Great Shot!

  • Thread starter Thread starter DRZ
  • Start date Start date

DRZ

DRZ

DRZ

Soldato
Joined
2 Jun 2003
Posts
7,659
Location
In the top 1%
Just a quick note to say that every photo posted here, no matter how good or bad, how far off it is in terms of composition, lighting or subject it is deserves a two thumbs fresh from me...


Of course, I dont mean that at all. Over the past 8ish months in this subforum there has been a slip from good, honest constructive criticism to people either posting "Great shot" or not posting at all (with the exception of a very small number of posters).

While its nice to post and have your photographs praised, it isnt helping your photography at all. There is a set of shots on page 1 of this subforum that has nothing but "good shots", "I want that as my desktop" etc when the photos really arent that special (in my opinion) and there is lots of technique missing. Unfortunately the culture/trend in this forum of so many people either not knowing what a good shot is or praising away anyway means that for someone like me to come along and post what I think about a shot and how to improve it would mean I was looked upon as some kind of party pooper. Its not good for that kind of culture to be in somewhere like this, where we used to rip each others photos to bits and give some genuine constructive feedback. OK, some of the best photographers on the boards have migrated elsewhere but the current crop shouldnt let the standards drop.

Please, before you post "great" shot, just think about if it actually is a great shot or if its just average - and think of ways you would improve the shot either with post processing or technique to bear in mind in future.

On the other side of the fence, I have seen people get criticism only to be told "post your shots if you think you can do better then". I was going to post a reply in that thread in some detail until I read that comment. I then decided that person doesnt deserve help if that is their attitude. Everyone is learning here, even the professionals so dont be afraid to take some criticism. Your shots wont be liked by everybody!

Its not helping anyone to continue the way this is going.

/rant
 
Good post, it is also why i don't post to praise. The OP would already like the shot to post it so there is not really any point (at least in terms of constructive) just to say its good. I rather find faults and point it out, but identify the good parts is also nice, the best posts from people are the ones that also point the OP the direction what else could be done, ways to improve.
 
I tend to agree. I used to come here because I knew you lot were the harshest of critics, different to most boards, but I liked it becuase of it! Best way to learm IMO.

I'm afraid I'm guilty of not commenting if I don't like something. I will try to amend my ways ;) There's also not liking something and saying so and not liking something and saying why. To a newb, critisim like 'they don't really do anything for me, sorry' is not at all helpful. I think if YOU don't like them but can't say why, then perhaps you should keep your opinion to yourself! If you don't like them and can say why, then I feel it's OK to comment. Constructive critisim was what made the board as good as it was.

On the flip side, if you're posting images to a public board you've got to expect comments, both good or bad! If you're just sharing snaps because you want people to see what a nice holiday you had, then this probably isn't the right place. I know some people just want to put up pictures and say 'Look what I did' and are not expecting comments about technicalities of the shot, which is also fine.

I've seen this problem on other boards and some write OTE (OK to Edit) or OTC (OK to Critique) with their posts. I'm not suggesting we do this but I do think you should make sure the reply you offer is in context.
 
Raymond Lin said:
Good post, it is also why i don't post to praise. The OP would already like the shot to post it so there is not really any point (at least in terms of constructive) just to say its good.
Click to expand...

Everyone need some lovin' and if you like a pic you should say so! Not everyone posts up images they like. I will often post (OK, not always here) images I'm really not sure about to see what other people think. I've had images that I'm really not sure about that I've posted up and people have ranted and raved about and PMd me for high res trades! You could argue that if YOU like a photo then that's all that matters. If that's the case for everyone then there wouldn't be any need for forums to share photos.
 
I'M GLAD THIS HAS BEEN MENTIONED. Opps caps. I find that when browsing through the forum looking at photos I find myself in a hard place to comment. Most comments are all cute and cuddly and to come along and say 'well actually it could have done with a bit of this and a bit of that, it doesnt really work' makes you feel like a party pooper. Hopefully now the more artistic inclined and knowledgeable can pass C&C without being flammed for it.

