How to stop being discouraged from lack of feedback?

[nerwin]

Its not like I don't put ANY thought into my photos that I take. I put a lot of thought into them, more than you might believe but I'm just not going to be as good as you or many of the other people on this forum. There will always be someone better.

I do know the basic rules of composition, I may be dumb but I do know some stuff mind you.
Photography is remotely the only thing that people actually told me I was good at..well besides pissing people off.
But I'm fine with being mediocre, I have a mediocre life as it is. It's all good

If you want to be better then there is a clear way to go about it.
Ask for help, ask for specific input.
If you don't care, then no one wants to give input if you don't want it.

Knowing 'the basic rules of composition' and not trying to knit those rules into a greater understanding is a certain formula for staying at a certain level.
Look at really good or even terrific photos.
The 'basic rules of composition' may be part of that photo's success but there is a great deal of understanding and skills and knowledge that doesn't fall under 'basic'.

The photo in my signature is as good a photo as I've taken and the 'Rules of Composition' don't have much to do with it.

But I don't learn the some way as other people. I need to learn the way that works for me best. I've had a hard time learning in school, I had to find alternative ways to learn what was being taught. You know?

I really appreciate your help, seriously..I do. I just feel like an idiot.

 

[Overread]

A few thoughts:

1) Read the link in my signature about feedback!
It's focused on getting FEEDBACK for critique - broken into two concepts its about first becoming more self aware of your own work; secondly its about presenting yourself to others in a way that makes those with experience and knowledge feel more inclined to spend their free time talking to you. That presentation is important; just throwing up a photo MIGHT get some feedback; and that might be the kind you want. But putting it up with details, description, your own thoughts etc... is far more likely to get you the feedback you want and encourage others to think that you are WORTH spending time taking too.

2) "Take photos for yourself and no one else."
Eh I tend to think this is grumpy "old man" talk if you actually take it to heart and try to follow this advice faithfully. And in my opinion its a very isolationist view that is rather silly to share in any social gathering. Because those coming to a social gathering (be it online or in person) are already showing that they wish to interact; to share their work. As such the views of others ARE important.
What is really the point is to put the views of others into proper perspective in line with your own desires. To be mindful of what you want and get out of the hobby and to take in the views of those who align with your desires. Similarly learn to communicate your intentions. If you really just want to relax and take photos and not really get critique that is GREAT. It's totally fine and nothing to be ashamed of and you can make full use of the "Just for Fun" gallery for that; or put a note into your posts that you're thankful for critique but just enjoying your hobby etc...
Always be respectfully polite to those who offer critique as they are just trying to help in their own way and interact with you; you don't have to follow their suggestions, but you should thank them all the same.

3) Don't be afraid to learn.
Now by all means you don't have to make every trip or any trip into a lesson; but don't be closed to advice. A little hint here and there can help you improve and a few extra thoughts won't take the fun away. Creative lessons NEVER reduce your creative capacity, they increase it. Rules/theories of composition/exposure/etc... are all about learning, understanding and unlocking creative potential.
As said above, art has concepts, theories, rules, working models etc... Art is like music, like language, like writing - its got a structure that allows communication and learning more of that structure allows you to communicate better.

So don't shun it if its offered, but equally you don't have to let it dominate your hobby.

4) In my view most of us (esp those who seek out a forum like this) are more apt to have cycles of our hobby. Some will be cycles of shooting and sharing; others will be learning cycles where we are focusing on learning new methods or refinement. These cycles will come and go as our interests and desires change and shift. Sometimes you'll be all full of questions and wanting feedback and advance - other times you just want to share photos because you can.
Heck one mod around here has 40+ pages of ferret photos - point and shoot style ferret photos. The importance there isn't art its about sleepy cute ferrets and sharing that joy. Many other members are just the same.

5) Everyone on this forum has a desire to share and interact. For most of us that includes sharing our work; why we choose to do that varies. No one person is doing it right; no one approach is correct or meaningful or best or anything like that. There is a benefit in communicating whilst you're sharing; but otherwise just enjoy your hobby and sharing it.

