Critique : What do we want here?

How do you want people to respond to your pictures?

  • "Great work" (regardless of how good/bad it is).

  • I only want to know what people think if it's good.

  • I want to hear the good and the bad, so I can learn from it.

  • Nobody here is good enough to critique me.

  • Don't ask me, I just Googled 'Tits' and ended-up here. :-(

Results are only viewable after voting.
Swanseajack said:
I enjoy posting in this section but when we have comments like this, is this going to discourage people from posting?????
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Hi Simon. I would not wish to discourage posters from that remark, though I would hope it might make a newbie question whether or not an OOF robin on a feeder really needs crit in the first place. As I said, we (probably) all started like this. I am not some sort of global arbiter of whether a photo is good or bad. I only have an opinion and it's just as valid (or not) as anyone elses.

Internet 'cliques' can often appear to be more than they really are. For myself, I've never actually met a single person on this forum. However, you'd be forgiven for perhaps thinking that I'd known Brash, Bill and fracster for years. None of us are known for being timid with what we say, so perhaps the 'clique' is more to do with personality traits rather than familiarity. I believe this is a common phenomenon across a variety of forums (fora?).
 
FourRingCircus said:
Internet 'cliques' can often appear to be more than they really are. For myself, I've never actually met a single person on this forum. However, you'd be forgiven for perhaps thinking that I'd known Brash, Bill and fracster for years. .
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By the time you realise you have me it'll be too late.
 
FourRingCircus said:
Internet 'cliques' can often appear to be more than they really are. For myself, I've never actually met a single person on this forum. However, you'd be forgiven for perhaps thinking that I'd known Brash, Bill and fracster for years. None of us are known for being timid with what we say, so perhaps the 'clique' is more to do with willy waving and seeing who can p!$$ the highest up the wall. I believe this is a common phenomenon across a variety of forums (fora?).
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John, I've corrected that for you :naughty: :p :D
 
Now then Phil-D....... Perhaps I can trouble you to explain this please?

Do you believe that there is some sort of perceived clique and if so, do you really think there is some sort of willie waving involved? Changing my words with large, bold type stronly suggests that there is an issue here for you. However, the use of all these emoticons suggests a bit of tongue in cheek. Did someone let you into the clique without me being aware of it? Or do you have an issue with someone specific, but can't quite let it out...... ;)
 
FourRingCircus said:
Now then Phil-D....... Perhaps I can trouble you to explain this please?

Do you believe that there is some sort of perceived clique and if so, do you really think there is some sort of willie waving involved? Changing my words with large, bold type stronly suggests that there is an issue here for you. However, the use of all these emoticons suggests a bit of tongue in cheek. Did someone let you into the clique without me being aware of it? Or do you have an issue with someone specific, but can't quite let it out...... ;)
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That's a bit in depth John.....:thinking:......although the ;) may suggest you are just teasing :p

Don't read too much into it, it was very tongue in cheek, unless you think I've made a valid point ;)

Me........I'm here for a good time, its a hobby, it should be fun, I enjoy taking photos and looking at others photos. I'm happy to receive 'crit', at the end of the day its only an opinion, I'm thick skinned ......so in @BRASH 's own words...END OF!
3f82d.gif


And for what its worth, I enjoyed your puffin shots, had I taken them I'd have been very happy, some don't seem to agree :confused: if that makes me a sh!t photographer......so be it :p
 
Oh
Digisatman said:
I certainly have learned from advise / critique give, I may not like what some say but I sit back and read again.

Some may be right some may be wrong but I wouldn't know unless I show :)

How about a critique section & a graded section ie like school ( A+, B , C+ ect )

Everybody is different I saw a set by somebody (10000+ post) that everyone was saying was the busy knees and most probably is but
Did nothing for me :-( so I did not post.

I took a few of my little one & posted up, I learnt a lot from that and now have some images that I'm now proud to show.
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Photos are often a bit like paintings some will like some won't it's not always clear what is or is not a good picture imho, it's often in the eye of the beholder then there's those that really stand out
 
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big soft moose said:
I'm sorry but that's b*****ks - the best critique can be given by someone who doesn't even own a camera - for example if you are an aspiring wedding shooter knowing what other shooters think of your work can only take you so far, what you really need is critique from your intended market ie brides or brides to be

likewise if you aspire to have your bird pictures published in NatGeo or wherever, the best people to tell you whether your shots are good enough are nat geo readers (or picture editors etc)
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I was only considering technical critique, and in fact for art opinion I tend to avoid the internet like the plague :)
 
FourRingCircus said:
so perhaps the 'clique' is more to do with personality traits rather than familiarity. .
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IMO the clique feel is more to do with certain posters (not you ) thinking they can dictate how the section runs or what gets posted , hence " I'm sick of seeing robin pictures" , "i don't want to see any more birds on sticks" (and lets not even start on baited vs wild)... end of the day no one apart from mods and admin have the right to make rules so if a newbie (or anyone else) wants to post 5 robins sat on twigs for critique they can ... and the rules that do exist would suggest they be greeted with the same warmth as if someone wakes up one morning to find a griffon vulture on his bird table.
 