Think this could be stickied for future reference?
 
I completley agree. There has been an odd change around here lately and it does feel less of a photography forum and more of a "people who just bought a camera" forum. Maybe its due to the way DSLR's have dropped in price. Everyone is getting them now. Maybe its because other members of OcUK are visiting and because they don't know better they are "Great Shots!!!" to them. I feel exactly the same as you, and the others. If the thread is full of "Great shots!!", posting a helpful critique could possible seem like you're just jealous. Its really not. Its because you feel that the comments are unwarrented and in the long run its better to correct someones mistakes now so they don't keep repeating them. Of course to that person having 1 critique amongst many "great shots!!" could make them feel like the post is just jealousy and they could ignore it.
 
whilst i agree with your point, isnt photography also subjective so that some people may really find a particulay photo a "great shot" while others wont..


maybe if you look at a photo from a technical point of view there may be flaws but it still might have an impact on an emotional level.
 
Threads like this have been done before, it won't make any difference.

People will continue to post crap, and others will continue to be in awe of that crap. ;)
 
It's because of this why i rarely visit this section of the forum any more.

I'm primarily based over at another forum now, in which i also find the community is a lot better as a whole as well as there is more real commenting than goes on over here.
 
I agree with the OP.

While it may seem rude going "This photo is parp, to improve do..." its going to improve your photography so should be welcomed.

This reminds me of a thread on another large hardware site. There was a quite good photo but it really needed some post processing on it. 3 posts all said "great photo, could do with some PS work". So, I decide to have a bash at editing it. I post it along with "Nice photo, but doing some PS work can improve the results like this". I then get told by a mod its rude to edit peoples pictures without asking :rolleyes:
 
I believe I aired this view a few months back and got completely slated for it, purely because my views didn't agree with the majority. One of those people was you DRZ.
 
MrSix said:
I believe I aired this view a few months back and got completely slated for it, purely because my views didn't agree with the majority. One of those people was you DRZ.
Click to expand...

I believe it was a discussion of whether a technique worked or not. I don't recall anyone slating you for freedom of speech.
 
Shall we stay on subject. Kind of going backwards here.

OP - Ask one of the mods to make a sticky. Place all the advise one needs before posting. Hopefully it will reduce the amount of clutter and the 'What camera?' threads around.

Also a sticky about 'Do you really need an SLR?' Discourage people buying them for the sake of it. Which happens a lot these days, they only end up using the scene modes which is absurd. For this type of shooting a high end compact is more than sufficient.

King.
 
Stickies are never read. Just look at the number of "How do I do this basic thing listed in the sticky i never read" threads. Borders for one. Theres also the limit of 3 stickies per forum, and we have 3.
 
I think sometimes it isn't entirely clear when someone is after good, honest critisism. It feels a bit harsh if you wander into someone's thread and telling them that their work does nothing for you (even if backed up with reasons why). That may not have been what they were really after.

I'm not bothered about receiving negative comments -- I'm after critique of every shot I choose to post on here, but I rarely get any comments at all. To me, that's more disheartening than receiving a slating because my work is technically inept!

Maybe it would be worth tagging thread titles (e.g. preceding them with [Critique] or something) to show that you want people to give their honest assessment. Might encourage more active discussion of photography techniques too. It'd only work if those people who consider themselves good photographers were willing to spend the time and effort critiquing in these types of thread though...
 
MrSix said:
I believe I aired this view a few months back and got completely slated for it, purely because my views didn't agree with the majority. One of those people was you DRZ.
Click to expand...


IIRC, you were taking someone to bits because they chose to use a particular technique. It ceased to become constructive and became just plain rude/way off topic. Thats a perfect example of critique gone past the point of being constructive. The reaction from the people that read it should go a long way to helping to understand why.

Im not expecting miracles or demanding anything by this thread, I would just like an atmosphere where I can post some help without feeling like the culture of the forum would see it as being offensive/unwarranted.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom