What do you think of these pictures ?

[eugene_jenea]

Now this is what I call a nice comment, see, you can do it if you really put your mind to it. For the future I won't be starting threads anymore as I thought photography is not going to happen for me anytime soon, I'm just going to comment once in a while and say how beautiful some snapshots are. But thank you, write more comments like the last one and don't be too hard on people, you just might push them over the edge. Do it in a more diplomatic way, follow the feedback techniques. And again, thank you, you opinion matters.

OP.. your sarcasm and rudeness to a long time respected member here, ensures that I will never try to help or assist you.... and no matter what you think, you have a LONG way to go!

Have you looked yourself in the mirror lately? I was nothing but polite. I don't care if you're respected or a long member, I'm just returning the favor, I'll be treating you the same you treated me. And just for the record, I didn't ask to completely discredit some of the pictures I took years ago, I used the tools I had at that time. I asked if there is a small chance of becoming a good (not a great) photographer, but since a lot of you think of yourselves as good commentators you didn't even filter some of your thoughts, you just didn't care. Just because some you had it tough it doesn't mean you had to put me through the same crap. Some of your opinions I'll accept but some of you went a lot over the board.

 

[unpopular]

The problem with this group of photographs is that it is not a group at all. They seem directionless, without theme in either style nor content. While you have some interesting subjects, none of these images represent interesting ideas - they document things not things about the things. The roses are just roses, the church is just a church the skyscrapers are just skyscrapers. There is some sense of juxtaposition of old and new, but it is not a particularly strong juxtaposition.

 

[eugene_jenea]

That wasn't harsh; it was the truth as I see it.
Taking reasonably exposed, reasonably sharp pictures with an automatic camera of things that are inherently beautiful or interestingly shaped is not any test of 'potential.'

If I walked into a studio and pressed one key on a piano - and it sounded great - should I expect someone to predict at that moment whether I could become a great pianist?
Photographers do more than point and press a button, they choose angles and focal length to compliment the image, they decide depth of field, choose exposure, create beauty and find meaning.

You won't know if you are a good photographer until long after you take up the effort because, only after you acquire some skills, does your talent get a chance to show.


Lew

Now this is what I call a nice comment, see, you can do it if you really put your mind to it. For the future I won't be starting threads anymore as I thought photography is not going to happen for me anytime soon, I'm just going to comment once in a while and say how beautiful some snapshots are. But thank you, write more comments like the last one and don't be too hard on people, you just might push them over the edge. Do it in a more diplomatic way, follow the feedback techniques. And again, thank you, you opinion matters.

Arrogance will teach you nothing. All it will do is ensure you get no help from anyone. The only thing that might have been gained from using a better camera would be that you would have less distortion and less chromatic aberrations.

Before you get a new camera I think you need to get a new attitude and a thicker skin. You will learn nothing at all from people telling you that your photographs are 'nice'. I went through a stage of thinking that my shots were great and ignored some of what people were saying, mainly on another forum. I have top notch kit (Canon 5D mk II, Mk III Pentax 645D a 41mp medium format camera and a number of medium format film bodies) and was convinced for a while that I was getting great images. I initially saw the criticism on another site as jealousy of my kit. then I had a good look at myself, and found that although my images were fine, they lacked something. They didn't 'pop'. I had great gear but hadn't learned to make the best of them and the software that I have.

I have still got a long way to go, but my images are much better now and have some direction, and are processed much better now. Yes, I'll still put in some duff images (I suspect that all the images I have taken today on arrival in Seoul will all hit the trash but then I took them while jet lagged!).

Shake off the attitude and be prepared to take a few scrapes. Some of the criticism will be spot on, some wildly off the mark, but learning why people see your images in a certain way is one of the keys to mastering the art. As for cameras, learn to live the limitations of your kit and when you have better kit, you will get better use from it. Work to the camera's strengths, not it's weaknesses, and take on as much free advice as you can get. It won't all be useful, but it will all be valuable.

It all comes down to one question:

Do you want a pat one the back, or do you want to learn something that will improve your photography?

We've all been at the stage you are. Moving on to the next stage is up to you, but it means manning up and being able to take a few knocks. Good Luck whichever route you take!