Fascinating how people can get so uptight about photographs :crying:
 
Pete ,a lot of Bird photographers who take up the Hobby start with just said bird Robin on a stick, its a good starting point in evolving to more challenging subjects etc, what I have noticed is the so called certain posters who think they can dictate how the section is run and who posts what are the ones that started with a Robin on a stick and are still doing it years later .....so I quite agree with your first couple of sentence's on your post
 
gramps said:
I can't be the only member who thinks, 'What the heck, no point in posting here, there are plenty of far friendlier places'.
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That is such a sad indictment. People should be ashamed and/or take a good long look at themselves.
 
dod said:
That is such a sad indictment. People should be ashamed and/or take a good long look at themselves.
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This is true although the balance between friendly and honest is a difficult one to strike , there are plenty of friendlier places where they'll be pleased to blow smoke up your arse (flickr/facebook etc), i can't actually think of any friendlier places where they also give honest and useful crit.

Assuming TP are serious about wanting to up the quality of critique (per various other threads) both those who can't give it in a constructive manner and those who can't take it graciously need to have a good look at themselves
 
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Is it all kicking off in the bird section again?
Surely this isn't just a bird section thing but generic across the forum. Social media encourages (or is the accepted practice) short responses, likes, great pic, well dones.
Photography falls under the art category and as such is subjective, not everyone likes the same things,but I must admit I find it discouraging when people don't explain what they like or do t like. Giving detailed feedback not only helps the op, but also others, including the person giving critique. Even if it's a pretty picture, it forces you to examine it, explain it, describe it.

Now for me, bird on a stick is boring, I'd rather see behavioural photos, like the sparrow hawk with thrush image, but I have a friend who's a twitcher who thinks nothing of spending all day travelling just for ten minutes seeing a certain bird, who would think certain images were rare, or interesting.
 
Got to agree with you as well Roger ,this is the first time I have really considered moving on ,some members may be happy with that ,but to be honest I wont because unlike some members I have actually met at least 25 members past and present who I can now consider as friends ,whom I am still in contact with even though some have left the forum, over 25 new friends by just joining a photography forum, and I still have someone to meet soon again from this forum who I have invited to my little owl site. sadly he doesn't post no more due to the last round we had on this same subject ,in the real world (not the internet world )I do have a good busy social life and I can make new friends who can discuss our hobby and love of wildlife without snide ,nasty ,rude and belittling remarks its just a pity the same cant be done here....
 
den said:
snide ,nasty ,rude and belittling remarks .
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Isn't the answer to either RTM the person/people making those remarks (hopefully the mods will ban them) or to put him/them on ignore.
 
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den said:
In simple terms Pete NO because its not worked previously ,putting them on ignore does not solve the problem it just hides it...
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but what the eye doesn't see the heart doesn't grieve , and if everyone ignores them (either by function or by not dignifying such remarks with a response) then they'll pretty soon tire of playing silly games as they won't get the ego massage they are looking for.

(always assuming of course that the posts are indeed snide, etc and its not an overreaction from the recipient as with osprey gate)
 
I have actually only have one person on ignore and that's just to stop me getting banned ,so I suppose it does work ,the remarks I refer to are historic ones ,the osprey situation I do agree the OP was well out of order .
 
it would be so much easier if people accepted that everyone is different, likes different things and are at different skill levels.

As an example, I don't like bird on stick shots so rarely comment. I accept others like them, such is life. Not worth getting bitchy about.

I rarely comment on Dens, very good, little owl shots, seen too many of them. But I do not in anyway think he should stop his enjoyment of them or the enjoyment others get from seeing them.

Others may be p***ed off with my shots and hate the habitat I include, also my refusal to clone stuff out.

Such is human nature. Now stop moaning, accept others think differently and start enjoying the forum and your photography more.

Anyway, beer time.
 
den said:
Got to agree with you as well Roger ,this is the first time I have really considered moving on ,some members may be happy with that ,but to be honest I wont because unlike some members I have actually met at least 25 members past and present who I can now consider as friends ,whom I am still in contact with even though some have left the forum, over 25 new friends by just joining a photography forum, and I still have someone to meet soon again from this forum who I have invited to my little owl site. sadly he doesn't post no more due to the last round we had on this same subject ,in the real world (not the internet world )I do have a good busy social life and I can make new friends who can discuss our hobby and love of wildlife without snide ,nasty ,rude and belittling remarks its just a pity the same cant be done here....
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Wildlife photography is my passion but I'm limited with time and with variety even though I live in the country, I don't bother with posting them as I feel quite capable of judgment myself, when I feel I get a more interesting photo then I might but it is boring to see the same kinds of photos all the time. Nothing wrong with truth but it depends how it's put.
 
