Good photographs are a dime a dozen...

Aray_Of_Art wrote in post #4548589
I have to completely agree! I find this forum to be less than generous(to me at least) in the comment department. Maybe I am not enough of a commenter myself to get noticed....at all Anyway, great comment and you are not alone!

And I stopped going to another forum because they loved everything. At least one person would reply with something like "I love it" - and nothing else. It was a real feel-good forum.

There has to be something in between.

I find this thread amusing because in roaming around here I think it is a very happy medium of critiques and pats on the back. Maybe I just havn't wandered into a thread where someone is being unkind yet... this place is huge after all.

Not to tell fish stories... BUT you should try surviving bonsai forums. There is a true saying... bonsai forums eat their own young. It can be vicious. And worse, because bonsai is an art of patience and time, it takes years to be able to show something credible that you created yourself. Unlike photography, which has an element of "shear dumb luck" about it... (being in the right place at the right time, and catching the moment)

So remember, there is so much worse out there... It is marvelous to be in the company of so many gifted photographers. I feel like a kid in Disney Land.

Yours most kindly,

If I want brutal critique, I post on a pro forum where they'll either tell me honestly that I did a good job or rip me a new one so I can improve. But really, the only critics I worry about are my customers.

I guess like beauty, it's all in the eye of the beholder! I have to say, however, I have enjoyed reading all the other comments, you do learn more by listening!

Photos are really personal to the person who takes it, so it's easy to get slightly jarred over someone else's honest, helpful critique. But even worse is when everybody says "Great photo".. now that's just annoying.

But I notice that many amateurs will purchase a $3000+ camera with the wild belief this makes them a professional. With 100's of shots under their belts rather then 10's of thousands they go about believing they are photo gods. Yet, not one in-focus well framed picture has graced the sensor. A true photographer can take a great picture with a Polaroid or box camera.

With that said, some criticism may be warranted but not always deserved. Passion may just be enough to qualify a great photo to the eye of the beholder.

This forum caters to all, from Pro's to posers. I think we can see the posers for who they are, but for the rest of us lets just be constructive to help drive the love we all have, PHOTOGRAPHY!

BCinMB wrote in post #4549056
Photos are really personal to the person who takes it, so it's easy to get slightly jarred over someone else's honest, helpful critique. But even worse is when everybody says "Great photo".. now that's just annoying.

Ya better get over that quick. In the pro world art directors can be BRUTAL and that is tied to your $$$$. You need to be able to take the good with the bad. My advice is learn what you can about what makes a good photo so you can make up your mind and there are plenty of things written about two dimensional design, color theory, etc. Bottom line is you have to make the client happy but its good to know for yourself if the photo they rejected is really good or not.

FuryMe wrote in post #4549209
A true photographer can take a great picture with a Polaroid or box camera.

Thats true to a certain extent, till the limitations of the equipment come into play,

airfrogusmc wrote in post #4549428
Ya better get over that quick. In the pro world art directors can be BRUTAL and that is tied to your $$$$. You need to be able to take the good with the bad. My advice is learn what you can about what makes a good photo so you can make up your mind and there are plenty of things written about two dimensional design, color theory, etc. Bottom line is you have to make the client happy but its good to know for yourself if the photo they rejected is really good or not.

Never said I felt that way, but i agree with what you said. It was just my observation on most people's responses to critiques of their work.

- What makes you want to take the photo

- What makes a photo appealing (makes it good technically)

- What others see in your photo

That's what matters.

BCinMB wrote in post #4550155
Never said I felt that way, but i agree with what you said. It was just my observation on most people's responses to critiques of their work.

It wasn't directed at anyone except those that can't take the critisism.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #4550217
It wasn't directed at anyone except those that can't take the critisism.

Oh, sorry for my misunderstanding.:o There were just a lot of 'you's in your post.