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Feedback makes people better photographers…Discuss
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This thread has brought about some interesting topics and opinions. Primarily about the POTY it does touch on something that to me is now open to debate. That is “Feedback makes people better photographers”. Does it?
To start the ball rolling I’ll explain my situation, possibly mirroring a lot of other people, possibly not. I started here in PI in March ’07. Just starting out I needed peoples thoughts on if I was on the right track. The “right track” was based on critique of images and suggestions by others. One year later that initial lack of confidence has changed and I produce images that I feel are fine by my standards and I feel provide me with some gratification and I post here to see if people agree. Advice is welcome but becomes less of assistance to improve and becomes more ideas of how the viewer would change it or “improve” it.
So, does this feedback make me, or you a “better photographer”.
To echo Petes pistol shot – Discuss.Alan
Feedback makes me think a bit more before pressing the shutter, than I did when i started.It does improve your photography. But an opinion is just a opinion. a critique it just a critique . some will take it and not try better themselves afterwards. Some just want to get to a point where they can be confident when they step out with the camera that they will come home with a few “keepers” Some others on the other hand want to become Ansel Adams overnight . If i didn’t get any comments on my photos then I would not know where or what angle other photographers will see it at. We all have creativity, some have it more that others, but a little help from those people sure does come in handy every now and then.
I can’t be overly arsed typing too much on this one (too many debates for one weekend)…
For beginners feedback in the form of tips and advice can be extremely useful.
Beyond beginners stuff the right sort of feedback opens your mind which in turn can help make you a better photographer.
I’ve read stuff posted by people here on images that opened my eyes to things I just couldn’t see in the past… and now as a result when I’m out with the camera I can see opportunities in front of me that I just wasn’t creative enough to see before hand. The day in Shilelagh springs to mind. Another time a site sponsor here asked me had I considered using a soft-focus effect… something I never thought of… a small suggestion but one I’ve put to good use a couple of times now.
Seeing as 451 and myself are getting on so well lately… I’d say that some of Mick’s shots used to do my head in. I just couldn’t get them. Then one day Joseph wrote a good piece on why he enjoyed them and the penny dropped for me. It just made sense.
I wouldn’t pen it as “feedback makes people better photographers”… more along the lines of “it can open your mind”, “broaden your horizons”, “make you think outside the box”… if you want it to that is.
I think we all go through phases as we look to find our own way.
Initially we haven’t a clue about f-stops and shutter speeds and whatnot – we’re infants in the world of photography.
We get the hang of that with a bit of kindly mothering from those who know better and toddle towards composition, colour, tone.
We grab onto those basics and learn to take photos with relatively straight horizons and no one’s head is cropped off in family snaps.
Then we go through a bit of madness, trying this that and the other – photographic puberty.
Once we’ve got that out of our system we settle down a bit and look to emulate those we admire, maybe even go further and try to find our own way to put a stamp on how we see things.To me feedback is essential for the majority of those phases, but lately less so.
I know my stuff doesn’t appeal to a lot of people, but it doesn’t bother me.
To those it does appeal to getting positive feedback from them is encouraging.
Others may spot something I’ve missed, which is helpful and appreciated, but I’m not going to change my overall approach to what I do.
There’s a very good reason for that, I’m happy with where I’m at.
I’m not trying to be the next Ansel Adams or Richard Avedon or JB7 or nfl fan.
It’s interesting, and inspiring, to look at what others do – to see how they see the world.
But I don’t necessarily see things the way they do, I don’t necessarily want to either.You’re right though, one armed photographer man, it does get to a point where you either get what someone is doing or you don’t.
Beyond all the technical faffery and compositional nicities lies the basic idea.
Either you connect with it or not.
I can still admire someone’s work without feeling like I get it.
I get Sebastiao Salgado, Martin Parr and Richard Avedon, but I don’t get Cartier Bresson or Ansel Adams- doesn’t mean I don’t admire them, I just find it hard to feel anything much about their images beyond the fact that they’re technically/compositionally good.My 2pee’s worth inanyways like buh init.
