that.

Whatever your views on him, I think some credit should be given to the fact that there is at least some talent there.

[jakbar]

I don't think anyone disputes that he has talent, Phil.

Did he pay you to make this post? :)

[Mr Smith]

Whatever your views on him, I think some credit should be given to the fact that there is at least some talent there.

don't forget money, Phil! :lol: he's certainly mellowed out over the past few months.

[Tom_Turner]

Soon to be 3000 images, 3000 avg views and 10 Million hits.

Totally off the charts...

[NIKV69]

Phil,

Sam Chui is a great photog, so much so that I had to save one of his pics from a fiery grave at Mario's! I keep it next to my monitor and cherish it! :mrgreen:

Don't hate Mr. Chui! lol

[UrbanExplorer222]

"Dont hate the player hate the game" cant believe i just wrote that. Sam Chui is one of the best out there. But just cuz he has ramp access doesn't mean that hes the best......or really defines his photos. There is more to his photos then that. Who hates him??!!!! lol give me names!

[FlyingColors]

Well I gotta say this..............

Give ANYONE of us that kind of ACCESS and TIME and you too can have a collection of shots like Sam.

Fact:
With access comes comfort, and being comfortable while shooting is a wonderful thing, instead of being nervous about all the crap about using a camera in public.

With constant airside access comes experience in not just shooting but a state of mind. Its real nice to say 'if I miss this shot, I'll just waltz back out here tomorrow, or just hop a jet and catch it at the next airport"

Being fair, he is good. Having access, and the freedom not to earn a living, makes it great.

Mike

[NIKV69]

Sorry but I disagree. Ramp access makes life easier but he has talent. His air to air shots do not require any special access. Money, equipment and ramp privelege helps but when you get down to it you still have to take the photo.

[Mr Smith]

i've done ramp shooting here and it's a pain in the ass to be mild, things happen so much faster and when your that much closer it's easier to make mistakes, only descent thing is the noise....not my cuppa tea! i prefer to shoot from a distance where i have time to correct things if i get it wrong.

[Darren Howie]

Yep despite what everyone says about Sam he can take a photo.
Yep ramp access means a lot but like Monty ssaid it aint that easy even when you get out there.
More to the point Sam has created some great new angles(will anyone ever forget his SQ shot from KLAX) and is always after new ones.
I've been shooting with him a few times and never had an issue or drama just a good time.
Darren

[Sulman]

Plenty of people dislike the guy, and I've seen some pretty strong comments on the a.net forum from time to time. Just do a search for 'Sam Chui' on that forum and you'll find the topics.

However, as Phil said, you can't deny the man's talent. Photography is a hobby that can bring out a competitive streak in people, and that can create friction.