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The question of no critique…
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Okay, I know it’s sort of the same topic yet again, though I thought it might be appropriate to post this in a completely new thread, perhaps to get some fresh points of view as it were. After all, we can’t really exhaust this particular topic anyway. We all see so many different styles and methods of critique here, from verbose meanderings like my own…. :oops:
…a little barrell distortion you might possibly be able to correct in photoshop… white balance a further 1000k… very obvious and amateur looking dodge/burning in the middleground…. might give it a less cluttered appearance… if you were to increase the DOF by just a smidgen… no central point of interest at all really… very distracting catchlights in the centre of the pupil, and as for the teacher… that said, I absolutely adore this image… :?
…to more blunt responses like….
I do like: Your avatar
I don’t like: Your photograph (Okay, so I’m being a little facetious :lol:)…and finally to…. well,…. nothing.
This, despite what people may think, is not the greatest disaster in the world. No response may be as valid a critique as you’re going to get for the particular image you’ve posted. Trust me, I know this. At least 50% of the images I’ve posted have elicited no response whatsoever, and the reason for this is, after revisiting the work at a later date, I found they provoked nothing from me either. In hindsight, they were poor images, and despite the fact that I may have put a great deal of thought into them, there wasn’t really anything there worthy of further comment. So no response was a worthy and valid critique as far as I’m now concerned.
But the question arises, “what if it isn’t enough?”
Well, speaking strictly from a personal viewpoint, if I felt that I really needed to know why a particular image didn’t exactly ring anyone’s bell, I’d ask someone. We now have almost four hundred members (Ireland’s largest camera club), of which probably a hundred are quite active on the site on a fairly regular basis, and I’d have little hesitation in asking anyone for advice, be it via e-mail or pm. No one has yet to turn down a request from me for advice or help, so I don’t see why this should be any different for any other member. If you shoot a landscape that no one seems bothered with and you can’t understand why, then why not ask someone who specialises in shooting landscapes for a personal opinion?
I’d be most interested in seeing a comprehensive response to this post from all members of our community, though especially from those more experienced photographers who have so much to offer by way of sensible advice. So, are you a helper? Or are you averse to receiving unsolicited requests for advice on images that do nothing for you at all? Do you feel unqualified to give any advice to begin with?
Please take this in the spirit it was intended. All good humour… :)
I’m more than willing to help anyone that asks for help but I fear that sometimes (oftentimes perhaps?) I’m perceived as being a smart-ass, so I tend to avoid giving too much online critique. But if someone asks me directly, I will always try and help as best I can and put forward my viewpoint. Incidentally, I don’t deliberately set out to be a smart-ass, except on very few occasions where someone is literally asking for it, although even then I try to avoid it because situations like that can get out of hand very quickly.
Unlike Thorsten, I usually set out to try and be a smart ass… but that said, I’m usually willing to help too :lol:
Cheers for the quick responses so far folks. But look at that would ya! So many views yet so few votes cast, and that was the most important part of this little exercise. Perhaps people are still trying to decide. Still, nice to see even with so few votes that the helpers are in the majority.
Thorsten: There aint nothing wrong with being a smart arse (which, incidentally, I don’t think you are). As Ciaran mentioned in the ‘other’ post on critique, it’s all valid, a view I share completely. I have no hesitation offering my own poor level of critique on any image posted, and occasionally may chance upon a valid point that the poster finds useful. Your experience should allow you to make a far more valuable contribution to the steadily growing knowledge base we have here now. And if someone doesn’t like what you say… well…. so what. You can always borrow the disclaimer from my signature. 8)
jb7: Don’t be worrying jb. Of course you’re a smart arse, and that why we love you here :lol:
Pete: And I’ve always got too much to say :oops:
I think the most important piece of data to be taken from your poll is that 90% of people who visited this topic couldn’t be bothered to vote, so they’re hardly likely to be in a position to offer a comment.
Making it more like 4.6% who are usually willing to ‘help’, a far more realistic proportion.
Higher life forms account for 2% of the total, I’d really like to read some of their thoughts
Only one person has clicked the jb7 box, though I was disappointed it was such an exclusive catagory, I’d like to see some more of that being taken on by others, and more votes for that option.
Vote Now-jb7, you’re probably just having some fun.
But if you’re not, I disagree with the 4.6% remark. The polls indicates that 75% are willing to help subject to their
comfort with their own skills. You cannot assume that 95.4% of people are not willing to help just because they’ve
not voted. The fact they’ve not voted indicated that they’ve either not seen the poll, hate polls or as you say couldn’t be bothered.
Most likely they’ve not seen the poll.I’ve been on here lots today to see the comments with each visit logged as a view, so views don’t mean that much in reality :)
Polls on sites are generally a bit of fun anyhow
Yep, I’ve had one of those days :D
Mark
“I’d like to help but doubt the validity of my own opinions”
I chose that because I would like to help… but as Im not even a beginner at photography I wouldn’t know where to start picking out certain aspects of a picture. I do add the odd comment to photos though, and Im beginning to understand a lot more about photography (mainly through this site), so I guess with more time will come more posts…
jb7 wrote:
…Higher life forms account for 2% of the total, I’d really like to read some of their thoughts
Only one person has clicked the jb7 box, though I was disappointed it was such an exclusive catagory, I’d like to see some more of that being taken on by others, and more votes for that option.
Vote Now-:lol: :lol: :lol:
Well I’ve added my vote if youse can guess which category.
Frankly, to be honest and all, there are just too many forums out there in internetland for any sane person with a life outside their Mac to think about, and while it’d be nice to big-up or destroy people with thoughtful comments on their offerings everywhere, my first and only loyalty is with a Flickr group to which I am very much attached. I simply haven’t the time for much else, what with four kids to feed etc. Sorry! I do look in and check on the “Comments since you last posted” stuff here, but if I were to investigate everything I simply would not have a life. Hope that makes sense. I’m a few glasses of wine the worse and heading off to bed soon ;)
I dont know, I would like to help but I tend to see the positive in pictures rather than the negative.
If a picture is good then a picture is good, I dont feel the need to find something wrong with it.
But then again, alot of people ask for critique(including myself, somewhat hypocritically) so I guess I could be more helpful sometimes. ill try my best.
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