72 images 6 comments!!!

FrankS said:
I rarely make comments on others' photos, because photography is so personal, and the appreciation of any particular image is purely subjective. I don't think anyone should care what anyone else thinks about their photos. If someone posts an image to their gallery, it must mean that they like it and are proud of it.

Totally agree with Frank on this point! When I started to post my work few years ago I was concerned on the number of comments on the online gallery. I was rather upset on the relatively silence when I ask for comments of my work in a local digital dominated forum. After a while I am not bothered with the lack of comments. What is more important is that I like my work. Anyway, I have a nagging suspicion that the silence is not that my work is bad. It is probably the digital crowd is shocked into silence by the superior visual quality of film and shamed by primitive RF could take better photos than the high tech toys they use! 😛 😛 😛
 
I think the majority of shots on the gallery are damn good.......I don't understand the 99% crap mentality. It's with a fair bit of trepidation I'll even upload one of mine because of the quality I see there...I usually don't comment because I feel a little unqualified to do so, but read with interest constructive critiques of other people's shots.
One has to wonder why people pursue a hobby when they feel everything they (and others) shoot is trash....pursuit of perfection, or self-flagellation? Maybe I'm naive, but I always look for what I like about a shot rather than what I dislike about it.....
Why is a beautiful candid of your kid playing with a grasshopper crap, but an opportunistic snap of an ugly streetperson art? Seems there are a preconceived set of rules that determines a shot's validity before you've even looked at it......
In fairness I don't see a lot of negative comments in the galleries....it's just a perception I get from reading this forum that photographers are a pretty over-critical bunch. Isn't this supposed to be fun?
But I'm shallow.....
Mike
 
Nick R. said:
Sometimes telling people that they got spinach in their teeth is being neighborly.

True, Nick, but that's not what you did. Usually one tells others that they have spinach/parsley, etc in a discrete and polite manner. That's both sensitive and neighborly.

Your "get off your high horse" statement is arrogant, rude, and impolite. There's a difference between telling someone " your breath stinks" and "I discovered a new great-tasting mouthwash that perhaps you'd like to try."
 
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Peter said:
Totally agree with Frank on this point! When I started to post my work few years ago I was concerned on the number of comments on the online gallery. I was rather upset on the relatively silence when I ask for comments of my work in a local digital dominated forum. After a while I am not bothered with the lack of comments. What is more important is that I like my work. Anyway, I have a nagging suspicion that the silence is not that my work is bad. It is probably the digital crowd is shocked into silence by the superior visual quality of film and shamed by primitive RF could take better photos than the high tech toys they use! 😛 😛 😛

To be honest I don't get it: You guys post pics in a gallery but you don't give a damn if anybody watches this stuff, and if so you don't give a damn if he likes it ???
Because it does not matter anyway ? So what do you post pics then for ???????

The comments are probably "not important" in a sense that you do not depend on them in any way, or that they won't make you change your style . And their importance is of course relative anyway to the taste and knowledge of the one who comments.
But does that make comments , or worse, even the whole gallery meaningless and superfluous ??

If I find a brilliant photo in the gallery, why shouldn't I tell it the photog ? Isn't it an encouragement for him, which he has earned ? I personally don't comment on other than ( for me !) brilliant photos anyway, why should I comment on mediocre, faulty, carelessly made stuff and get involved in competence fights and smart a** discussions ?

Bertram
 
greyhoundman said:
If you want to comment... comment!
If you don't want to....then don't!

Different strokes for different folks. Sheesh!

Aw... cummmm-on G'man... pick a high horse and ride one... you can't ride both of them at the same time! 😀
 
i'm of the 'i don't really feel qualified' to comment group, honest.

but i do comment on if i like a shot or not.
i usually comment on the 'wow' shots or the ones i wished i'd taken.

but don't expect any 'negative space' or good use of 'bi-lateral cubist blockage' from me cause it's not likely gonna happen.
 
I wasn't going to comment on this thread but in a way it highlights another (and to me perhaps a more important) question. Why does everybody have to be the same?

I have no doubt that many may have joined the forum to look at examples of others work and to post their own. I am quite happy with that. For my part, I joined to talk to other photogs about RF photography. Ok, there are 5000+ members on the list but have a look through and a surprising number have never made a single post. There are far fewer active members and I think we a pretty diverse group and to me that makes it all the more fun. Add to that the fact the the thumbnails came off the home page and I am not surprised the number of comments went down. Since the classified went, there have perhaps only been about a third of the sales. I suspect many people tend to operate from the recent threads on the front page hence the traffic in W/NW comments but not in the gallery.