 

[Derrel]

If you want feedback,then asking for feedback would make sense. Asking for guidance or for C&C makes sense.Random posts get various amounts of attention. Try to stay positive. Get some books if you want to learn from established teachers. You can be your own best advocate. Allow yourself No pity parties.

 

[Overread]

Hey wait since when did we get a Top Poster of the Month tag?

Darn it Derrel you're posting way to much!

 

[nerwin]

If you want feedback,then asking for feedback would make sense. Asking for guidance or for C&C makes sense.Random posts get various amounts of attention. Try to stay positive. Get some books if you want to learn from established teachers. You can be your own best advocate. Allow yourself No pity parties.

Only if I could read without being distracted haha. I have photography books, I just need to read them!

 

[pixmedic]

Well you get what I mean...

Its not like I don't put ANY thought into my photos that I take. I put a lot of thought into them, more than you might believe but I'm just not going to be as good as you or many of the other people on this forum. There will always be someone better.

I do know the basic rules of composition, I maybe dumb but I do know some stuff mind you.

Photography is remotely the only thing that people actually told me I was good at..well besides pissing people off.

But I'm fine with being mediocre, I have a mediocre life as it is. It's all good

heres the deal with forum critique.
you have a lot of factors working for, and against you at any given time.
A lack of responses doesn't mean your photo is bad. not everyone critiques and not everyone is on when you post. sometimes you just have to give it some time and a few bumps.
also, sometimes people feel that if they dont have any suggestions on how to improve a photo, or it isnt within their preferred genre, they just dont comment.
I'll use myself as an example. I dont care much for wildlife photography... oh look, another bird shot.... its flying again, its sitting on a branch again. boring. so I am not likely
to comment on any of those types of photos because they don't particularly interest me. On the flip side of that, i typically get very little response to my work because, like bird shots, its basically the same stuff over, and over, and over. I have a particular style, I like it, it makes me a little money, and im fine with it being boring. Im excited about a portrait session i have scheduled for next week with a repeat client because i get to do a real working test with an old Russian lens I recently purchased. (a tair-11 135mm f2.8) nuts huh? Just some boring portraits, but the lens has some wonderful people-rendering properties and I can't wait to see first hand. I doubt I could find more than a scant few here that would share that interest, but it doesn't matter because its exciting to me. thats what you have to find. No, not an old portrait lens.....something about photography that excites you. you know, unless portrait work excites you. then I highly recommend trying some old portrait lenses. Find your photography niche, then just keep throwing things out there.

the forum goes through phases. kinda like the moon. we will go through a period where there are a lot of people going through and commenting on photos on a daily basis, and after a while, we hit a bit of a lull where the commenting dies down to a trickle. sometimes it can be a struggle just to get someone, anyone, to acknowledge that they at least looked at your stuff.
its not you in particular, its just how things go sometimes.

a great way to get critique is to ask for critique.
post a picture, and instead of just waiting for people to look and comment, get the ball rolling yourself by telling people about the shot, what your setup was, what your intention for the end result was, and how you felt it came out. Self-critique it first. if you see something you think needs improvement, ask about it specifically. these things will open the door for discussion and give people a good starting point.

but here's my main point.
ok, I kinda forgot where i was going with this...so here's some other point that will now become my main point.
dont be discouraged by forum mood swings.
If I may suggest an alternative method for soliciting online advice....
find someone that shoots what you want to shoot, and whose end product reflects what you would like to be able to produce. Message them and see if they will mentor you.
it doesnt have to be a full time gig, just someone you can bounce ideas off of and get suggestions from, and who can offer critique specific to your particular genre.
Look around man...you can find members here that excel in pretty much any genre of photography you can think of. you dont have to limit yourself to this forum either, it can be
from anywhere, in person, or any online outlet.

 

[nerwin]

Well you get what I mean...

Its not like I don't put ANY thought into my photos that I take. I put a lot of thought into them, more than you might believe but I'm just not going to be as good as you or many of the other people on this forum. There will always be someone better.

I do know the basic rules of composition, I maybe dumb but I do know some stuff mind you.

Photography is remotely the only thing that people actually told me I was good at..well besides pissing people off.

