negative comments

[blinking8s]

this is in no way a complaint thread, just sparking off a bit of a question as to why 99.999% of the posts are see are positive, do we lack professional thought? does c&c mean crisp and cool other than comment and critique? I catch myself pointing out the postive things in photos far more than what could be improved upon, sometimes i like it when people tell me what sucks rather than "nice photo" and thats it. My teachers do the same thing, its hard to learn when all your replies are "thats cool" and left at that.

Does anyone else notice this? Are we all just good? are we afraid to hurt peoples feelings? Do we not want to learn?

its just something that goes through my head forum after forum, design, photography, developement, learning from exposure is becoming harder and harder for me.

maybe i am insane...could be the case...hehe

[aam1234]

Hey! thank you for bringing this up.

I agree 100% with you. Guess i'm insane too.

But really, this forum is becoming a social hang-out rather than a pure photographic forum. Mind you, nobody wants a strict photographic place. Guess a balance is not such a bad thing.

what does "my 2 cents" mean anyway.

[Belmondo]

We've talked about this question at various times, and the widely held opinion is that there are two ways to say most things. Most of us believe the less-confrontational way is usually better. This is not to say that everything has to be sugar-coated. To the contrary; if someone states an opinion that is substantially different from your own, they are entitled to the benefit of a frank statement of your own thoughts. It just doesn’t have to be laced with invectives or sarcasm.

It becomes a test of our linguistic skills. How do we tell someone their crappy photos are laughable, and do it without being offensive? We do it by carefully choosing our words. It’s the same when we disagree with someone over points raised in the various discussions.

If we can learn anything from lawyers and politicians, it might be how to disagree with each other without resorting to name calling. (although not all lawyers, and even fewer politicians have perfected that particular art form.)

The basic rule of thumb to follow is this:

We’re here to have a good time, to learn, and to share. There is no reason to ever become emotional during the exchanges that take place here. But if it should ever happen that someone says something so ‘over the top’ that you feel you must respond, before starting a shooting war, send a PM and see what points you can find agreement on before shedding anyone’s blood.

[CyberDyneSystems]

In the time I have been here I have to agree that I have seen the "Critique Corner" become "kinder and gentler"...

Don't know what else to say :?

We are a very polite bunch... sometimes I see some hard hitting C&C .. but not as often as say this time last year.

[aam1234]

True Belmondo,

But don't you think sometimes the social part takes over. I've seen it many times when a serious question turns, after a while, to a social thread.

I better go to sleep before I anger more people,

Good night all

[Tom W]

Sometimes, one has to read between the lines. For example, if one submitted a series of pictures, but received only positive feedback, does that mean that the entire gallery was excellent? Well, that depends - it might be, but it might also be that some of the photos stood out as excellent while the others were just average.

One sometimes has to look at where the complements are directed. Chances are, those are the good ones.

[Tom W]

True Belmondo,

But don't you think sometimes the social part takes over. I've seen it many times when a serious question turns, after a while, to a social thread.

I better go to sleep before I anger more people,

Good night all

Human nature - everybody wants to fit into a group.

[blinking8s]

i see the mods play an active role here, and thats awesome, but as a moderator in another community, with a lot of forum hours under the belt, its our job to direct the forum, along with control when too much is too much and too little is too little...

althought the only large scale community i have really been a member of for a while is http://www.ultrashock.com which members find it easy to think they are mods...but the rules are strict and things are kept on topic, but its a HUGE community, sometimes it can be too strict

i dont think this forum is too social, not near as much as "weak envolvement" on a lot of members behalf...n00b to photography or not, what each person things is important...i used to dread c&c sessions for stuff in classes, now...I cannot wait because i know what I learn from one is going to help me with the next

anyways, I just really want to learn, and "cool pic" isnt helping me out too much...

as long as its in a normal tone, i wont be offended, and i doubt my feelings can even be hurt, after my last girlfriend...hehe...my heart is made of stone

[shelbix2020]

your thread sucks ... it needs a poll

:D

cool pic btw

[blinking8s]

your thread sucks ... it needs a poll

:D

cool pic btw

haha...i was going to have a poll, but didn't really know what to poll on...lol

if a mod would like to add one, feel free

[John_T]

One thing I see less here, but quite a lot over at Fred Miranda in the sharing and critique forums, is eternally long threads of the same insincere comments over often mediocre images, meaningless, sticky and cloying, and then the equally meaningless and cloying "thank you for your kind words" stuff. And if you comment one honest word yourself, it's like you farted good and loud at a D.A.R tea party.

I really can't see what all that phony ego massaging serves, other than a higher post count. It's the main reason I don't even look in those forums, despite the fact that some very good pix do get posted.

Can anyone explain this to me?

[Jesper]

It's simple: If you want constructive criticism and you don't want "cool pic" responses, just explicitly say so in your post.

Try photo.net (http://www.photo.net). There people generally are much more critical than in this forum.

[Persian-Rice]

I like to contructively critisize work, as you can see in almost all my posts in the critique corner, I find something wrong witht he picture.

Im not ashamed of the fact the im one of the least experienced guys on this board. I think if you can portray your opinion in an honest yet gentle manner, people wont get offended.

The whole point of posting your picture for critique is to improve, not boost your ego. When I posted my picture, If I didnt get some critisism I would be pissed off. People must realize that getting resposnes that pinpoint the problems with the picture are the best comments you can get.

When I posted my first picture, I got many negative responses. If I had got a bunch of "wow" and "amazing" I would have never learned about the rule of thirds and some other composition teqniques. I followed that by a picture with good composition but improper DOF, next time I want to produce somehting with good DOF and good composition and improve from there.

So dont be afraid to critisize people, even the most experienced, everyone can imporve in some way or another.

Cheers.

[Belmondo]

At least now you all perhaps understand why I don't post many pictures. I'm such a sensitive person and my feelings are so easily bruised.

:lol: :roll:

[Persian-Rice]

At least now you all perhaps understand why I don't post many pictures. I'm such a sensitive person and my feelings are so easily bruised.

:lol: :roll:

Ya, I find it more painful if someone calls me crap on the internet, then if my family abandoned me. Oh ya, Belmondo you suck!

[shniks]

I think pictures posted in critique corner get a reasonable amount of critique. I don't think anyone over in share photos really wants critique, do they? I one saw a bit of a fight erupt in share photos when someone offered some reasonable critique and the poster was offended.
I also think that it is all very subjective at times. I have read other people's critique and have thought 'no, don't listen to them!!!'. This makes me question how useful this critique can be.

[geisha]

this is refreshing to read... if i want to improve i always listen to criticism as long as it is constructive... but i haven't posted one pic yet :lol: :lol: ... i am sensitive about my work... not about the criticism but photography is one of those things that gets me into perfectionist mode..and i don't have a scanner as well.