For my part, I rarely visit the gallery for a couple of reasons. My main interest is in the posts. Secondly, I do visit the gallery every now and again but I don't feel inspired ther enough to comment. There's nothing wrong with the photos and many are tecnically very good but despite being a fan of RF's, I am not a street photographer and much of the subject matter in the gallery doesn't interest me. If the gallery was arranged by subject matter rather than by author, I would probably visit more often to the sections that do interest. As to comments, I would leave them if the photo meant something to me and I wanted to come back to it. I wouldn't be comfortable leaving comments for the sake of it. I haven't been through the whole gallery but so far the only photo I have seen on the site which really moved me wasn't there but is Frank S's avatar. I could write a paragraph on that and it is a photo I would very much have liked to have taken and would also like to have on my wall.

If someone wants to encourage comments, fine. If someone has an idea that will achieve that fine. However, please do not tell me I should (or worse still, have to) post comments in the gallery. I just haven't enough time and there are too many photos. Maybe one solution would be to have a critique thread that I have seen elsewhere. Then if someone has a shot that they wantr specific comments on such as lighting, printing, contrast or whatever, they could put it there and it may attract more comment or positive feedback.

Kim
 
Like others I mostly comment on images that I wish I'd taken or admire for composition, technique, etc. I also, however will give my 2 cents on images I feel could use tighter cops, more contrast etc. Suggestions and opinions only, but always in a constructive manner. We're all learning here and every image posted need not be a classic. Poeple should feel free to post in oreder to get some feedback to help them the next time they shoot or print.
 
Who was it commented that if your friends do not like your work, find new friends?
 
greyhoundman said:
If you want to comment... comment!
If you don't want to....then don't!

Different strokes for different folks. Sheesh!

This attitude I like! Way to go G Man! 😀
 
Bertram2 said:
SNIP So what do you post pics then for ???????

The comments are probably "not important" in a sense that you do not depend on them in any way, or that they won't make you change your style . And their importance is of course relative anyway to the taste and knowledge of the one who comment.
Bertram

I don't know about the rest of you but my reason for posting is simply to show other members samples of current work and a few older shots to give a sense of history to the viewer. Comments are useful to have but ultimately one has already made a decision about the image simply by posting it for public display. There plenty of interesting images in the gallery with no comments.
 
Bertram2 said:
To be honest I don't get it: You guys post pics in a gallery but you don't give a damn if anybody watches this stuff, and if so you don't give a damn if he likes it ??? Because it does not matter anyway ? So what do you post pics then for ???????

I post mainly to help build and establish my identity here on RFF. To be honest, I do like it when someone says that they like one of my pictures.

The comments are probably "not important" in a sense that you do not depend on them in any way, or that they won't make you change your style . And their importance is of course relative anyway to the taste and knowledge of the one who comments.

Exactly!

But does that make comments , or worse, even the whole gallery meaningless and superfluous ??

No.

If I find a brilliant photo in the gallery, why shouldn't I tell it the photog ? Isn't it an encouragement for him, which he has earned ?

Sure. Go ahead.

I personally don't comment on other than ( for me !) brilliant photos anyway, why should I comment on mediocre, faulty, carelessly made stuff and get involved in competence fights and smart a** discussions ?

I agree.

Frank


Bertram

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
 
I know no-one specifically asked me, but... I post photos because I want to photographically share an experience (maybe travel snaps, maybe day-to-day life), or maybe to share something I've created that is artistic.

When it comes to comments, I use the "Lowered Expectations" approach: I expect to be told that I'm wasting film/time/bandwidth, and I'm OK with that. When/if someone makes a positive comment, it's a nice surprise.

I don't know if I've ever posted a comment on a photo. It's likely because I don't have much time for it, and I'm not a huge fan of the gallery layout. And besides, I'm not much into "mutual rutabaga-rubbing" 'cause honestly, if my GF ever found out? Oooh boy, I'd be in trouble! 😉

//edit: I just realised something else. I'm much more likely to go to the gallery when I see the name of a person whom I:
(a) know personally,
(b) hold in high esteem due to their contributions here and elsewhere, such as photo.net or APUG, or
(c) find interesting because of the way they respond to certain topics. Maybe they use humour, biting sarcasm, lots of smiley faces, something that gets my attention.

Just now, I went to the front page, and saw the name of a member I know (Hi Marc!) and instantly clicked on his gallery. I was even tempted to leave a comment ( 😱 ).

Having the random image display will certainly increase the likelyhood that I'll return to the gallery more often, and may even eventually drive me to comment. And now, I stop rambling...
 
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I like the layout of the gallery.
I post constructive comments if I can but I'm mostly like to say "nice shot!" or whatever just as a tip of the hat, so to speak. I hope that doesn't bother anyone.
I would like to hear more comments about my work but I'm not losing sleep over it.
The only thing bothering me is the lack of ratings in the rate my photo section. Maybe because people are just uploading snapshots? I've stopped posting in there now because no one seems to be doing any rating...
 
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