Not to say that the occasional "Great Shot!" comment isn't appreciated!
Oh god, when someone posts this or "Nice Capture!" on one of my pictures I want to reach through the screen and choke them to death. It means nothing. Reading it wasted 2 seconds of my life that I can never get back. I'd rather my post roll off the bottom of the screen with 0 replies than to get a "Great shot". Both tell me my picture was so uninteresting that it wasn't worth more than an inane comment. I wasted my time posting it and their time when they clicked the link.
Perhaps a forum or thread to start is one that teaches criticism. Not a "Your picture is dreck" type of criticism. But how to properly evaluate an image. Finding what works and what doesn't. To be honest we really stink at it.
I just finished a book called, "How to read a book". (A really good book by the way.) One section was on what is required to be able to criticize a book. I'm glossing over MANY details but a large part of criticizing a book is understanding it. This includes grasping the terms the author uses and how he uses them, what questions is he answering, what preconceptions he has, etc. Then you have to ask if the author answered those questions. Was his logic flawed or incomplete or did he answer some other question and miss the mark completely?
Writing a proper criticism is hard work. Maybe that is why there are so may "Great shots" or "Nice captures" here. It is an easy out when you feel like you have to write something.
There is a reason I have the signature block I do. I'm pleading for REAL criticism. Otherwise I'd just as soon have my images stay at 0 replies if all I'm going to get is a "Great shot".
* I wouldn't put it past B.D. to have orchestrated this to get us to express our own voices.
My point.
We are being pushed to do something we need to be doing. Whether he intended it or not.
Not that I agree that there has been a lot of back patting on this forum. I think the criticism has been more straight forward than in many other forums. And nothing stops those of you who want to be brutally frank from being brutally frank.
I'm not sure, however, that statements that "this is cr*p" are particularly helpful. Especially since, often, there is not a consensus. Some captures move some of us while leaving others of us cold.
Just look at the comments on B.D.'s photo, which is the subject of this thread. Some have liked it and said why and others have said that it doesn't do anything for them and said why.
The interesting question for me is why someone reacts the way they do. It may be easier to say why a photo interests or moves us than to say why it does not, but exploring the why has proved very useful for me in learning (or trying to learn) to see with new eyes. It is also teaching me a lot about how I approach my own photographs.
Sorry for hijacking your thread, B.D.!!
Virginia
_______________________________________________ "A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know." Diane Arbus
Perhaps a forum or thread to start is one that teaches criticism. Not a "Your picture is dreck" type of criticism. But how to properly evaluate an image. Finding what works and what doesn't. To be honest we really stink at it.
"great shot" is a valid critique. Someone took the time to look at it and say they liked it. Arguably, it's not of much use but it is feedback. To say you want to choke someone over that? At least they took the time to comment. There are far more people who look, say 'nice picture' and never post (the infamous "20 views and no comments...was it that bad?" follow up post).
As far as learning to critique, why not start here?
Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
Comments
Oh god, when someone posts this or "Nice Capture!" on one of my pictures I want to reach through the screen and choke them to death. It means nothing. Reading it wasted 2 seconds of my life that I can never get back. I'd rather my post roll off the bottom of the screen with 0 replies than to get a "Great shot". Both tell me my picture was so uninteresting that it wasn't worth more than an inane comment. I wasted my time posting it and their time when they clicked the link.
Perhaps a forum or thread to start is one that teaches criticism. Not a "Your picture is dreck" type of criticism. But how to properly evaluate an image. Finding what works and what doesn't. To be honest we really stink at it.
I just finished a book called, "How to read a book". (A really good book by the way.) One section was on what is required to be able to criticize a book. I'm glossing over MANY details but a large part of criticizing a book is understanding it. This includes grasping the terms the author uses and how he uses them, what questions is he answering, what preconceptions he has, etc. Then you have to ask if the author answered those questions. Was his logic flawed or incomplete or did he answer some other question and miss the mark completely?
Writing a proper criticism is hard work. Maybe that is why there are so may "Great shots" or "Nice captures" here. It is an easy out when you feel like you have to write something.
There is a reason I have the signature block I do. I'm pleading for REAL criticism. Otherwise I'd just as soon have my images stay at 0 replies if all I'm going to get is a "Great shot".
My point.
We are being pushed to do something we need to be doing. Whether he intended it or not.
Not that I agree that there has been a lot of back patting on this forum. I think the criticism has been more straight forward than in many other forums. And nothing stops those of you who want to be brutally frank from being brutally frank.
I'm not sure, however, that statements that "this is cr*p" are particularly helpful. Especially since, often, there is not a consensus. Some captures move some of us while leaving others of us cold.
Just look at the comments on B.D.'s photo, which is the subject of this thread. Some have liked it and said why and others have said that it doesn't do anything for them and said why.
The interesting question for me is why someone reacts the way they do. It may be easier to say why a photo interests or moves us than to say why it does not, but exploring the why has proved very useful for me in learning (or trying to learn) to see with new eyes. It is also teaching me a lot about how I approach my own photographs.
Sorry for hijacking your thread, B.D.!!
Virginia
"A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know." Diane Arbus
Email
"great shot" is a valid critique. Someone took the time to look at it and say they liked it. Arguably, it's not of much use but it is feedback. To say you want to choke someone over that? At least they took the time to comment. There are far more people who look, say 'nice picture' and never post (the infamous "20 views and no comments...was it that bad?" follow up post).
As far as learning to critique, why not start here?