I am stalled... Need some tough love.

I am stalled and need a bump and, between reactions here and on Flickr, can't make any sense of the feedback.
Here are five images that I love, but nobody else seems to like. Appreciate a vote or a comment!
Whatever it is, just say it plain.

1) Abandonded Drive In

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2acP​uyb

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/NuFd​GX

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2deM​BRq

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/MT5Y​TJ

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/S7Ud​te

GlimmerMan wrote in post #18889095
I am stalled and need a bump and, between reactions here and on Flickr, can't make any sense of the feedback.
Here are five images that I love, but nobody else seems to like. Appreciate a vote or a comment!
Whatever it is, just say it plain.

1) Abandonded Drive In

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2acP​uyb (2018-0902)-TwinHiWays--X100T-051--dxo by Super Nobody, on Flickr

2) Fixed Tent at State Park

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/NuFd​GX (2018-1005)-Ohiopyle-X100T-108 by Super Nobody, on Flickr

3) Winter, center of my small town

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2deM​BRq (2019-0120)-FirstMajorSnow-X100T-005 by Super Nobody, on Flickr

4) From a Car Cruise

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/MT5Y​TJ (2018-0804)-Beaver-CarCruise012 by Super Nobody, on Flickr

5) Monitor at Prison Chapel
https://flic.kr/p/S7Ud​te(2019-0415)-WVPenn--X100T-221 by Super Nobody, on Flickr

If you like them then that is all that matters, what other people think is irrelevant.

1) Can't tell what it is without your comment, perhaps focus should've been on the movie screen instead?
2) uninteresting from my viewpoint, plus its not easy to look at due to the multiple intrusions by the branches
3) It's a bit too bright for my taste, maybe more DoF would have helped?
4) Ok, but once again, nothing special to draw my attention unless I owned an El Camino maybe
5) out of focus, uninteresting subject matter, unless it shows an incident that I'm unaware of

as was said before, if these shots hold value for you, that's enough, however, for public consumption they have a limited value, unless of course, you're from this area or were part of that car show, or used to go to those movies IMO.

There is nothing that is compelling about them...universally...a​s shot. I like that your trying to capture moments and places from an unconvential viewpoint, but you didn’t quite hit the mark...and I’m not saying that like I know how to do it better.

All five suffer from focus problems. I don't know how much of the fuzz is intentional. Some seem to have light intruding in unhelpful directions from unidentified sources. The most successful for me is #3, which has compositional elements that direct my gaze. #5 is kind of noir, which might be a plus if it illustrates a theme (best done with a series rather than one shot); it also looks like a spy photo, taken surreptitiously.

There’s an element of distance present in these for me. As an observer,I’m watching like a spy or detective, or voyeur. The obscure details add elements of confusion and mystery. What am I looking at, where are the people? What’s the motive of the one watching? Is photography a way to watch while remaining hidden or does it connect us to our surroundings? Your photos raise questions and often living with questions is the most rewarding aspect of the journey.

Oh my gosh it's like getting throttled with a tripod.
Thank you all so much for your simply fantastic comments. They opened my eyes a little wider.
Maybe watching is my natural theme, rather than engagement. Time to own it.

Glimmerman I wouldn't be put off by comments or none.
Photography, like art (painting) is often deeply personal and it's what makes you tick or gives you a buzz that counts,IMO.

A lot of photography isn't my scene so to speak, and I just move on. But that's not to rubbish or denigrate, it's just personal taste.

You obviously get a buzz for your photography and it's personal, unique and.yours.

I admire the effort and drive that people, like you, have in producing your thing.
If you enjoy it, and while the inner glow keeps burning then go for it.
I can't critique your work which isn't adding anything constructive for this post, but trust you will continue to do what you enjoy.

avondale87 wrote in post #18889460
If you enjoy it, and while the inner glow keeps burning then go for it.

Thanks. I am having an epiphany this morning, and never realized quite how much a personality can bleed through the photographs. It is an amazing insight y'all gave me.

Take the El Camino... There were 5000 people walking around and my favorite image has zero people, an obscure perspective, the Red White & Blue, highlights a Latino name, and I went for a 70's car chase vibe. Overthought with buried ironies.

Or take the Prison Chapel tv monitor... it is a reflection of a reflection, intentionally OOF at points. It is exactly what I was trying to do BUT I never realized that the detachment is a bit of personality coming through.

Seriously great comments from everyone. I might even launch a new Flickr around this theme of detachment. I'm gonna make it better and make it mine. I'll quite rambling now, but Thanks for that.

See...you have very specific ideas and thoughts...now you have to hone that into a picture. So, when others see it, they understand through a universal experience, not because someone explained it. Keep at it, dude!

