How to structure your posts to get critiques on your work (C&C)

[ben306]

Some very good advice which I shall try and take on board in the future.

Thanks

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Why isn't this a Sticky? Well, not that people actually read the stickies anyway. But it would at least be something to point to.

I'd like to also comment on posters who throw in pics that are self admittedly "not very good". Is it just my assumption that we should post what we feel are our "best" images?

 

[manaheim]

They don't tend to sticky posts here very often, unfortunately...

 

[Overread]

An interesting point Bitter - critique on our best work helps us move on from what is currently out best to the next level. However sometime a shot goes wrong, or not as well as we normally would get and sometimes that stops you. If you can't really work out exactly what went wrong with then that can come back and bit you later - best to get some input and keep advancing all in one go.

Also often your best work might be in a limited field area - take me I can take a reasonable shot of an animal - take me and give me people and things start to fall apart. I am sure I can do better, but its a different area with different requirements that I dont know or have - so whilst the shots are lower than my average they are the highest of that area.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Good point Overread. I think I meant that as "best of a given subject".
I shoot all over the place, so to take me as an example, if I go out and shoot people, I will put what I feel are the strongest images for critique. I am not good at shooting people, it's not my strength, but thats the area I need the most improvement.

From what I have seen though, is people putting stuff and saying they are not very good, and not asking how to make them better. How can anyone help, if they don't even know what you are asking? Often, it's just "I'll throw these in". Instead of saying "I know this is out of focus, but what do you think of the composition"...

 

[Overread]

When I started photography I was plagued by a problem - I didn't quite know what I wanted to improve in a shot to start with - heck I didn't really know what I was taking photos to show either. There is a period of time where people have to be broken into photography - a time when you start to work out what the camera is capable of showing - then trying to control what it shows to show what you want.
Some people start off with a good eye and that can help a lot since they can compose right - but technical might suffer - more people master the basic technical first and the vision comes later.

So sometimes we have shots and we just don't really know what we want changed - this is a tircky time as what people are really asking is for others to show their eye to the learner - the learner then emulates and starts to learn. Essentially its copycat work but its still very important - heck most drawing schools get students copying the works of others - how to draw a hand etc- - then once you have built up the copy skills of a few styles/ideas you can go on to use them together.

 

[Crushy]

Thanks, ill be sure to follow this from now on.

 

[DavidElliot]

this is very helpful. thanks for posting this for everyone

 

[Omitinibu]

I look forward to taking pics just so i can post them with all this information.. so i can properly have my work critiqued.. thnx for the info

 

[InTheShoot]

Great advice - thanks so much! Now that you have brought attention to it, it seems rather obvious that the more information given about technique and equipment would lead to better advice given in return - Most especially for those of us (ME!) who are so new to the world of photography that we don't even know what half the functions on our equipment are or what it is that makes a photo work/not work!

 

[Elisa Kraft]

cool post - Thanks

 

[inTempus]

I've found that misleading subject lines work great for drawing in viewers.

If you would like some C&C on new images, try a subject line like:

"I am DONE with photography, my wife just tried to kill me!"

or

"ANDS! sent me naked pictures of himself, should I report it to a moderator?"

or even

"I THINK I JUST GOT A PICTURE OF A UFO!!!!111!!"

The downside is that many times you won't get the C&C you're looking for and the thread will veer off into a flame war. But you will have 15 minutes of fame and your page views will be through the roof.

Something to ponder.

 

[EhJsNe]

Very well put!

I thing tho....In paragraph number 1, you have a typo...you have you, and it should be your.

OMG! THAMRSEN! I remember a while back when people were posting crazy thread topics...(You had the Im done with photography thing, you said you sold all your gear and I got pissed at you cuz I wanted you 5d and then I read the thing and I was all "damn, now I cant get the 5d" and someone else had the Alex Coleman Broke his camera...,) then someone posted an artistic nude C&C and a bunch of people went to it thinking it was just another crazy thread title.....lets not have to deal with that again.....

 

[vivbao]

Thank you overread for the advice!

 

[blash]

thank you for taking the time to write this overread. Stuff like this needs to be said AND STICKIED.

bumped for great justice :thumbup: