Why No Critique?

[ratssass]

...fair enough
kathy lose the clothes....strictly for educational purposes

 

[jsecordphoto]

I just haven't offered any critique for others because I'm new to this forum. I'm a member of several non-photography forums and you kind of have to pay your dues and not post a lot before learning the lay of the land, so to speak.

 

[DarkShadow]

i don't feel i have enough expertise to give cc.there was a thread once that gave instructions on how to provide the proper cc."I like it" was deemed useless,but thats the best i can do.

I don't think that's true at all!

In fact, I think you learn more by trying to give critique and insight even if you don't know how. For example, when I started, I kept saying, "the sky is really white" and it took me a while before I caught on to terms like "overexposed/blown-out...etc." Sometimes it's harder to express why you like a picture rather than dislike it.

I agree

 

[robbins.photo]

Well I can't speak for anyone else of course but generally the only time I C&C a photo is if it's a wildlife pic, since those are the kinds of pictures I take that is what I feel comfortable with offering advice on. As for my own experience with C&C, I've posted a couple and never gotten a response - but so be it. Sometimes I imagine it's a probably a timing issue, if a post doesn't get a response and a lot of other stuff gets posted it gets pushed off pretty quick. I've never taken it personally.

 

[cbarnard7]

Well I can't speak for anyone else of course but generally the only time I C&C a photo is if it's a wildlife pic, since those are the kinds of pictures I take that is what I feel comfortable with offering advice on. As for my own experience with C&C, I've posted a couple and never gotten a response - but so be it. Sometimes I imagine it's a probably a timing issue, if a post doesn't get a response and a lot of other stuff gets posted it gets pushed off pretty quick. I've never taken it personally.

Yeah, that happens. But sometimes you can see the thread has had a lot of views, but no responses! Not everyone needs to respond, obviously, but when you see 35 views, 0 comments...you're like, "huh?" And plus, if it's something out of your niche, it can sometimes be even better for the OP since someone isn't focused on the particular skill in that area, but the overall big picture.

 

[Robin_Usagani]

I only CC NSFW photos...

 

[robbins.photo]

Well I can't speak for anyone else of course but generally the only time I C&C a photo is if it's a wildlife pic, since those are the kinds of pictures I take that is what I feel comfortable with offering advice on. As for my own experience with C&C, I've posted a couple and never gotten a response - but so be it. Sometimes I imagine it's a probably a timing issue, if a post doesn't get a response and a lot of other stuff gets posted it gets pushed off pretty quick. I've never taken it personally.

Yeah, that happens. But sometimes you can see the thread has had a lot of views, but no responses! Not everyone needs to respond, obviously, but when you see 35 views, 0 comments...you're like, "huh?" And plus, if it's something out of your niche, it can sometimes be even better for the OP since someone isn't focused on the particular skill in that area, but the overall big picture.

Hadn't really thought about it that way - and I guess the last couple I've posted and asked for C&C on had normally like 15-20 views and no comments. Starting to think maybe I just suck.. lol

I did do a C&C on a non-wildlife recently, didn't really think it was well received though. I'll try to make a bit more of an effort in the future I suppose

 

[Derrel]

We've had an increasing trend toward situations where honest C&C has lead to a very high chance of push-back and really negative feedback being directed at those who give C&C. If the OP, or the OP's circle of friends doesn't like the C&C that's given, there's quite often a series of negative jabs and smarty-alecky posts. Not to mention entirely NEW, separate posts that are usually specifically targeted at issues raised in the original C&C post. The rank beginners seem to be the very best at accepting C&C, while the intermediate level shooters are the ones who post images for C&C, often knowing that there's absolutely nothing that could have been done better or more elegantly or with more artistry.

 

[pixmedic]

Well I can't speak for anyone else of course but generally the only time I C&C a photo is if it's a wildlife pic, since those are the kinds of pictures I take that is what I feel comfortable with offering advice on. As for my own experience with C&C, I've posted a couple and never gotten a response - but so be it. Sometimes I imagine it's a probably a timing issue, if a post doesn't get a response and a lot of other stuff gets posted it gets pushed off pretty quick. I've never taken it personally.

Yeah, that happens. But sometimes you can see the thread has had a lot of views, but no responses! Not everyone needs to respond, obviously, but when you see 35 views, 0 comments...you're like, "huh?" And plus, if it's something out of your niche, it can sometimes be even better for the OP since someone isn't focused on the particular skill in that area, but the overall big picture.

dont let the number of views fool you. that isnt necessarily how many forum members have looked at the thread.
these threads come up on google and other searches based on keywords in the thread, so any number of people searching for
"osprey" might run across a thread with "osprey" in the title or post.

 

[cbarnard7]

We've had an increasing trend toward situations where honest C&C has lead to a very high chance of push-back and really negative feedback being directed at those who give C&C. If the OP, or the OP's circle of friends doesn't like the C&C that's given, there's quite often a series of negative jabs and smarty-alecky posts. Not to mention entirely NEW, separate posts that are usually specifically targeted at issues raised in the original C&C post. The rank beginners seem to be the very best at accepting C&C, while the intermediate level shooters are the ones who post images for C&C, often knowing that there's absolutely nothing that could have been done better or more elegantly or with more artistry.

