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I'm just curious...

Really depends a lot for me...

1 - If I've been drinking, I'm more likely to reply. :lol: (I generally only drink when I'm bored, and I only get online when I'm bored - so I'm often drinking while I'm online, lol.)

2 - If it already has a ton of replies, I might not even look at it. If I do, I still might not reply because everything I could say has already been covered. (I don't like repeating the same thing everyone else said.)

3 - If it just sucks really bad, I usually don't reply. That's probably bad, but sometimes there's just no helping some people.

4 - If it's really good, sometimes I don't reply. If you're so much better than me, what could I possibly tell you?

5 - If I see a mistake that I know how to fix, and there aren't already a ton of replies saying the same thing - I usually reply.

I tend to reply to the 'how do I do this' threads more than the 'C&C this' threads...

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Just learned this, lol. If I think my reply will come off 'mean', I don't reply. :lol: There was a thread I almost replied to, but what I was going to say sounded too mean, so I just hit the back button... I type out about twice as many replies as I actually submit...
 
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I agree with what bitter said. Also, many times someone else has hit the nail on the head with advice, so I don't bother. Or if a picture so terrible the person hasn't even given any thought whatsoever to photography. Just like Bitter said in another post, about people having all this info at their finger tips but they want everything spoon fed to them. If someone makes a post with a bunch of snapshots with their Iphone, its not even worth the time. That person clearly needs to read up on photography in general and spend sometime skimming the forum and educating themselves. Thats why you see so many people lurking before they make their first post. Which can be a good thing.

Or, sometimes I am just too busy when there is just a whole laundry list of things wrong.

EDIT: also, I am learning too. So many times I will see the picture just isn't right, but don't want to give wrong advice, since I am not 100% sure on how to fix it.
 
Big,long,disjointed posts of photos I almost always skip. Saw one recently...fie or six overexposed vacation snaps, and the to finish it off, five or six shots of "the dog". Asking for C&C on those kinds of things seems a bit much to me...am I gonna' C&C a bunch of camera-phone shots? Probably not.

The first-time poster asking for C&C on 7 or 8 pics is also one I often skip.
 
They really need to update a list of "rules" for the forum so that all newbs can read it. I feel bad when people don't know, but agree that posting a ton of pics is one thing that I definately skip.
 
4 - If it's really good, sometimes I don't reply. If you're so much better than me, what could I possibly tell you?

actually I have been surprised at how useful comments from lower skill levels can make you think about your images and how others percieve them. Also how it can be a learning opportunity for them to say what they think and respond with an explanaition of why it was done that way. It goes both ways, but most of you don't see it that way. So when a member gets bannished to the general gallery, that freaking ghost town, everybody loses.
 
I usually dont respond cause im still pretty new to photography myself, and know very little. But i sometimes respond when theres not to many responses, just cause im sure the OP would rather hear something than nothing. Id rather have 1 person say that sucks, than nobody say anything at all. Or i dont know crap, but i like it.
 
Depends on if I have a baby in my hands or not... One handed typing just isn't my thing. But like most other people the subject has to be one that is worth looking at. A picture of a flower oof, sooc, cut off by the crop, and nothing interesting (for the 30th time this month) is just not worth me setting down the baby bottle for.
 
What makes you decide to not comment on a C/C thread? Do you open it, look at the pictures and see nothing wrong? Do you open it and not find the pictures interesting? No time? For me sometimes it's not so much as I don't see anything wrong, but I don't know the correct way to fix it, so I'll come back to it later hoping someone who knows has posted.

Like I said, I'm curious. :)

What an interesting question?

I look at probably 75% of the C/C posts, but I usually only comment if the subject matter is something that interests me. In the case that I really like the shots, I just say so, of course.

If I don't feel like I can say "Wow, these are awesome", I then ask myself what I would do differently if I could re-shoot the same shot. "If I were taking these shots and trying to make pictures that I could feel were great, how would I go about doing so?"

Some of the photographs show a promising start. These are usually the photographs for which I leave critiques, whenever I do... photos that the photographer should probably try to re-shoot, but which could really be spectacular next time if they get some solid, constructive critiques. The ones where I kind of think to myself... "You're so close!"

To be honest, I open some C/Cs and my resounding reaction is that the photos are really just pretty poor overall... there's not really a way to improve the shot, it's just not good, nor is the concept. Sure, it could be improved in technical ways... but if the photo itself is just plain, not-that-good, the technicalities are better spent on a more promising piece by the photographer.

Occasionally I'm more inclined to leave C/Cs for "first attempts" -either with a camera or with a new technique- since first-timers are more likely to sincerely absorb a helpful critique.

If I can't say "These are great" or otherwise feel that the photos can be definitely improved in ways that I can pin-down, then I don't really bother adding to the thread.
 
I look at almost all of the image posts in the beginner forum. I don't comment if:

1. The comments/critique I would offer has already been posted;

2. I feel that the poster is merely looking for a pat on the back;

3. The images don't appear to me to have any real thought put into them (ie they're snapshots, not photographs);

4. I'm short of time; or

5. I know that I won't be able to find at least one positive thing to say about the image.
 
1. I will usually reply when it is a subject that i shoot, sports, equestian, bands and can help

2. When another poster gives wrong information

3. When someone with "All the gear no idea" posts
 
Hah! I've actually been a lurker here most of the summer, and finally made my account today... errr... yesterday. I won't critique too much because as a newer photographer I feel a little awkward trying to give advice about something I either don't know enough about, or haven't mastered myself. I'm also kind of shy so if I'm in one of those moods, I will do more reading than commenting.
 
I post when I think it will help. Even if I've only seen other peoples examples of the technique or only partially understand it (which is pretty often! :lol:) at least I can point others at the right information.

If I don't post, either:

  • I don't think the person wants to hear it (usually a long, rambling or ranting thread)
  • The photo is so far out of my league that I couldn't say more than "Wow"
  • They're so bad that I don't know where to begin and it hurts to look at (thankfully very rare)
  • Someone else has already covered everything I know and given better pointers than I can.
  • I'm swamped.

Sometimes I will "pity post" - no-one else has responded so, even though I'm way outside of my comfort zone and it might not be the best advice, I'll give it a go.
 
I would love to comment more but... since Im on the forum 99% of the time at work and websense blocks 99% of the images(except for NateS and a couple others) I dont get to commemt much on images. But usually when I comment its because I feel like I can offer some decent advise or I really like the image.
 
Hah! I've actually been a lurker here most of the summer, and finally made my account today... errr... yesterday. I won't critique too much because as a newer photographer I feel a little awkward trying to give advice about something I either don't know enough about, or haven't mastered myself. I'm also kind of shy so if I'm in one of those moods, I will do more reading than commenting.

Just thought I'd reply to you.....I just viewed your flickr and must say...yeah, you've got room for improvement (don't we all?) but I must say that your photos are worlds better than most people on here produce after only 6 posts on the forums. You've got some great images on your flickr and a great eye for composition. I look forward to seeing you post on the forums.
 
Huh. Interesting replies.

I don't have any sort of criteria. I just post my thoughts about an image, which usually tends to be about a line of text. The worst feedback is no feedback, so I try to comment on any thread I open.

Forums die because people don't interact. Even a "good photo" is better than nothing.
 

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