What was the question?
 
petert said:
Wildlife photography is my passion but I'm limited with time and with variety even though I live in the country, I don't bother with posting them as I feel quite capable of judgment myself, when I feel I get a more interesting photo then I might but it is boring to see the same kinds of photos all the time. Nothing wrong with truth but it depends how it's put.
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Maybe you should post them after all it is a photography forum ,then we can CC your images ,i suppose it must be one of the reasons you decided to become a member,no photos equals no photo forum ,there are photography forums (wildlife) that you can use for in depth CC but TP is a all round freindly forum were there is a good range of bird/wildlife photographers ,...but you will always get the seasonal shots ,Robins at christmas ,cuckoos in spring ,not to mention the seasonal photo workshop hide shots shots we have all seen before the week before on the very same perch ,now someone as just paid good money to get that shot ,so he decides to show it on here to me thats boring but i still look but just dont comment simple ,,i have one main subject that i will continue to photograph boring or not but its surprising how many memebers on here have requested a day at my owl site ,i also have limited time as i do work full time ,but i am lucky as my health at moment is good and i am fit enough to walk a lot and look for subjects in my spare time ,even giving up dinner times ,it must just be me but i get the same buzz everynight i spot my owl as i did the very first day ,i lot of people forget that it is not a professional photography forum ,just mere hobbyist making the most of what they can shoot,....Now back to Rich and is reply ,exactly what was the question ,this is not about my images its what you want out of posting shots in the bird section ,me all i want is polite CC simple
 
I use LR5 and i still have LR4 somewere ,i dont think their is a major difference between the two,al you need to do is take your time and actualy see what all the sliders can do,and dont forget you dont need to use all of them if you dont need to...
 
there is an expression that "a little is a lot"

If you have to go farther than that, and we all do …… things get "sticky" as other (unexpected) reactions happen because of the action that you have taken
 
If you look through the postings in this section on any one particular day, (not great recently as the section is getting really "hung up")

you will see how comments (or critique) varies dramatically from Black to White - it is really strange and I feel that this is one of the factors causing "problems"

There seems to be a total inconsistency of views regarding an image …...even if there are only a few postings on a thread - quite worrying?

This is not to do with Like or Dislike - most are to do with some of the basics of photography




(The Windbag Sailor)
 
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I've not posted here for a long time due to mods not nipping things in the bud a long time ago, one thing is for sure is that the helpful people who knew what they were talking about have long gone.
 
big soft moose said:
IMO the clique feel is more to do with certain posters (not you ) thinking they can dictate how the section runs or what gets posted , hence " I'm sick of seeing robin pictures" , "i don't want to see any more birds on sticks" (and lets not even start on baited vs wild)... end of the day no one apart from mods and admin have the right to make rules so if a newbie (or anyone else) wants to post 5 robins sat on twigs for critique they can ... and the rules that do exist would suggest they be greeted with the same warmth as if someone wakes up one morning to find a griffon vulture on his bird table.
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OMG. Can't believe I actually posted a picture of a robin on a stick last night. I'll just get me coat. ;)
 
so glad im a member of the bird forum.. no critics and trolls sitting ready to pounce down your throat with there tedious pathetic little digs and personal insults. they are just happy to see bird pics ( good bad or in between ) and enjoy there hobby.)
no idea why it is photographers feel the need to put down others on here , i guess it makes them feel better about themselves by throwing there weight around rather than actually getting out and taking shots there are some who would rather just sit on here and have a pop at everyone elses work while producing very little of there own.
cant see me staying around much longer but have the privilege of being able to see your splendid work elsewhere Den
 
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I have to say as a 'newbie' (who is probably mostly taking photos of birds at the moment because they make an interesting and achievable subject in the tiny amount of time I have for photography most days) I feel I've been given some great crit. here on the forum.

I haven't felt at all intimidated and I've been encouraged as well as given some useful pointers in the right direction. I've really appreciated the time people have spent replying and even editing shots to help me see what could have been done better.

Maybe it's easier to take the crit when you haven't been at it long - but I can't imagine I'll ever feel differently or what's the point?
 
Emja said:
I have to say as a 'newbie' (who is probably mostly taking photos of birds at the moment because they make an interesting and achievable subject in the tiny amount of time I have for photography most days) I feel I've been given some great crit. here on the forum.

I haven't felt at all intimidated and I've been encouraged as well as given some useful pointers in the right direction. I've really appreciated the time people have spent replying and even editing shots to help me see what could have been done better.

Maybe it's easier to take the crit when you haven't been at it long - but I can't imagine I'll ever feel differently or what's the point?
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I agree I've found it helpful and appreciate the comments even when they disagree between themselves, I certainly wouldn't get uptight about it. You don't have to agree either we all see things differently but always ready to learn from people who are.more experienced than me
 
petert said:
I agree I've found it helpful and appreciate the comments even when they disagree between themselves, I certainly wouldn't get uptight about it. You don't have to agree either we all see things differently but always ready to learn from people who are.more experienced than me
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Like you time is the biggest enemy
 
petert said:
I agree I've found it helpful and appreciate the comments even when they disagree between themselves, I certainly wouldn't get uptight about it. You don't have to agree either we all see things differently but always ready to learn from people who are.more experienced than me
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Of course you won't always agree, but it's the debate that gets you thinking and prioritising what it is you really like in yours & other people's shots.
 
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