But I'm fine with being mediocre, I have a mediocre life as it is. It's all good

heres the deal with forum critique.
you have a lot of factors working for, and against you at any given time.
A lack of responses doesn't mean your photo is bad. not everyone critiques and not everyone is on when you post. sometimes you just have to give it some time and a few bumps.
also, sometimes people feel that if they dont have any suggestions on how to improve a photo, or it isnt within their preferred genre, they just dont comment.
I'll use myself as an example. I dont care much for wildlife photography... oh look, another bird shot.... its flying again, its sitting on a branch again. boring. so I am not likely
to comment on any of those types of photos because they don't particularly interest me. On the flip side of that, i typically get very little response to my work because, like bird shots, its basically the same stuff over, and over, and over. I have a particular style, I like it, it makes me a little money, and im fine with it being boring. Im excited about a portrait session i have scheduled for next week with a repeat client because i get to do a real working test with an old Russian lens I recently purchased. (a tair-11 135mm f2.8) nuts huh? Just some boring portraits, but the lens has some wonderful people-rendering properties and I can't wait to see first hand. I doubt I could find more than a scant few here that would share that interest, but it doesn't matter because its exciting to me. thats what you have to find. No, not an old portrait lens.....something about photography that excites you. you know, unless portrait work excites you. then I highly recommend trying some old portrait lenses. Find your photography niche, then just keep throwing things out there.

the forum goes through phases. kinda like the moon. we will go through a period where there are a lot of people going through and commenting on photos on a daily basis, and after a while, we hit a bit of a lull where the commenting dies down to a trickle. sometimes it can be a struggle just to get someone, anyone, to acknowledge that they at least looked at your stuff.
its not you in particular, its just how things go sometimes.

a great way to get critique is to ask for critique.
post a picture, and instead of just waiting for people to look and comment, get the ball rolling yourself by telling people about the shot, what your setup was, what your intention for the end result was, and how you felt it came out. Self-critique it first. if you see something you think needs improvement, ask about it specifically. these things will open the door for discussion and give people a good starting point.

but here's my main point.
ok, I kinda forgot where i was going with this...so here's some other point that will now become my main point.
dont be discouraged by forum mood swings.
If I may suggest an alternative method for soliciting online advice....
find someone that shoots what you want to shoot, and whose end product reflects what you would like to be able to produce. Message them and see if they will mentor you.
it doesnt have to be a full time gig, just someone you can bounce ideas off of and get suggestions from, and who can offer critique specific to your particular genre.
Look around man...you can find members here that excel in pretty much any genre of photography you can think of. you dont have to limit yourself to this forum either, it can be
from anywhere, in person, or any online outlet.

What if I like a number of genres? Haha.

 

[pixmedic]

Well you get what I mean...

Its not like I don't put ANY thought into my photos that I take. I put a lot of thought into them, more than you might believe but I'm just not going to be as good as you or many of the other people on this forum. There will always be someone better.

I do know the basic rules of composition, I maybe dumb but I do know some stuff mind you.

Photography is remotely the only thing that people actually told me I was good at..well besides pissing people off.

But I'm fine with being mediocre, I have a mediocre life as it is. It's all good

heres the deal with forum critique.
you have a lot of factors working for, and against you at any given time.
A lack of responses doesn't mean your photo is bad. not everyone critiques and not everyone is on when you post. sometimes you just have to give it some time and a few bumps.
also, sometimes people feel that if they dont have any suggestions on how to improve a photo, or it isnt within their preferred genre, they just dont comment.
I'll use myself as an example. I dont care much for wildlife photography... oh look, another bird shot.... its flying again, its sitting on a branch again. boring. so I am not likely
to comment on any of those types of photos because they don't particularly interest me. On the flip side of that, i typically get very little response to my work because, like bird shots, its basically the same stuff over, and over, and over. I have a particular style, I like it, it makes me a little money, and im fine with it being boring. Im excited about a portrait session i have scheduled for next week with a repeat client because i get to do a real working test with an old Russian lens I recently purchased. (a tair-11 135mm f2.8) nuts huh? Just some boring portraits, but the lens has some wonderful people-rendering properties and I can't wait to see first hand. I doubt I could find more than a scant few here that would share that interest, but it doesn't matter because its exciting to me. thats what you have to find. No, not an old portrait lens.....something about photography that excites you. you know, unless portrait work excites you. then I highly recommend trying some old portrait lenses. Find your photography niche, then just keep throwing things out there.

