Good photographs are a dime a dozen...

PhotoJourno wrote in post #4525591
Mark's comments remind me of a story I heard about Huey Lewis. When he got one of his songs to the Top of the US Charts back in the 80s, he was swollen with pride, and immediately called his father, to let him know that his song was finally The Number One in the entire list. His father answered the phone, and listened very calmly. When Huey saw that he could get no special reaction from his dad upon such great news, he wondered why that was. "Just because a song makes it to Number One, does not mean that it is the Best one out there". This was Huey's first lesson on keeping his feet on the ground.

Personally, I like this story a lot. If likened to photos, it also tells us something about it.

Cheers,

With the current trends in music, money/glory/fame aside, I'd shoot myself if my art was in the top ten.

That's like saying that if you're a president, you're smart.

Very interesting responses, all. For the record, I'm not worried if my images gets approval or not (unless I post in the G&N forum where I'm thoroughly hated and feel like a bastard child - burn in hell you heathen devil spawns! ... Mike, you're cool) Most of my images seem to always generate a positive response when I post around these parts, but I have noticed that the not so well established members who post good images sometimes go unnoticed or are ignored. Then occaissionally one of them will start a thread asking why they can't get no love or comments on their images. This thread is mainly for them. I'm guilty of viewing without really commenting myself, but if I comment on every shot I see I'll never get anything done! I usually reserve comments or critiques for those images that move me in some way. I agree that beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder and as long as my shots are visually appealing to me and most people like them then that gives me satisfaction. For those striving to become masters, I'm sure the opinions of internet tech junkies hardly matter.

Mcary wrote in post #4523967
What amazes me is how some people can spend an entire page tearing apart another person’s work on a technical basis but if you look for examples of their work there’s none to be found.

This seems to be very prevalent here and on other forums. Members are free to criticize postings or offer their expert advise but don't have the balls to post a link to their website so we can see how they put their expertise into practice in the real world. I'm not saying that they don't have the right to say and post anything they want. They do. But if you can't put your pictures where your mouth is, I just take it with a grain of salt.

I love the thread (don't have it at my fingertips right now) where some wonderful images from great photographers were posted on a site and the 'experts' took turns telling everyone what was wrong with them.

With 127,000+ members, no matter what you do, some will love it, someone will hate it, many will miss the point entirely, & some measurebaters should go out & spend more time shooting & less time talking about it?

Sometimes it's a case of wanting to be non-committal & "Lets give the noob a bump"? BTDT.

RTMiller wrote in post #4527040
This seems to be very prevalent here and on other forums. Members are free to criticize postings or offer their expert advise but don't have the balls to post a link to their website so we can see how they put their expertise into practice in the real world.

I have a slightly diffrent thought on this. I like seeing what folks say and then look at their shots. The reason is not so much are they good or not (in my mind) but if they shot alot of say cars and I post some shots of cars then I will give them more mind then say someone that focuses on landscapes.

That is one thing I like about flickr. Its not perfect but most folks have their images there and their are some groups one can ask for feedback.

RTMiller wrote in post #4527040
I love the thread (don't have it at my fingertips right now) where some wonderful images from great photographers were posted on a site and the 'experts' took turns telling everyone what was wrong with them.

Know the thread you're taking about , all those wonderful images containing the two things that the 'experts' hate the most originality and creativeness.

Want to know the best complienment I've ever received from another photographer? Someone once asked me if I had actually shot all the images I'd posted. While some might have been offened by this comment I must admit I was rather flattered by it as my goal for each shot isn't to get x or y amount of keepers it to get something original. BTW I've had more then one shoot that ended up being a total wash due to trying something new

Mike

cool thread!

my thoughts on this have always been that photography is art. like a painting, not everyone is going to feel the same emotion from a painting as others do. everyone is different in what they like. so just because one person doesn't like it doesn't mean that it sucks. everyone has an opinion on whether they like a photo or not. just like artists, photographers have a certain style. i have a certain style because it provokes some emotion in me. now, someone else may not like my style and that's ok. but as long as i like it, that's all that matters.

as far as people critiquing your work, that's something different. we all can learn from other people and i love to get advice from other people as to how i could have done something different to get a better photograph. as an artist and a photographer i know that criticism can be hard for creative people. it has taken me a long time to embrace that and learn from it. beauty is in the eye of the beholder. a lot of my friends and family love the photographs that i take, but rarely do i like any of them. i have one photo every once in a while that really knocks my socks off. but hopefully as i get better, i will have more of those keepers!

I spent my first 6 years in the Navy getting my photos berated and picked apart, I have boxes of photos and negatives still marked up from my instructors and supervisors. If I post here it is mostly just because I feel like sharing something or I am bored. If nobody comments I don't care and if people feel that there are corrections that I can do then I listen and decide if I want to incorporate them. My feelings are not affected in the least bit by the people here, if the client likes it and buys it then I am happy with the work. I learned long ago that the person whose opinion I value most is the clients. Unless it's a personal photo then it's my wifes opinion

deadpass wrote in post #4523522
That's one of the reason I don't post many pics on here, this forum is hyper critical of shots, so if i like the shot then it's good in my book.

And, that's all that should matter.

Eddie Van Halen had a quote I'll always remember: "If it sounds good.... it is good."

Can't say this has ever happened to me. I already know my pictures suck before I post 'em

I couldn't agree more. I've seen poo win competitions and otherwise excellent shots not even looked at. I don't even enter. I put my work at as I like it, and the customers that like the way I do it find me.

cosworth wrote in post #4523850
I entered a corporate photo comp. The entire floor said picture X was the best. It was a great shot and some pretty BAD other sohts were chosen for voting. The winning shot was mundane.

My time in the local club taught me to not give a rat's a$$ and move on.

So yeah, happens all the time Lordy. Happens to me whener I post in G&N!

Funny - there are threads where people complain about not getting enough C&C, and others where people complain about too much. Personally I don't see all the ripping apart, but maybe I'm not reading the right forums.

I do get a lot of comments from friends/family about how I should be selling photos. Like most everyone else I'm my own worst critic, but even being subjective I know that I'm nowhere close to the level of the great pro wildlife photographers or even many highly talented amateurs. Of course, friends and family don't understand that, and really I wouldn't expect them to. They don't spend as much time doing this, reading about it, and looking at really great photographs that I see all of the time. So my answer whenever anyone says that to me is that I do this for strictly for fun, and when you start selling something, then it becomes work and stress. Most people seem to understand and agree with that perspective.

What always throws me off is after feeling some satisfaction from a few of my photos, I look at the work done by others and get to feeling...very...inade​quate!

Case in point is this thread: https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=422034

Everyone seems to be gushing over photos of feathered creatures shot by the 1DmkIII. However I've seen better images by S3 IS users. I'm sure the 1dmkiii is a stunning camera but come on, lets be honest here. Are we admiring the qualities of the device via its photos or on its paper merits?

delhi wrote in post #4528970
Case in point is this thread: https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=422034

Everyone seems to be gushing over photos of feathered creatures shot by the 1DmkIII. However I've seen better images by S3 IS users. I'm sure the 1dmkiii is a stunning camera but come on, lets be honest here. Are we admiring the qualities of the device via its photos or on its paper merits?

But they are ducks!