Questions for C&Cers here

Tulsa · Feb 17, 2010

Now keep in mind, I do not consider myself a pro or close to it, I am just an amateur photographer, and have been for the past 3ish years... but...
I like to try and give input and help Newbs, I am honest, If I like it I will tell you. If I dont like it, I will give suggestions on how to improve on a certain picture or in the future.

It seems the majority of people giving c&c are newbs that that ask the same questions in one form or another. It seems most of the seasoned photographers rarely chime in. There is a handfull that chime in that you see everytime but when I go around the rest of the site, they are a fraction of members here.

It just seems pointless to see someone tell a poster their photos are great when they are not, hopefully all the seasoned photographers comments overpower the, " I really like that picture, its cool" comments.
Am I wrong?

Darkhunter139 · Feb 17, 2010

Id much rather someone point out the flaws in my photos and give me honest C&C then simply comment "nice photo". If you are going to say you like the photo at least say why.

reznap · Feb 17, 2010

I can't speak for everyone, but I think it's pretty obvious (by reading other posts, looking at examples of their work, etc) who knows their stuff on here. There was another thread on here which had a LOT of people commenting in which was centered around c&c and was basically saying something similar.

The reason I joined this forum was because of the more honest comments in this very 'beginners' section' and I hope it continues to be that way.

Personally, I don't read a "hey good job" and feel better about what I'm doing, that's not why I'm here. If I post something I want to hear about how it could be better. More than that, I want to see what others are doing and learn from their example, good or bad.

So yeah... I don't think you're wrong but as I mentioned before, I can't speak for everyone.

indeedies · Feb 17, 2010

Are we doing this again? It seems there was a thread just like this last week. And the week before that and the week before that...

Tulsa · Feb 17, 2010

indeedies said:
Are we doing this again? It seems there was a thread just like this last week. And the week before that and the week before that...

Really? must have missed it.

In that case, how many times do we need a thread asking what is your favorite lens, which flash should I get. If you dont like seeing repetition here, might not be a good section to be in. :sexywink:

I apologize if there was a thread just like this.

ks0385 · Feb 17, 2010

Link to said thread please.

IgsEMT · Feb 17, 2010

Am I wrong?

I missed last week's thread but will hit this one. You aren't wrong but giving CC isn't always pure as B&W

(Ironic)
My thing with giving feedback really depends on my mood of typing. If I'm in the mood, then I'll go through exposure, lighting, composition, emotion, story, processing, etc etc give +/- and ways to improve. If I'm not in the mood then I'll point out some negatives only and ways to improve them.

Sometimes though, there's just really nice and work and all there's to say is "NICE, cool, etc etc etc"

And other times, photogs know their work is nice but they are showing it off awaiting for ppl to say nice, cool which just boosts egos.

So b/n the last 2 you never know which one is which therefore if the work is nice, IT IS NICE.

Regardless, there's always room for improvement for any photographer at any level of his/hers expertise.

Bitter Jeweler · Feb 17, 2010

ks0385 said:
Link to said thread please.

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...hoto-gallery/192755-giving-receiving-c-c.html

hower610 · Feb 17, 2010

Tulsa said:
Now keep in mind, I do not consider myself a pro or close to it, I am just an amateur photographer, and have been for the past 3ish years... but...
I like to try and give input and help Newbs, I am honest, If I like it I will tell you. If I dont like it, I will give suggestions on how to improve on a certain picture or in the future.

It seems the majority of people giving c&c are newbs that that ask the same questions in one form or another. It seems most of the seasoned photographers rarely chime in. There is a handfull that chime in that you see everytime but when I go around the rest of the site, they are a fraction of members here.

It just seems pointless to see someone tell a poster their photos are great when they are not, hopefully all the seasoned photographers comments overpower the, " I really like that picture, its cool" comments.
Am I wrong?

I was happy with the C & C you gave me. You helped reinforce what I need to focus on to progress.

matfoster · Feb 17, 2010

Tulsa said:
Now keep in mind, I do not consider myself a pro or close to it, I am just an amateur photographer, and have been for the past 3ish years... but...
I like to try and give input and help Newbs, I am honest, If I like it I will tell you. If I dont like it, I will give suggestions on how to improve on a certain picture or in the future.

It seems the majority of people giving c&c are newbs that that ask the same questions in one form or another. It seems most of the seasoned photographers rarely chime in. There is a handfull that chime in that you see everytime but when I go around the rest of the site, they are a fraction of members here.