I wouldn’t disagree with anything that’s been said. Certainly when you’re finding your feet, feedback is invaluable, and you can see that in comparing the output of some members here with their output, say, a year ago, they’ve come on in leaps and bounds in the interim.
At a more advanced stage, the need for technical feedback should disappear, but if you want to step outside of your comfort zone and experiment a bit, then feedback becomes important again. Even nitpicking small things compositionally which you might have missed in the taking is valuable, if it sticks in your mind and you notice in time the next time out, then it’s been a worthwhile experience.
John
So, does this feedback make me, or you a “better photographer”.
In short… yes.
Pat
I to agree with lousy
no matter what level you are at, there is always something you can learn or gain from other peoples comments. and this in turn will help your photography
stcstc wrote:
I to agree with lousy
no matter what level you are at, there is always something you can learn or gain from other peoples comments. and this in turn will help your photography
Agree……………constructive feedback will always help improvement!!
Steve
So, does this feedback make me, or you a “better photographer”
Only if its constructive, on too many sites all the feedback you ever get is how “Great” or “Really Nice” your pictures are. Cant see how that kind of feedback helps anybody.
What is good is people telling you WHY they like/dislike your pictures and I have to say you do get more of that on this forum than most others.
The other, most obvious, thing is you have to take this on board and actually make the changes and if I could only do that I’d be a great photographer!!!!I might add that it’s not only feedback on your own you should be focusing on here… I read feedback given on other images too.. you should process as much of it as you can.
“Great” and “Really nice” I can live with. These are compliments… but it’s also acceptance from your peers… which can’t hurt.
Not being in a camera club, I’m not in a position to get much useful feedback outside of the c&c here.
I think feedback helps, especially non-positive feedback, it will either help you directly, or if you disregard it, it strengthens your own view.
It has a much stronger effect than just reading feedback on other peoples work, although that for sure can help a lot too.Anybody can be too involved in their own photos to see some obvious things.
I’ve seen people whose photos I admire (here and flickr) put up some ill-judged stuff, so even people who may have a few year of experience should look for feedback.
I think it helps me, and I think it would help all on the site.Martin
Ok~~
I am not very good at negative comments…
so anyone who doesn’t want me to tell them they have a nice photo….
just go ahead and leave your name below and I won’t bug ya… :lol:
Of course your positive comments are welcome DenverDoll,
even the most robust of souls need positive feedback.
But as the song goes “you gotta be cruel to be kind in the right measure, cruel to kind, it’s a very good sign..”The atmosphere on this site is very good, it is easy to see that people are trying to help out with their criticism (pos & neg).
Don’t put me on your “no praise” list, cheers :)
“too many sites all the feedback you ever get is how “Great” or “Really Nice”
After a while you know what sites will do that and expect that sort of thing from them, it’s just the nature of those particular beasts.
Positive feedback in itself can be encouraging, far better than being told “that’s crap” all the time.I don’t think you can make everyone happy with what you’ve shot, on then I don’t think every shot is taken in order to appeal to everyone either.
You have to draw the line somewhere between taking on board comments and criticism (and making changes), and believing in what you’re doing.
It’s not a guarantee that all constructive comments will be beneficial either; they’re opinions, and as individual as the people making them – they may be well intentioned but they could also be inadvertently persuading you to follow a path you’re not really interested in (one the commentator prefers), or so diverse in scope that you don’t know which way is up.You certainly can’t close yourself off to comments and criticism (you could disappear up your own backside if you did that), but you also have to find your own way and that means making mistakes – lots of them – and learning.
I’ve no doubt the vast majority of constructive criticism made is a genuine attempt to help, and should be taken on board as such.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s always right – which I think gets lost whenever ‘constructive’ criticism is mentioned.If 3 people really like an image and 97 don’t, is the image good or bad?
Should the photographer continue to appeal to those 3 people, or change his way of shooting to appeal to the other 97?
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