This may seem like an elementary question, but here ya' go:

What's the purpose of this forum?

Is it to simply share photos? Is it to offer critique and, if you're posting a photo, to learn from the experience of others?

At the risk of running afoul, I've come to a conclusion. Please hear me out.

I'm a professional photographer. It's all I do. As such, I endeavor to always present the best of my work, whether it's to a paying client, and editor or just here on UHH.

Lately, I've been seeing photos posted that, to be blunt, aren't very good. Composition, lighting, processing; you name it. They have problems, and not insignificant ones. Yet, the comments I see, almost invariably, are things such as "Great capture!" or "You really captured the essence of_________" or any multitude of other comments which are, for lack of a better word, polite.

The comments, though, don't seem to be at all helpful. Someone posted some photos they shot, and the laudatory comments ensued. Yet the photos were dull and flat, slanted and, well, just uninteresting.

If it makes sense, they were "snapshots" as opposed to "photographs". Snapshots are fine if they're presented as snapshots. Generally speaking, though, my experience has taught me that most photography forums revolve around "photographs".

I find myself simply shaking my head and moving on, not wanting to be seen as Johnny Raincloud when someone posts photos. The reality is, though, things get posted here which aren't very good, and it seems as though very few people seem real interested in helping the poster improve.

If that's what this forum is about, that's cool. I can continue to simply move on. However, if this forum is about learning and improving, I'd like to know that, as well.

Make no mistake: I'm not saying I'm a photographer without flaws; far from it. But I've been at this long enough to know what makes a good photo and what makes a bad one. I'm not looking to judge, just to help.

Thoughts?

This may seem like an elementary question, but here ya' go:

What's the purpose of this forum?

Is it to simply share photos? Is it to offer critique and, if you're posting a photo, to learn from the experience of others?

At the risk of running afoul, I've come to a conclusion. Please hear me out.

I'm a professional photographer. It's all I do. As such, I endeavor to always present the best of my work, whether it's to a paying client, and editor or just here on UHH.

Lately, I've been seeing photos posted that, to be blunt, aren't very good. Composition, lighting, processing; you name it. They have problems, and not insignificant ones. Yet, the comments I see, almost invariably, are things such as "Great capture!" or "You really captured the essence of_________" or any multitude of other comments which are, for lack of a better word, polite.

The comments, though, don't seem to be at all helpful. Someone posted some photos they shot, and the laudatory comments ensued. Yet the photos were dull and flat, slanted and, well, just uninteresting.

If it makes sense, they were "snapshots" as opposed to "photographs". Snapshots are fine if they're presented as snapshots. Generally speaking, though, my experience has taught me that most photography forums revolve around "photographs".

I find myself simply shaking my head and moving on, not wanting to be seen as Johnny Raincloud when someone posts photos. The reality is, though, things get posted here which aren't very good, and it seems as though very few people seem real interested in helping the poster improve.

If that's what this forum is about, that's cool. I can continue to simply move on. However, if this forum is about learning and improving, I'd like to know that, as well.

Make no mistake: I'm not saying I'm a photographer without flaws; far from it. But I've been at this long enough to know what makes a good photo and what makes a bad one. I'm not looking to judge, just to help.

Thoughts?

Not entirely.

I guess maybe I don't see much of a point in sharing a photo if I'm not willing to accept some constructive criticism of it. Furthermore, if someone says "Hey, great photo!", shouldn't I have the latitude to say "Hey, no it's not!" if it's not, without being lambasted, provided I take the time to explain why it's not?

While there is a "Photo Analysis" section, the sub-heading to this section also mentions "general critique".

My view is this: I shoot some real crap sometimes. Odds are, you're never going to see it. But if someone posts something that's relative garbage, where's the harm in pointing out the shortcomings of the photo (without calling it garbage, of course)?

I could cite examples, but I'm intentionally trying not to do that...

Not entirely.

I guess maybe I don't see much of a point in sharing a photo if I'm not willing to accept some constructive criticism of it. Furthermore, if someone says "Hey, great photo!", shouldn't I have the latitude to say "Hey, no it's not!" if it's not, without being lambasted, provided I take the time to explain why it's not?

While there is a "Photo Analysis" section, the sub-heading to this section also mentions "general critique".

My view is this: I shoot some real crap sometimes. Odds are, you're never going to see it. But if someone posts something that's relative garbage, where's the harm in pointing out the shortcomings of the photo (without calling it garbage, of course)?

I could cite examples, but I'm intentionally trying not to do that...

The charm of UHH for me, and the value, is that there are a lot of amateurs and snap shooters posting along with some extremely knowledgeable and talented serious photographers. Many are using photography as an enjoyable hobby, as a way to get out there in the world and then share their adventures, as a way to have souvenirs of family and pets, etc. Those activities are, and always have been, an important part of photography. We can look at some of those photos and find fault with them easily enough, but until and unless a person asks for help it is not polite or constructive to do so. Answers are of no value to a person who is not asking the questions, no matter how good the answers may be.

People taking and posting photos of their pets, or their children or grandchildren , care about the subject and are just sharing that. They don't "see" the photo the same way you might, what they "see" is the loved one captured as a moment in time. That does not mean there is no value to the photo. Look at photos from the Civil War. Are they always well-executed? No. But they are interesting and of value.

Similarly, photos are valuable when they are being taken by others with a shared interest, regardless of how well the photos were executed. For example, when someone posts a photo of an operating railroad steam locomotive, that is of interest to me and I am glad they took the photo and posted it. Many are posting photos of native plants from different parts of the country and the world. That is of interest to me for the sake of the subject, not because of the quality of the photo.

I am glad that there are not endless hair-splitting and tedious debates between the experts here as there are on some other photography boards. I am glad that there is a place here for anyone interested in photography on any level. At the same time, the experts and professionals that we do have here are second to none anywhere, and the wealth of information and inspiration we can get from them is incalculable.

Snapshot and casual photography, souvenir photography, journalistic record photography, specialty photography such as the techniques the True Macro group is pursuing here, portrait photography, nature photography, post processing, technical advice and ideas - it all has a place.

Now, are people improving their skills as a result of this approach? Or is everybody mired in the world of crap shots because they aren't being adequately criticized? I say yes, people are improving their skills under this arrangement. There are several people here who have dramatically improved the quality of their photographs over the few months I have been here without anyone ever telling them that their early efforts were crap, even though they probably were. Others are happy doing what they are doing and are not looking for criticism. Were it up to me, I would say they are welcome here. The membership requirements should be 98.6 and shooting.

Mike