It just seems pointless to see someone tell a poster their photos are great when they are not, hopefully all the seasoned photographers comments overpower the, " I really like that picture, its cool" comments.
Am I wrong?

maybe. value judge-ments, regarding photography-for-pleasure, are subjective, personal and tempered by things which an observer can never fully appreciate of another person's rationale. if the comments posted don't mirror your own beliefs..that's life. attempt to state/restate your view(s) as much as you feel it's useful to do so, then move on to the next thing.

Samanax · Feb 17, 2010

It seems that a lot of new shooters will get their very first DSLR, take a few test shots, post the test shots up and ask for C&C. One look at the images and you know they didn't put much thought into the shot (if any). How do you handle these? Do you give them words of encouragement? Do you give them a real critique and hurt their feelings? Just ignore the thread?

Overread · Feb 17, 2010

Samanax said:
It seems that a lot of new shooters will get their very first DSLR, take a few test shots, post the test shots up and ask for C&C. One look at the images and you know they didn't put much thought into the shot (if any). How do you handle these? Do you give them words of encouragement? Do you give them a real critique and hurt their feelings? Just ignore the thread?

I was posting and getting feedback for a long time before I started to actually think about what I was taking photos of - heck many of my shots now boil down to little more than a grabshot - shooting nature though gave me the slight advantage that one can get away with this a little longer but in the end its still a problem. Infact the art of showing what you want in photography is no small skill for many and takes (often) years to finally develop.

As for how one deals with a thread were a person is new - politly, respectfully and honestly. If you can't get all three in at once I would say ignor - I see a lot of short - single sentance comments that are "C&C" which are very generic and harsh but give little for the OP to work with.

Yes TPF has a lot of beginners and Yes that means there will be loads of such threads on the site. If you don't like don't post - if you feel that is all there is to TPF then don't stay or visit as much - or heck you know start interesting threads of your own

As for giving Real critique - some have it in their heads that real critique has to be harsh and brutal otherwise its "sugarcoating" the issue. I don't subscribe to that viewpoint, I do however subscribe to being as honest as I can - drawing on both the good and bad points and trying to show and offer advice as to how the photographer in question might go about solving the bad points in their shot. I don't always try to cover everything in one go - people don't learn that way - it has to be built up over time with getting the little bits right. Hopefully if the person hangs around and keeps getting feedback they will soon start to develop and their overall ability will thus improve as well.

Sirashley · Feb 17, 2010

Samanax said:
It seems that a lot of new shooters will get their very first DSLR, take a few test shots, post the test shots up and ask for C&C. One look at the images and you know they didn't put much thought into the shot (if any). How do you handle these? Do you give them words of encouragement? Do you give them a real critique and hurt their feelings? Just ignore the thread?

Well, I think the best way to handle it is to point out what they did wrong, and by that, I mean the basics... Try to teach them the easiest, most useful points of photography. I try to steer people in the right direction while at the same time, not breaking their spirit. Real critique does not have to hurt their feelings, as long as its worded right and directed to help them. If you give them the preverbial "snapshot... it sucks..."... well that will hurt their feelings, but if you make an attempt to genuinely help them, they will thank you for it.

Lastly, I draw on a story that happened about 7 years ago... I had a band, and the bass player brought his son in one night to jam... The kid was maybe 15 or 16 years old... To tell you he was terrible on guitar would be such an understatement, and when I asked him, he told me had been playing for 2 years. After two years, I was ripping off everything Metallica had ever written. Now, I tried to give him some pointers, and kept my true criticisms to myself. Sometime afterward, I had a conversation with his father and his father was like, "He's really bad, and he plays all the time. He's had lessons and the bottom line is, he just doesn't have an ear for it. But he really loves it and that's all that matters.. The satisfaction that he gets out of playing is good enough for me..." and more importantly, he thought what he was playing sounded good, and as long as he was happy, who cares? Well, I view photography the same way. Some people really don't have an eye for it, but they enjoy what they get out of it. They come on here and ask for C&C to try to improve their skills, not because they are trying to sell works to the Metropolitan. At the end of the day, its all about what they get out of it. I will give them tips and pointers, but who am I to criticize them for wanting to improve???

Dominantly · Feb 17, 2010

I think I am done with posting for C&C for the most part. I have posted my fair share of photographs, and have received some pointers here and there, but I now think more about the experience of the person doing C&C. There are people here who's opinion I would take to the bank, and others who I might take with a grain of salt.
I've sent PMs to people to check out a photo in a gallery if they had the time, and have received some good feedback doing this.