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Do photographers posting here want honest feedback, or not?

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This whole topic is about looking for a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. I can not recall a single time in all my years at DPR where a critique was offered on an image that was not requested by the poster. Most normal people don't find a need to comment on pics of aunt emma's famous strudel or little Otto's first haircut. DPR didn't have that Facebook feel because it was tool-centric and most pics apart from challenges were posted as an examples of equipment failures or discoveries. If someone wants an image critiqued- they should ask for it and just leave it at that. Too much thought going into this.
 
I am not in favour of critiques unless I ask for it as I know what I like. What was that line out of Monty Python's "The Pope Sketch" where the Pope, after arguing the absurdity (in true Monty Python style) of how Michelangelo painted the "Last Supper" at the end says, "I may not know much about art, but I know what I like".


The trouble with "critiques":

1) Is that everyone is different and thus everyon'e opinion is different and just because you propose a way to "improve" a photo can mostly just mean it is different, not better.
2) Many that "critique" are just making a suggestion in order to have someone think they are showing their "expertice" in order to make them look superior or "enlightened". See 1) above
3) There may be friction between the photo poster and the critiquer - see 2) above - and on forums this happens often. So, they criticise in order to have a shot at the photo poster.
4) If I post a photo, it is because I like it the way it is and hope you also like it as it is. I mainly take bird photos and it is much of the time an effort you can't alter as you are in the hands of the bird and it's behaviour, where it is sitting/flying, or the available light etc.
5) the reason we take photos is to express ourselves and if we do it the same as someone else then we are expressing their thoughts and preferences, not our own.

So, unless I ask for a critique, you can either press the like button or not, or make a favourable comment or no comment at all.
 
RichDitch said:
Do people posting images here want honest feedback? Or is this more for "social sharing?"

I used to spend a lot of time posting at naturephotographers.net, where the expectation was that people would post their best work and expect honest critiques from other photographers. It was an excellent way for people to gauge the quality of their own work, hear honest criticism and advice, and incorporate that into their future work. I spent many years at NPN but have moved on after it changed owners and took a different form.

I know it can be hard for any of us to take criticism, and some people posting at NPN actually only wanted positive feedback. I also know how hard it can be to give honest feedback in a sensitive manner.

So, before I go down the wrong track here I'd like to hear what others think of this. Do you want such feedback? Do you think it helps or hurts to get such feedback? Do we need a way to indicate our preferences when we post an image? Should the be a separate forum just for image critiques?
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I am always open to critique. However, the critique has to be constructive. Saying: "This is great" or *This is awful* does me no good. Tell me why it's good or awful. I'm not interested in whether people like my work or not, I'm interested in WHY they like it or not.

I may dismiss an opinion because I may feel that it's not an educated one, but I am always grateful to everyone taking the time and making a genuine effort.
 
By the way, though I've never asked anyone for a critique, there have been times where I was struggling with the processing of a photo and asked for help. Not technical help, just help making decisions, and that response has been occasionally valuable to me. I generally don't heavily process my images, but sometimes what comes out of the camera or out of the defaults of a raw processor just looks nothing remotely like it looked to my eye, and sometimes that confuses my memory of how it looked. Sometimes, someone else will process it in such a way as to jog my memory and I get that "ah ha" moment.
 
Lance B said:
4) If I post a photo, it is because I like it the way it is and hope you also like it as it is. I mainly take bird photos and it is much of the time an effort you can't alter as you are in the hands of the bird and it's behaviour, where it is sitting/flying, or the available light etc.
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I hear ya. I once posted a photo of a lioness walking towards me, and the critique that I received was that I should have removed some small foliage or long grass from the foreground… I very rarely post process… and there was no way I was going to get out of the Land Rover to snip away some of that flora while she was anywhere in the vicinity :oops:
 
PentUp said:
I hear ya. I once posted a photo of a lioness walking towards me, and the critique that I received was that I should have removed some small foliage or long grass from the foreground… I very rarely post process… and there was no way I was going to get out of the Land Rover to snip away some of that flora while she was anywhere in the vicinity :oops:
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That's the difference right there. I would never have even suggested that. I would however ask you put on a macro lens and take a shot of a front tooth from the inside ;)
 
Blufftonian said:
What’s that expression, “one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure”?

If someone wants C&C they should ask for it, otherwise subjective criticism, no matter how gentle or correct in the responder's opinion, should be withheld.

And, calling someone who doesn't want critique a "snowflake" isn't exactly helpful. It's good that this forum has an ignore button, n'est-ce pas?
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Not sure if that's aimed at me or not, I was only re-quoting from another post. Although I do have my own opinion that in general, there is a lot of 'snowflake' attitude in society nowadays, with many jumping on that bandwagon.

I just see it that some may purvey the word in black and white, right or wrong. Personally I don't think that exists. Everything is just various shades of grey ;-).

If you want to ignore someone based on a single post, or take out of it only one word to portray the entire article, or their personality, then doesn't that kind of prove the point? I thought this was meant to be a discussion, which in the real world you'll hear things you don't like, there will be differences of opinion, some of it will inevitably turn into a full blown argument.

As I said, putting all your discussion communication down into just written form is harder than people think, so much is being missed when you're not standing in front of each other, and seeing facial expressions, or hearing tone of voice.

Walking away, with your nose in the air, saying 'I'm not talking to you anymore', while turning to others to talk about it, is just childish, and not that helpful either.

Cheers.
 
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