I have no clue for where you have seen arrogance in my comments, to make such assumptions you really need to know me. And yet some people blamed the distortion and chromatic aberrations on me, nice to know, duly noted. About new attitude and thicker skin, good point, good assumption but again it was made on the wrong base. I don't think the shots I took are great, since I basically have not experience or studies in the domain in question, I have no tools, I have nothing. i almost ignored your comment as most of it was good because of your off the line remark about me being arrogant, I usually admit to the truth but there isn't any. I'm really happy for you that you've come a long way to being great, I'm sure you are but not all will understand you style, your approach and simply your taste of what you consider attractive, popping-out and so on. Thanks, I can add this comment, most of it anyway, the the list of the good ones. Remember, there is no arrogance in it, maybe a bit of sarcasm but also remember sarcasm is a coping mechanism for a lot of crap and misery I had to go through. See ya.

And people, please stop commenting, I've had it already.

 

[zombiemann]

Is it me or did the pics in the original post change? I could have sworn that the OP was a set of much different pictures.

 

[eugene_jenea]

Is it me or did the pics in the original post change? I could have sworn that the OP was a set of much different pictures.

Nope, they're the same pictures, why would I change them ?

 

[The_Traveler]

As I said, there is a technique you need to use, and it's called feedback, you point out what's not good and give some solutions, don't just send me look for something and not knowing what that is.

The problem is, as I see it, is that you think that because the camera gets you 60% to reasonable technical results that we should be able to point you to a simple step o two that will get you the rest of the way - the 'solutions' you refer to.

Well that isn't so, it's the camera that knows everything and you know very little and there is no way to give you any steps to improve until you actual start working at it.
Your lecturing me and others about how to give criticism is more than a bit condescending - and wrong.
If you read the comments, many people did give some some general impressions as feedback but you don't have the vocabulary, you don't have the knowledge, you don't have the experience, you don't have the equipment and you don't have the interest or willingness or ability to put any more detailed comments to use.

 

[eugene_jenea]

As I said, there is a technique you need to use, and it's called feedback, you point out what's not good and give some solutions, don't just send me look for something and not knowing what that is.

The problem is, as I see it, is that you think that because the camera gets you 60% to reasonable technical results that we should be able to point you to a simple step o two that will get you the rest of the way - the 'solutions' you refer to.

Well that isn't so, it's the camera that knows everything and you know very little and there is no way to give you any steps to improve until you actual start working at it.
Your lecturing me and others about how to give criticism is more than a bit condescending - and wrong.
If you read the comments, many people did give some some general impressions as feedback but you don't have the vocabulary, you don't have the knowledge, you don't have the experience, you don't have the equipment and you don't have the interest or willingness or ability to put any more detailed comments to use.

Did not want to do this but here is what one guy said about you: "I am new here, and I can already tell one thing about this forum. MOST every one thinks they are the best photographer in the world, and everyone else is bad. You could post the best picture in the world, they wont say "this is great!" they will pic out one tiny little thing and nit pick it to death.

That guy Lew said "they are just pictures, like anyone with your camera would take.
the composition is off on most, the subject is centered.
there is nothing personal or original or particularly interesting about them."

Well dont worry, I looked at all his pictures and 90% of them are NOT interesting to me and have flaws. So dont pay guys like him any attention. "

It's interesting how I can learn from your opinions but not the other way around, right? Talk about hypocrisy. "you don't have the vocabulary, you don't have the knowledge, you don't have the experience, you don't have the equipment and you don't have the interest or willingness or ability to put any more detailed comments to use." wow, you really think big enough of yourself to make such conclusion, and by the way, these are real cheap shots, I admitted already to that so there was no need to state the obvious. Man, I feel sorry for you as perhaps you weren't loved as a kid. You really have no manners, but hey that's just me, my subjective opinion about a man I don't even know. Cheers.

 

[The_Traveler]

Dear Eugene,

You really need to come out of this feeling better than me or us.
Who ever wrote to you isn't very familiar with the comments here.
When pictures are good, people, including me, say they are good.
When pictures are ordinary, they get comments like you get.

I would suggest you read what people said about your pictures.
None of it is wrong.

