Rick from NY wrote:
Folks - I raised this subject a few years back and thought I’d give it an encore. UHH has 2 sections for members to post pics - Photo Gallery and Photo Analysis and posting constructive criticism in the first is frowned upon. I think this rule does a disservice to photographers looking to up their game.
I often look at posts in the Gallery and too often see, sorry for the blunt language, just awful photos. I’m not talking about subjective matters. I’m talking about pics that are out of focus, poorly exposed, with wildly tilted horizons (not done intentionally for artistic purposes), badly post processed or overprocessed, poorly composed with telephone poles growing out of heads, etc. or any number of other technical (NOT subjective) flaws.
And most times, well meaning members post, “Great set”, or “Nicely done” or other “ attaboys” in an attempt to not hurt another member’s feelings. I see this as counterproductive and reinforcing bad technique by poster. I ask how is a member to develop better photography skills if, I again apologize upfront, technically terrible pics are displayed and followed by lots of gushing platitudes?
Last time I mentioned this, I was slapped down by numerous members who argue that unless a poster requests constructive criticism, nothing negative should be said. Ok - I’ll buy the “If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing” idea, but gushing over bad stuff does harm to the poster too. If the pics are bad, say nothing. Stop reinforcing bad work.
Just a suggestion to those posting to the Gallery in the future - think about soliciting criticisms so you can improve your work. Sure you will get many nasty, snarky and often incorrect replies from a certain subsection of members, but you will also get many great suggestions for improvement offered in a polite, constructive manner. I’ve been a photographer for 55 yrs and I welcome all well meaning and civil critiques. We are never too old to learn a new trick.
Anxious to see the replies to this rant.
Folks - I raised this subject a few years back and... (
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After being active on this site for many years, it has been my experience that posters who give gushing approval to poorly crafted images, are most often not just being nice, but rather don't understand the techniques of photography and composition any better themselves, and their own work is often just as problematic as the images that they are praising.
This site has a very large number of members. Their photographic and composition skills range from the sublime to the mediocre or worse.. Many on this site are not particularly skilled or may lack a good eye for the components that make for a pleasing photograph. However, they may be content with what they're currently producing and may completely ignore flaws that many of us see as obvious and significant. They may also not be interested in reading the negative observations of their images by others.
Keep in mind that all are welcome here regardless of their skill level. If members just want to show off their work and are not interested in a critique, that is their prerogative. It is probably best you just ignore any unbridled praise for images you see as poorly crafted and reserve your own critiques on this site to locations where they are appropriate.