I agree, but you and I both know that there's a difference between "honest CC" and snide remarks. Too often, it's either borderline, or snide.

I'll see something like, "I think the horizon could be straightened" or "It's underexposed" and that's direct and constructive. But, I'll also see indirect jabs for no reason. I agree with you on those fishing for compliments (they are just sharing their art, I guess) but those who ask for help often rarely get it.

 

[TheFantasticG]

Well I can't speak for anyone else of course but generally the only time I C&C a photo is if it's a wildlife pic, since those are the kinds of pictures I take that is what I feel comfortable with offering advice on.

And only ones I give CC on is macro and weather based landscapes i.e. lightning because that's all I care to look at most of the time. Every once and a great while I'll look at something else but generally I'm only in and out of the macro area.

 

[Overread]

We've had an increasing trend toward situations where honest C&C has lead to a very high chance of push-back and really negative feedback being directed at those who give C&C. If the OP, or the OP's circle of friends doesn't like the C&C that's given, there's quite often a series of negative jabs and smarty-alecky posts. Not to mention entirely NEW, separate posts that are usually specifically targeted at issues raised in the original C&C post. The rank beginners seem to be the very best at accepting C&C, while the intermediate level shooters are the ones who post images for C&C, often knowing that there's absolutely nothing that could have been done better or more elegantly or with more artistry.

If those taking C&C need thick skin then those giving it need thick skin too

The problem really stems from the fact that people get resistive and difficult when challenged. Either those taking the C&C feel slighted or when the comments are challenged those who gave them feel insulted. IT doesn't really matter which party feels slighted first as once the mud slings the critique is left and the fight begins. It's a shame as when C&C is challenged or countered it should be responded to with an expansion of the reasoning for the critique - a chance to go more into the theories behind the critique.

 

[JTPhotography]

I try to offer as much as possible, and post as well so I can get some feedback. I have a limited amount of time to spend doing so, so I try to do a little of everything. For me, this site is primarily a place to gather and exchange information, mostly of a technical nature, from people who are very knowledgable (Derrel, for example). If there wasn't any CC at all it would still be a good site.

 

[hopdaddy]

i don't feel i have enough expertise to give cc.there was a thread once that gave instructions on how to provide the proper cc."I like it" was deemed useless,but thats the best i can do.

If you will just add why you like it you have a good critique . Actually ,I learned more from giving CC than receiving .

...honestly,quite often i don't know,myself,why a certain image grabs me.whether its an emotion portrayed,the colors or whatever it is that drew me in.I can say technical aspects are at the bottom of my list.So....where do you go from there?Like that shot Pascal (?) shared of "1/39"....what do i like about it??I don't know,but it intrigued me enough to look at it several times.Is it "technically" correct??...beats me,and it doesn't matter.I like it.On the other hand,I couldn't tell you why an image doesn't grab me.Doesn't mean it doesn't serve the purpose they set out to do,and it might be presumptuous on my part to say otherwise.In the wrong hands (like mine) CC can be a dangerous tool.I certainly wouldn't want to discourage anyone because my vision isn't theirs.I do believe CC is a good tool in the hands of someone that uses it effectively.

May-be you could start off with the self question , If it were my photo I would do_______________ . With the tech's ,well that to me is the easy part . inspect the photo just like you were doing the post production . How is the exposure. Are the whites blown out ? Are the blacks blocked ? is there a blue or magenta cast in the whites . How is the contrast ? then I go to "Artistic Choices ". is the photo balanced ? is there a better crop option ? I'm sure for each person on here there will be that many different ways to offer critique ,But I'm always amazed at the things pointed out in my work ,That I missed . I will even allow my stuff to sit a few days ,then go back to see if I missed something before I post it . Most times even after finding even more mistakes ,someone will point out more that I've missed . My point here is ,you can grow much faster with CC than without . Not to mention you also need to cc your own photos with a critical eye .

 

[manaheim]

I agree with a lot of what has already been said here. In addition...

I personally don't comment unless I think there is something I can add, OR if the picture is so amazing I just need to say "wow", and that's usually all I say in those cases.

The reasons I usually don't have much to add are:

1. The picture is so fundamentally bad that the best I could possibly say is "This is a hopeless image and you have absolutely no idea what you're doing. Go read a whole lot of books, spend a whole lot of time looking at and analyzing good photography, go read your camera manual... and then try again." That's not going to be received well by many people, and it represents probably 60% of the images I see here.

2. The picture is fine but just isn't photographically interesting. It follows some "rules", is well exposed, well composed, etc. but just boring. There's no way to help that, so there's nothing I can say... and in the end saying "This just isn't even remotely compelling" just isn't going to go over well.

3. The picture is well thought out and well executed and there isn't room for me to say anything simply because to critique it would be to question the artist's motives and interpretations, and I dislike doing that.