Lord M., great thread Starter.
I Personally like to apply a common saying, transformed into photgraphs.
"For every photograph you take, there are three. The photo image that others see, the photo that you see, and what the photo image really is".
I have asked myself the same question over and over during Photo Contests, peer pressure gives into me submitting a photo, and what other photogs think is great, gets turned down on the first round. I did once submit the same turned down photo to another Contest, and it got a Second Place, and it was purchased later by the owner of the Hosting Organization. So somehow it seems to be in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps different people have different tastes, different perceptions.
Can we define whether Spaguetti or Linguini is a better pasta? What about Gnocci? Depending on who you bring to the table, you will get different results. However, anyone of the three would agree that no pasta should be cooked in Bleach. Or using Sawdust instead of Parmegian cheese.
I guess my view is that different people like different styles, and that is ok. But we ought to be careful as to not say "sorry, your linguini is nothing like spaguetti, which is the best food in the world". (Apply that to photos, or artists, or styles).
We can however, do two things:
1- Express our Opinions: "Though I am a spaguetti man myself, I did (or did not) enjoy those gnoccies, however I can tell you did more than macrowave these. That is commendable".
2- Edify the Author: Do say ONLY IF we are sure we can help the Author make a better assessment of the situation "Yes, your cooking efforts are to be valued, however Bleach might not be the best agent to cook the pasta in. I would try some water, and once it boils, I would throw the pasta in. Then add any extra advice "If you put the water and the pasta at the same time, the end result will be soggy". As you can see, these are hardly matter of opinion. They are specific criticisms that can help without sink the hard working author.
And to finish, not every person posting here is an experienced photographer. We have lots of teenagers with cameras, and instead of helping foster a love for this art of photography, we seem to have fun and delight on ripping those photos appart. Sorry, 12tokid, your photo of Yosemite looks nothing like A.Adams version from 1967.
Nuff said. That's my two cents.
