Are you prepared to say you don't like someone's pictures?

Are you prepared to say you don't like someone's pictures?

  • Yes - I'll tell anyone what I think.

    Votes: 18 10.2%

  • I'll try to be constructive when I post but I will be honest.

    Votes: 109 61.9%

  • I don't believe in being negative.

    Votes: 20 11.4%

  • Why bother, it'll only bring personal attack.

    Votes: 29 16.5%
  • Total voters
    176
S

Sejanus.Aelianus

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Just glancing through a few of the threads around people's posted pictures.

I find some of those pictures very much not to my taste. They seem to me to be lacking in point, poorly composed and technically incorrect. Yet I've never noticed any postings saying "I don't like this".

So, are you scared of flame wars, personal abuse and tit for tat revenge? Or do you just shrug and move on?
 
Photo forums are not good for commenting / critiquing pictures.
Almost no good comes of a public, shared exchange of commentary and the follow-up commentary about the various comments being made, revenge remarks, then the lens used, the DOF, the "ambiance", the dynamic . . . . whatever.

Nothing but trouble and bad feelings or fake, undue praise, etc etc.

People should post their stuff in the gallery and let others view and move along without engaging in debates on how good or bad you picture is.

If I ever need to comment on a piece of work, I'll send a PM and avoid a debate about it.
 
Yes, if someone asks for critique, I'll be honest.

I won't just plaster an "I don't like this!" on someone's photo post though.

I wish people would criticise my photos more...
 
I certainly will tell them if they are looking for critique but that is not always the reason for the post. I don't want to randomly go around just adding my opinion, especially one that criticizes their work.
 
Go over to the "l-camera forum" and search back about 2 years for a thread titled "Honest Critique" or "Honest Criticism". We shredded each other for about 8 months on that topic, then opened another thread that went on about "Rules for Critiquing" . . . ended up very hateful stuff.

Horrible experience. That's what drove me here.
 
Yes, I will tell anyone what I think if they ask me for critical comments. I see no need to make critical comments if not asked directly to do so. Like porn, if you don't like a photo you don't have to look at it much less comment critically on it.

Bob
 
I prefer an easy going forum where people can share a photo or two for no other reason than to share. If they ask for feedbacks then sure.
 
... only if they ask for an opinion, then they get the truth. Otherwise I keep the negative stuff to myself and just comment on photos I can be positive about
 
I'm of the opinion of who gives a crap what I think so beyond offering a bit of technical advice if and when its requested I pretty much keep my opinion to myself. Also I've often found that the people giving the most negative critiques are often the crappiest photographers. Often making me wonder why they don't practice what they preach.
BTW we all suck it just depends on who you ask :)
 
There used to exist active photo critique threads here, but they faded away. People could not handle negative critiques. It does not work.
 
Teuthida said:
Seconded.

People who post photos here usually need CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. That's best done in a gentle manner.

Real criticism is often brutal and should be.

A a certain point in your evolution as a photographer, you don't need or want criticism. You've developed your own eye, are confident of your vision, and don't really care what other people think of it. I presume the most gifted members here never post their own work. What would be the point?
Click to expand...

Not sure about that. Why should it be brutal? Few pictures are so awful that you can't find SOMETHING nice to say, and even if they are, you can say something like, "As far as I can see, you were trying to do so-and-so. Am I right? Well, it would probably have worked better if..."

Anyone who is brutal for the sake of being brutal is on a (probably petty) power trip and is not the sort of person with whom I wish to associate.

There are several reasons I don't critique pics on line but the most compelling is that some people can't take even gentle, helpful criticism. That's why I voted for 'Why bother?' Another is that pics on line generally look like hell anyway.

Incidentally, is the quote in your signature from "How Much is Enough"?

Cheers,

R.
 
If they ask for constructive criticism I'm happy to give it. if they don't I'm happy to keep my opinion to myself...
 
Diplomacy can be used.

"Your image looks nice. If you don't mind, I would recommend to crop the top a little so that more emphasis ....."
 
Asking for photo criticism from random, anonymous people we have never met in a public forum on the Internet doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Would one ask for medical or financial planning advice this way, and take what is given very seriously?

There is some selection/filtering happening because this is a photography forum and the people who are most likely to read and respond here are more than likely to have an interest in photography, but this selection is not effective enough to qualify everyone here as being trustworthy or skilled enough to give a useful critique. Add onto this the foibles of being human, especially ego and emotional baggage, and what one gets is worth about what one has paid for, which is nothing in the case of public online forums. It could also be worth less than nothing because it could be damaging.

I agree that at a certain point in ones experience, it is no longer important what others think, and ones own assessment is more reliable than most of the opinions others give. Once technical issues are taken care of, most everything else is subjective.

I'll try to read some of this topic from that other forum, but I can easily anticipate what I'll find there, and also what would happen if we were "honest" in giving critiques here at RFF. I think the best way for those who want a critique, is for them to select a photographer whose work they like, and ask him/her directly. that would be a more effect filtering process than simply being a reader of a public photo forum, with the time and inclination to present opinions, and possibly with an axe to grind.
 
Only when asked. Otherwise I keep my mouth shut about othes' work.

I try to be constructive, but I will point out issues.
 
I never give honest critique here, though sometimes I feel it would help a poster getting better. It's not the point of this forum. And when invited to give critique and doing so just to see the mods delete your post, has shown me it's better not to have any opinions at all here. This is a flower power kinda place. Love you all.
 
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