Maybe you need an attaboy to make you feel good because you had some idea that you are an original untutored talent.

I don't think you'll get exactly what you want in the way you way; for that kind of praise you need a mother.

Best wishes,

Lew

 

[rexbobcat]

Did not want to do this but here is what one guy said about you: "I am new here, and I can already tell one thing about this forum. MOST every one thinks they are the best photographer in the world, and everyone else is bad. You could post the best picture in the world, they wont say "this is great!" they will pic out one tiny little thing and nit pick it to death.

That guy Lew said "they are just pictures, like anyone with your camera would take.
the composition is off on most, the subject is centered.
there is nothing personal or original or particularly interesting about them."

Well dont worry, I looked at all his pictures and 90% of them are NOT interesting to me and have flaws. So dont pay guys like him any attention. "

It's interesting how I can learn from your opinions but not the other way around, right? Talk about hypocrisy. "you don't have the vocabulary, you don't have the knowledge, you don't have the experience, you don't have the equipment and you don't have the interest or willingness or ability to put any more detailed comments to use." wow, you really think big enough of yourself to make such conclusion, and by the way, these are real cheap shots, I admitted already to that so there was no need to state the obvious. Man, I feel sorry for you as perhaps you weren't loved as a kid. You really have no manners, but hey that's just me, my subjective opinion about a man I don't even know. Cheers.

Did you know that you don't have to be an incredible photographer to effectively criticize photography?

*legasp!* :O

Oh, yeah, and your photos are incredibly average. Not particularly BAD, but kind of just "meh it's a flower"

Boring subjects+lack of technical knowledge=Boring and at best mediocre photographs.

A good photographer can make a normally boring subject shine in a way that makes it interesting. You aren't at that point...

 

[jowensphoto]

There's nothing spectacular about these photos.

You said yourself that you barely know anything about a camera. The photos reflect that. Learn more about composition and get a camera that has at least semi-manual settings.

 

[pgriz]

Looked you up... You've got lots of stuff all over. The photos you posted here are also on Pinterest. If expressing yourself through photography remains one of your goals, you may want to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the conventions of this art form. Should you listen to critiques and opinions? That depends on how open you are to input. And how well you can figure out what comments are worth listening to, and which are to be ignored. You can also figure a lot of stuff out for yourself, but if you want to be a writer with an audience, it helps to have a good rapport with that audience. It is not for me (or any one here) to tell you how to do that, and even if it is something you should do. However, in the context of a photography forum, you posted some images and you got feedback. From your reaction, it was not what you expected. Perhaps, you could tell us what your expectation was, and we can then carry on the conversation from there.

 

[eugene_jenea]

Looked you up... You've got lots of stuff all over. The photos you posted here are also on Pinterest. If expressing yourself through photography remains one of your goals, you may want to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the conventions of this art form. Should you listen to critiques and opinions? That depends on how open you are to input. And how well you can figure out what comments are worth listening to, and which are to be ignored. You can also figure a lot of stuff out for yourself, but if you want to be a writer with an audience, it helps to have a good rapport with that audience. It is not for me (or any one here) to tell you how to do that, and even if it is something you should do. However, in the context of a photography forum, you posted some images and you got feedback. From your reaction, it was not what you expected. Perhaps, you could tell us what your expectation was, and we can then carry on the conversation from there.

A comment of mine from a little above: "And just for the record, I didn't ask to completely discredit some of the pictures I took years ago, I used the tools I had at that time. I asked if there is a small chance of becoming a good (not a great) photographer, but since a lot of you think of yourselves as good commentators you didn't even filter some of your thoughts, you just didn't care. Just because some you had it tough it doesn't mean you had to put me through the same crap. Some of your opinions I'll accept but some of you went a lot over the board."

But I'd appreciate if everybody stopped, I'm already sweating like crazy. If you wanna say something do it in private.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

 

[Designer]

I asked if there is a small chance of becoming a good (not a great) photographer..

I thought your question was about cameras.

I can only wonder how would they look like if I had a professional camera like a Canon 7D, for instance. How do you think they would look like ?

Tell me everything you think, com' on, I can take it

 

[unpopular]

The photos you posted hereare also on Pinterest.

Oh. That explains a lot actually.