How Do You...

[patrickt]

Are you impressed with a girl who, when you tell her she's beautiful, starts listing all her perceived flaws?

 

[abraxas]

If the photograph has flaws, technical, poorly seen, or otherwise it shouldn't be printed and shown in the first place. Keep a razor blade close by your light table for such things, or simply press delete.

Interesting comment. Now, would you destroy an image that you precieve as flawless and has had obvious imperfections pointed out to you?

Are you impressed with a girl who, when you tell her she's beautiful, starts listing all her perceived flaws?

Might as well get it out of the way- It'll all come about sooner or later

 

[JC1220]

Interesting comment. Now, would you destroy an image that you precieve as flawless and has had obvious imperfections pointed out to you?

I would love to say I don't make those kinds of mistakes anymore... but one slips by every once in a while:blushing:

Depends on who and what is being pointed out and their involvement with photoraphy . If one is showing work to a mentor, their opinion holds a great deal of weight. I would certainly go back and review. If it is a problem with the technical that I can't fix in the darkroom, yes, it gets destroyed. If they feel the photograph could have been seen better, 9 out of 10, I will destory the negative after long thought and study on what has been discussed. There are those odd happenings where a minor "flaw" does not distract from a photograph, but these are typically technical flaws. A poorly seen photograph on the other hand...

If you can see the flaws, and know that you are not happy with it destory it and move on.

It is important to be able to stand back from ones work and be able to scrutinize with as much an unbias eye as possible. Most people find this difficult as they become attached to the thing, the photograph, and fail to realize it was the experience around the making of the photograph that matters. The final print is just a bonus, and if someone else enjoys the photograph that is another great bonus.

 

[janetm1000]

personally i have to disagree. if i threw away/deleted all pictures with flaws, i wouldnt really have ANY photos left! i can still enjoy images that have flaws and often so can others!
PLUS i often go through my images finding more and more flaws. i dont like them any less for it. they still stay, as long as i like them, flaws or not. but i learn a great deal from my flawed images. i dont know how much i would learn from a perfect image.
anyhow, flaws can somtimes be what makes an image...
if all images were perfect, it'd be a boring world indeed

ETA: i just reread what i wrote there and realize that probably made sense to noone but me. sorry, i am seriously lacking sleep here. i'd rewrite my response, but i'm too tired... it made sense in my head, let's leave it at that... lol

 

[Alpha]

You act like a self-deprecating idiot and spill your guts about everything you can possibly find wrong with the photo. Then laugh in their face and leave.

 

[Bifurcator]

Alpha gets added to my ignore list.

 

[Alpha]

Don't stroke my ego. I'm getting added to ignore lists for cracking jokes now? That's impressive even to me.

 

[Fox Paw]

I have more experience with this in music. People sometimes say "great job" when you know you sucked. You don't argue; you say thank you. They're not necessarily wrong. You're comparing your work to your inner standard of the best you can do; they're not. What may have obvious flaws when measured against your personal standard may be quite pleasing to someone who isn't making that comparison.

 

[Bifurcator]

That's a nice analogy - seems to fit.

 

[abraxas]

...

ETA: i just reread what i wrote there and realize ...
... let's leave it at that... lol

You made sense- I got something out of it. Don't be pointing out the flaws in your thoughts now.

I have more experience with this in music. People sometimes say "great job" when you know you sucked. You don't argue; you say thank you. They're not necessarily wrong. You're comparing your work to your inner standard of the best you can do; they're not. What may have obvious flaws when measured against your personal standard may be quite pleasing to someone who isn't making that comparison.

This is actually one of the reasons behind starting the thread- Music. I watched a biography on Jerry Garcia awhile back and he mentioned how much he thought his music sucked at times. He learned to roll with it, say thank you and move on.

 

[janetm1000]

You made sense- I got something out of it. Don't be pointing out the flaws in your thoughts now.
quote]

well, as long as you got what i meant! lol... :blushing:

 

[Fox Paw]

"I watched a biography on Jerry Garcia awhile back and he mentioned how much he thought his music sucked at times. He learned to roll with it, say thank you and move on."

He also once commented that he had to remind himself that it's about the music, not the guitar playing. I.e., it's about communicating something, not technique. It's easy for musicians and photographers to forget that. IMO.

 

[JC1220]

personally i have to disagree. if i threw away/deleted all pictures with flaws, i wouldnt really have ANY photos left! i can still enjoy images that have flaws and often so can others!

PLUS i often go through my images finding more and more flaws. i dont like them any less for it. they still stay, as long as i like them, flaws or not. but i learn a great deal from my flawed images. i dont know how much i would learn from a perfect image.
anyhow, flaws can somtimes be what makes an image...
if all images were perfect, it'd be a boring world indeed

ETA: i just reread what i wrote there and realize that probably made sense to noone but me. sorry, i am seriously lacking sleep here. i'd rewrite my response, but i'm too tired... it made sense in my head, let's leave it at that... lol

What I have said could be taken too literally, but then again everything I do in relation to to photographing is pretty deliberate... Anyway... certainly we should keep those photographs which are milestones in your journey, but learn from those mistakes and continue to grow. No one is saying the photograph has to be abosultely perfect, but it should be free from things that detract from the viewing experience, and they should be minor. My standards are if I can see it and I know its there, someone else will find it and feel it detracts from the viewing experience, therefor it never gets shown in public.

One of the very few times I have seen photographs that had obvious, I suppose what would be considered technical camera movement "flaws" and be absolute marvelous photographs is with Brett Weston's, New York portfolio.

First and foremost it is about vision. But, fail to be be technically proficient and you will fail to communicate your vision. You need to understand your medium so that you can be free from the technical. getting a litte off topic now...

Cheers all, I'm going out to enjoy some wonderful Northern Maine weather!

 

[abraxas]

What I have said could be taken too literally, but then again everything I do in relation to to photographing is pretty deliberate... Anyway... certainly we should keep those photographs which are milestones in your journey, but learn from those mistakes and continue to grow. No one is saying the photograph has to be abosultely perfect, but it should be free from things that detract from the viewing experience, and they should be minor. My standards are if I can see it and I know its there, someone else will find it and feel it detracts from the viewing experience, therefor it never gets shown in public.

One of the very few times I have seen photographs that had obvious, I suppose what would be considered technical camera movement "flaws" and be absolute marvelous photographs is with Brett Weston's, New York portfolio.

First and foremost it is about vision. But, fail to be be technically proficient and you will fail to communicate your vision. You need to understand your medium so that you can be free from the technical. getting a litte off topic now...

Cheers all, I'm going out to enjoy some wonderful Northern Maine weather!

Excellently put- Thanks!

 

[Iron Flatline]

You act like a self-deprecating idiot and spill your guts about everything you can possibly find wrong with the photo. Then laugh in their face and leave.

ROFL