You are making abstract statements, and hoping people will see what you thought. It often doesn't work that way. First identify a subject, then try to tell a story about the subject. Start with a more tangible set of story telling elements. A decaying building, a rusting car, or something joyful for that matter. Then once your visual style starts to develop go for more subtle concepts.

gonzogolf wrote in post #18889739
You are making abstract statements, and hoping people will see what you thought. It often doesn't work that way. First identify a subject, then try to tell a story about the subject.

I understand GlimmerMan's comments differently. To start with a subject puts the emphasis on the thing. GMan is talking about conveying a point of view, an attitude, a part of his personality. That's not a what, it's a how. He could do it by shooting a car or a cooking pot or a staircase. Someone else's shots of the same subjects wouldn't look like his.

If I can be forgiven for using myself as an example: I pretty much walk around looking for compositions. After a while, I noticed that many of my favorite shots have something in common. Three examples are below. They all suggest human agency (someone was here and did something) and the passage of time without including people. You might want to call this a story, I don't know. A real story is linear; it unfolds in time. An image may represent what was observed at just one moment.

Photo from OhLook's gallery.
Image hosted by forum (863076)

Photo from OhLook's gallery.
Image hosted by forum (863298)

Photo from OhLook's gallery.
Image hosted by forum (876366)

I have to say I really appreciate that these aren't the standard over sharpened, highly saturated shots that are so common today. The pursuit of technical excellence over story. There is a feeling of solitude to these shots. All close to being really good. I also like that injected stuff into these that are so contra what people are doing today. For example the heavy dark areas. I worry too much about the nuanced detail in the shadow areas too much, and sometimes just letting them get crushed would add more focus to the shot. Also using grain as an element. I love grain. I don't like every image to be buttery smooth. Grain add grit to me, so I like the use in the monitor shot.

In number two... like the composition, but I would maybe look at reigning in the greens a bit more. Perhaps drop the luminance or saturation a bit more there. Keep the green in there... and there is a spot in the top left section that looks too sharp. You have some nice blur... then one tree nub that looks really sharp. I was almost thinking going a bump negative dehaze on it. I like the voyeristicness of it... just needs something.

Shot one... I do agree with the previous comment... without the explanation, took a while to figure out what I was looking at. Solid image, but doesn't stand alone necessarily. Would be a great shot as part of a series on the drive in.

Shot three... like the shot.... I'm just getting hung up on the trucks. I like that the trucks are there.... Im just having a hard time moving past them. Without them its just another shot. Post processing is nice. But the trucks... dang it. They need to be there... but... argh!

Shot four.. El Camino. Like the mood you've set in this one. Colors are very retro Kodak 70s mush. May sound weird but the one issue is the car reflection in the body of the el camino. Image feels super smooth then bam... there is this reflection... and bam...I'm distracted. I think its the blue with the blue of the Mustang. Don't know. But once I've seen it, I can't unsee it. Love to composition. Love the blur used. Meh... its a good shot. It just you toned everything down... then I see that blue reflection. Just me.

Last shot. Love the grain. Its an abstract.... not normally my thing. But it is good. Again the grain really stamps a time frame on the shot. Leave it alone. Again, would work great as part of a series.

For what its worth... cheers.

OhLook wrote in post #18889763

Gallery photo (hosted):
posted by OhLook originally in forum: Competitions

Gallery photo (hosted):
posted by OhLook originally in forum: Urban Life & Travel

Gallery photo (hosted):
posted by OhLook originally in forum: Urban Life & Travel

Well said, and you've given me a thread to pull. Very much appreciated.
And I like the triptych; don't see many presented here but really makes the point.

1. Drive-ins are cool. They're close to extinction. Your photo captures that death by a thousand closures sentiment nicely.
2. Nope
3. Colour, framing and use of parallel lines are well done. It's a pleasant picture to look at.
4. I like this one. I know your pain wrt shooting cars in public. Always a human in the way. DOF is nearly right on the money.
5. Nope

Meaningful photos of things sans humans are hard to create. Had a look at your Flickr, you've definitely got a knack for taking weird shots of odd stuff. On one hand it's agitating, there is little continuity in content and processing from image to image. On the other, I think it works. Random shots of random stuff need random treatment.

Working with themes is fine but don't let it box you in. Popular photostreams are so boring now. Landscape photographers only post landscapes, portrait photographers only post portraits, aviation photographers only post planes, and that couple from Rhode Island vacation professionally, put socks on their dog, ride around in their Vanagon in the snow, brand the heck out of everything and seem to be making a mint doing it. Not envious, not at all.

Keep it weird dude.