photoguy99
No longer a newbie, moving up!
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2014
- Messages
- 1,485
- Reaction score
- 313
So you get yourself a new camera. Or you dig up an old one. Or something. You start to really get into it, you're feeling good about the photos. They feel right. Maybe crazy, but they feel right. You're digging it.
So you roll in to someplace like TPF to show off your photos.
Let's face it, if you've got any fire in the belly at all, these photos are pretty terrible. You're overflowing with awful, creative, amazing, ideas. Awful. Creative. Amazing. All at once.
Your photos are cut to bits.
"The white thing in the corner totally 'draws my eye' and 'kills it'"
"You missed focus"
"You should use a flash"
and on and on. It's not just TPF, every forum has a bunch of stock critique they haul out. The hell of it is, it ain't wrong, necessarily. Follow their advice and you'll get technically better photos out, no doubt. Also, you'll maybe get photos out that other people like better.
Do you want to get into commercial photography? Taking Senior Portraits and so on? Stop reading here, and just pay attention to the TPF critique. There are lots of people on here who know what sells, and they'll help you start making those photos.
Still reading? Ok, you probably don't care about taking Senior Portraits or shooting Weddings, or whatever. That's cool too.
The critique is still pretty handy. But don't use it as a benchmark for what's right. If you believe in that, you're going to learn to take cookie-cutter photos. The fire in your belly will eventually get stomped out, and you'll be nominated for Photo Of The Month in no time at all. Your pictures will be sharp, balanced, pretty, and emotionally dead.
Use the critique to learn what you like. If you're not commercial, you're the only person who matters. Maybe the white thing draws your eye too. Maybe that's exactly what's been bugging you about the photo. Great! Maybe not.
Don't let 'em put out the fire in the belly. They're your photos. They're your ideas, no matter how crazy and awful. Keep at it, keep thinking about it. Pay attention to what people say, but don't let them overrule your ideas. Instead, let them help you refine your ideas and lead you to what you've been trying to do all along. Keep the fire in the belly alive, fan the flames. Do the work that pleases you.
So you roll in to someplace like TPF to show off your photos.
Let's face it, if you've got any fire in the belly at all, these photos are pretty terrible. You're overflowing with awful, creative, amazing, ideas. Awful. Creative. Amazing. All at once.
Your photos are cut to bits.
"The white thing in the corner totally 'draws my eye' and 'kills it'"
"You missed focus"
"You should use a flash"
and on and on. It's not just TPF, every forum has a bunch of stock critique they haul out. The hell of it is, it ain't wrong, necessarily. Follow their advice and you'll get technically better photos out, no doubt. Also, you'll maybe get photos out that other people like better.
Do you want to get into commercial photography? Taking Senior Portraits and so on? Stop reading here, and just pay attention to the TPF critique. There are lots of people on here who know what sells, and they'll help you start making those photos.
Still reading? Ok, you probably don't care about taking Senior Portraits or shooting Weddings, or whatever. That's cool too.
The critique is still pretty handy. But don't use it as a benchmark for what's right. If you believe in that, you're going to learn to take cookie-cutter photos. The fire in your belly will eventually get stomped out, and you'll be nominated for Photo Of The Month in no time at all. Your pictures will be sharp, balanced, pretty, and emotionally dead.
Use the critique to learn what you like. If you're not commercial, you're the only person who matters. Maybe the white thing draws your eye too. Maybe that's exactly what's been bugging you about the photo. Great! Maybe not.
Don't let 'em put out the fire in the belly. They're your photos. They're your ideas, no matter how crazy and awful. Keep at it, keep thinking about it. Pay attention to what people say, but don't let them overrule your ideas. Instead, let them help you refine your ideas and lead you to what you've been trying to do all along. Keep the fire in the belly alive, fan the flames. Do the work that pleases you.