realistic critiques

[jkaufman]

I'm relatively new here, but I've noticed something about the critique secion.

Some of us enjoy posting pics for critiques and comments; some of which would hopefully make us better photographers.

But it seems that some of the responses are beyond realistic. For instance, the response from Pekka in this thread: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=217232.

I don't want to step on toes, but c'mon. "...have the sun just a bit lower" and "...the tree on the right is not balanced"

Folks, IT'S NATURE - we can't go and ask a tree to move out of the shot or have another one grow on the other side to balance the shot.

Comments and critiques like "next time, center the subject in the frame" or "try not to cut off the head/feet in a group shot".

I find that quite a few reponses to people asking for critiques are nitpicking and unrealistic. Many shots are a one-shot shot - we can't reproduce the exact situation and do our best to get the best shot possible with what we have to work with. I think we should all take that into consideration when giving our thoughts/critiques on a picture someone else posted.

[ssim]

The items raised in that critique might have been able to have been changed. To get the sun in a different position you shoot at a different time of day. To reposition the tree in the image you may actually have to put your legs in gear and move.

Keep in mind that critiques are the opinions of the other people. Doesn't mean it is right or wrong but I am assuming in this case the responder to your post was saying that the changes he is proposing would make the image ultimately better. He wasn't there at the time of shooting and therefore does not know if you had sat there and watched the sun go past the point of where he thought it would have fit best or if you could have moved and repositioned the tree in the image.

Yes sometimes in nature does not cooperate with us and we are faced with shooting it as you see it. I've done enough nature and landscape shooting to know that moving yourself around, even a few feet, can make a difference in the image. So to say that it is nature and you can't do anything about it is somewhat of a fallacy in a blanket statement.

There is another whole thread on critiquing. You can find it here (http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=216430)

[tlc]

what bumps me off is an absolute ridiculous nit pik on an otherwise beautiful shot - someone here posted a pic of a pier somewhere in australia, i have to say, this picture was brilliant, lighting, composition, everything was perfect, yet someone still found something really ridiculous to pick on. i believe they said the horizon was a tad off - i dont think it was even visible to the naked eye......:confused:

i think there are more amateurs than professionals posting on this board - yet a lot of people seem to 'become' professionals when it comes to a critique

[dewmuw]

I think it is fair to comment of the photographer could have changed some aspect of the image to improve it - either technically or composition wise. If, for example, the critique is something like "well it would have been nice if the bird was red and not blue" then that is just bonkers.

Personally I think my skill has come on leaps and bounds in the past few months because of the C&C I have head here.