RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

Nothing confrontational intended here, either, but I just made a comment on lens adapters in another thread. I see no need to post examples of my work to prove the veracity of that comment.

Bobbee

Funny.

Bobbee

So, I never like the word expert, even in my day to day job. At client sites that is how the sales people introduce me. I tell the client I am not an expert. They get upset and say then what are you. I just say I am a person who knows more today than yesterday. It has been that way my whole life.

So if I read someone's post and gain something by it. I figure, with what knowledge I have already in my head, if it is worth while or not, without looking at their 'stuff'. Also between this forum and my regular job and all the other crap in my life I have little time to ponder other peoples stuff just for personal verification. So I guees the answer is 'not often', but I have, just out of interest. See like right now I have no desire to run off and look at your site. Not that I may not want to, have to finish going through the digest, add some finishing touches to last weeks wedding photos, rebuild the carb on the tractor, go shopping for tomorrows BBQ and then figure out how to truncate a repeating variable length array from DBCS consideration to byte representation. Whew, I am tired already. Goning back to bed and my cozy wife.

Psergel Loc: New Mexico

But they would get points for a really GOOD image of the inside of a lens cap.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Portfolios don't impress me. I sometimes click on someone's web site just out of curiosity, but not as a background check.

If someone can answer a question or solve a problem, then I'm happy. Luciano Pavarotti had a voice coach, a coach who wasn't an opera star.

EDIT: I think you have to consider what question the person is answering. I feel safe giving advice in certain areas, but not in others. If someone wants advice about studio lighting, I'm not going to make an attempt at answering.

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

ALL photo sites and ALL camera clubs etc have people who can talk the talk but not walk the walk. Just a fact of life that has to be accepted. They suffer constant GAS and have a bag full of gear but can use none of it. Just smile.

Psergel Loc: New Mexico

As someone relatively new to the game.........If someone were giving advice on style, composition or IQ I'd most likely want a look at their pics.
If someone were giving technical advice I probably wouldn't care how their pictures look.

An example would be the UHH member "Searcher".....when he provides answers for questions about Lightroom I assume the guru has spoken but.....I don't remember ever looking at any images posted by him.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

So long as you don't mind the Attic I'm safe, but I don't think I'll be giving lessons to anybody.

Cykdelic Loc: Now outside of Chiraq & Santa Fe, NM

Sharpshooter,

I don't care how long someone has been shooting...,,.,I just look at their pics. Skill is skill.

bobmartin

Just because someone has an in-depth knowledge of a subject doesn't necessarily mean that they are proficient in the execution of it. There's an old saying along the lines of... Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.

Bazbo Loc: Lisboa, Portugal

My view is that everyone has something to teach...and something to learn.

If a person here is honestly trying to help another with a problem, then they are worth listening to. I have learned much from people with far less experience than I.

Of course, there are a few people who post here only to demonstrate how smart they are. I learn from them as well, it's just harder.

Leitz Loc: Solms

Obviously you do not include yourself! You are well known here for being outspoken in favour of Canon cameras, condemning as trash nearly all others. Even if your portfolio were the equal of every master who lived, it could not add credibility to that ludicrous babble!

Chuck_893 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

I check, especially when a poster seems to be behaving badly. I wanna know, "What makes you so mouthy, pal?" :mrgreen: But there are some folks who seem to be genuinely knowledgeable that also post no credentials. Are they all hat, no cattle? You maybe have to play "lawyer" a little bit: "Never ask a question to which you do not already know the answer." Not literally, just reading somebody's posts on a subject you know something about and finding yourself nodding agreement (or not).

What I worry about a little bit is the brand new user who walks in and steps on a mine, innocently asks the "wrong" question that happens to be some regular's pet peeve (happened to me). That aside, I do like to see some credentials. I've been here long enough to have a sense of who's who, who has pretty good advice and who has, um, less... :) , but I like to see a little work. I added a link to some of my Flickr stuff right away to establish my own "cred." I really was a working professional for most of 30 years, but I have never said I was great or high-end (we went out of business after all :cry: ). I do want people to see my stuff so you know I can actually produce. It ain't art, but it's competent.

Pierre, I am guilty of running off at the mouth...um, keyboard. :D I write too much and I know it, but I also don't want to be misunderstood. I use a lot of adjectives and adverbs to modify and soften; I never want to sound mean or abrupt. :) I use a lot of emoticons too, for the same reason.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Or perhaps it's just someone who insists that we look at reality, rather than the fantasy you were dreaming about. Simple logic, rather than wonderful emotions.

Ask what people like about a picture, and the answers are very reasonably made up mostly of emotional responses. But in fact there have been a number of very good rational and logical studies of "what people like about a picture"! (See Rudolf Arnheim, 1904-2007.) There is room for both logical and emotional discussion about any art.

But ask people about equipment, and unfortunately the same is true. Most of the answers are about emotions. And the most significant is pride of ownership, "I own it, so you will like it." It's effective discussion, unfortunately. Logical discussion of equipment based of pure factual information is vastly more important, but is not as common as it should be.

As for judging individuals... anyone that responds to contradictory opinion (or worse yet to contradictory facts) with gratuitous personal insults instantly becomes less than credible for any opinion, about any subject. Fabricating insults (or kicking sand if you wish) to get back at someone who refutes your precious emotions, is damning.

Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

I have a relevant question. Were I to want to view a posters images, how do I go about it?