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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I'll certainly agree with you that there are lots of technical imperfections in images posted on UHH — in many of the various sections. However, I agree with others here who point to the purposes of the different sections.
Sharing images isn't necessarily an invitation to constructive criticism. The photo gallery isn't a competitive space or a learning atmosphere. It's meant for SHARING. People put their images there because they find the subject matter interesting, or moving, or funny, or... for a whole myriad of reasons.
As Linda pointed out, there are other places on UHH where you can get and give advice regarding the nuts and bolts of how to put together a better photograph.
It is fairly safe to say that most images can be improved upon in some way. As the ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, once said (I'm paraphrasing for context), the concept of perfection is just that — a concept. There is no perfect physical realization of a chair… just the idea of it. And for each of us, that concept of perfection is different. Sitting comfort is different for each of us. And that's okay.
Growing up as a teen photographer, I was lucky enough to have a great journalism advisor pluck me out of the hall one day at school, when she saw the Canon around my neck. She smiled and quite literally guided me by the shirt collar into the yearbook/newspaper office.
"You're Bill, right?"
"Yes, Ma'am?" (As if I weren't sure why she was asking).
"You're going to make pictures for the yearbook for us, aren't you?" She gave me an almost devious, "Don't deny me the honor of your help," look. "I'll pay you for your prints. Please say yes."
I let that sink in for about two seconds. "I would really like that! I smiled."
That lady took me under her wing and guided me from a casual snapper to a half-decent photojournalist in a matter of weeks. She was merciless. I would hand her a contact sheet. She would grab her ubiquitous Agfa 8X Loupe magnifier and start looking... and talking. AND criticizing — constructively. By the time I graduated, I'd gone through over 300 rolls of Tri-X.
She picked my work apart and told me how she would make it better. I never took any of it as insulting. She was full of great ideas and commentary on photography, and had a shelf full of books on photojournalism I devoured. She had several All-American Yearbook awards to her credit, and knew great images when she saw them.
That sort of mentorship worked for me. It doesn't work for everyone. Nor are most people receptive to that process. Lots of folks see photography as just a recording process, and not as a visual communications language or an art form. They're just in it for the fun of showing others what they saw. For me, photography is an essential part of life, a duty, an obsession, or more cynically, an addiction. I can't help but try to shape each image I share with a reasonable amount of care and finesse. So I don't share much. It's time consuming.
Most folks aren't like that. So if you want creative expression or value constructive criticism, skip the Gallery. If you want to see what people find interesting enough to share, and can get past their technical potholes, The Photo Gallery can be a pleasant surprise.