the forum goes through phases. kinda like the moon. we will go through a period where there are a lot of people going through and commenting on photos on a daily basis, and after a while, we hit a bit of a lull where the commenting dies down to a trickle. sometimes it can be a struggle just to get someone, anyone, to acknowledge that they at least looked at your stuff.
its not you in particular, its just how things go sometimes.

a great way to get critique is to ask for critique.
post a picture, and instead of just waiting for people to look and comment, get the ball rolling yourself by telling people about the shot, what your setup was, what your intention for the end result was, and how you felt it came out. Self-critique it first. if you see something you think needs improvement, ask about it specifically. these things will open the door for discussion and give people a good starting point.

but here's my main point.
ok, I kinda forgot where i was going with this...so here's some other point that will now become my main point.
dont be discouraged by forum mood swings.
If I may suggest an alternative method for soliciting online advice....
find someone that shoots what you want to shoot, and whose end product reflects what you would like to be able to produce. Message them and see if they will mentor you.
it doesnt have to be a full time gig, just someone you can bounce ideas off of and get suggestions from, and who can offer critique specific to your particular genre.
Look around man...you can find members here that excel in pretty much any genre of photography you can think of. you dont have to limit yourself to this forum either, it can be
from anywhere, in person, or any online outlet.

What if I like a number of genres? Haha.

find a number of mentors equal to the number of genres necessary to get the expertise you need.

 

[Derrel]

Hey wait since when did we get a Top Poster of the Month tag?

Darn it Derrel you're posting way to much!

I've eaerned the tag once a couple years ago, then last month and thius month; in the past KmH and JC Debovoever have also earned the tag...and a few other folks too I think.

 

[nerwin]

Hey wait since when did we get a Top Poster of the Month tag?

Darn it Derrel you're posting way to much!

I've eaerned the tag once a couple years ago, then last month and thius month; in the past KmH and JC Debovoever have also earned the tag...and a few other folks too I think.

Do you have time to shoot?

 

[nerwin]

@pixmedic Mmm Mitakon Speedmaster 85mm f/1.2 lens for Nikon F-mount (sample photos) | Nikon Rumors

Lol.

 

[jeffW]

What can we do keep ourselves encouraged when we don't get feedback on our work?

I like to share my work with the world but how can I get the thought out of my head that I NEED some kind of visual or verbal feedback on my photos to keep going?

Before the internet of things there were and still are local photo-clubs. If you're looking for critiques and verbal feedback I would suggest looking to see if your city has one. If not double check Meetup there are plenty of photo-clubs that host nights of sharing prints specifically for critiquing.

 

[Kroneberger0408]

Shoot a passion project. Like someone said on the first page, if its something you truly love that your taking pictures of it will show in your work. DO it bc you love nature or you love people. DOnt do it for the likes on instagram.... That website is competently fake.. There are literally bots that you can pay to just go out and get you more followers. They pay the bot or company to just go around and follow, like and comment on random peoples work and thus getting those ppl to come to there page... Its as fake and you can get...

 

[chuasam]

ditto.
I'm only really experienced to critique on portraits.
I live and breathe portraiture.
Show me food photography and I drool. Unless it is horrific, chances are that I'll think it's good. cuz. .food.

Show me landscape photography, I'm like ho hum..it's outdoors..boring
I don't like outdoors.

 

[jcdeboever]

For me, I try to do projects weekly, some I share, many I don't because I learned or understood the concept. Most are done from John Hedgecoe books which I have many. I choose the concepts that elude me most and often more challenging in my own mind. The ones I share are usually ones I am not confident that I grasped the concept. So by stating my goals, usually yield a fair amount of response. You may or may not have noticed but I have tried to dabble in a variety of genre to expedite the learning curve on the hardware end. Getting it right in camera is really a bi-product of 70's Hedgecoe books where the film camera was the only tool. I have been shooting for a year and a half, now I am exploring stylization. Looking back...the Hedgecoe book, this forum, and TPF members have expedited the hardware portion.