What is a "Gallery"

[kbg32]

I agree with a lot that has been said by many different posts here. I live in one of the most diverse cities on the planet, but I can't help feel that opinions are governed by a small select few without regard for the many.

I come here because there is no other place on the web that I enjoy this much. I like the fact that we are from different backgrounds, different countries, etc., but we all share a love of photography, and that brings us all here. I enjoy listening to different opinions - good, bad, or indifferent. It makes one think and hopefully to remain open and honest. (Too bad Roger felt he had to leave.)

Let RFF remain open.

 

[jan normandale]

The answer is crop rotation! Farmer's style. Take one quarter of your shots and plow them under once a year. The remaining 3/4 get to live a little longer. Add about one quarter new shots per cycle whether it is one year or month or what ever. Keep it fresh. If you have some personal standouts, keep them in a folder for that purpose. The rest are open for bringing in off the 'field' as the cycle comes up.

Some of my shots are throw away and I've done that. Some are throw away because of 'monthly projects' we have subscribed to. Afer a while either remove them or if they have some specific merit either technically or artistically keep them in your special purpose folder.

Some RFF members have high quality shots, in my opinion. I would like to see them stay. Many members are not frequently participants. Still I wrote to one RFFer and he replied about 2 months later! His work by the way is excellent. He just isn’t active. I wouldn’t want to see inactive members galleries tossed if they have photographic merit for people to learn from. Believe it or not I have seen some incredible portraits and even of children.

Just keep it fresh and save a site/folder for some classics you are really proud of. Uploads, okay 5 a day. Maybe the members will go to the Gallery section and look at what is on this site. I was initially surprised at the amount of ‘tackle talk’ here. Commenting on photos might increase if there were less uploads.

Jan

 

[Hektor]

THis is good stuff !

Whocares about the gallery ? The debate about the gallery is much more interesting !

WHOOWEE Come back Roger !

(oops, will that get me dumped ?)

 

[RayPA]

I agree with Roman's take on the gallery. It should be a direct reflection of the forum side of RFF, where we are inclusive of beginners, encourage their involvement, tolerate blow-hards, lurkers, gear-heads, darkroom chemists, etc.; a place where we are respectful of others. As much as I find an endless stream of vacation pics intolerable quality-wise, I can point to comparable threads on the forum side that are just as much a load of "dross." It seems a little hypocritcal to be one way on the forum side and completely the other way on the gallery side.

I find the gallery an important extension of the forum side. I frequently visit others galleries through their signature links. I find it lends some credibility to the poster, not based on quality, but based on the fact that they have the nuts to put up photos. I assume that everybody puts up their best and most creative RF stuff. It better be, it's in your signature! 🙂 I find it odd and disappointing that some members have no or very little images in their gallery. Gearhead or not, this is a photography-based site put something up! Then lets hear you rant or give advice about a type of camera, lens, film/chemistry combination, or advocate for a particular developer.

We're a photo site. The end result is an image, and RF image. The more people shooting with RF's the better. RFF is a big part in keeping that alive. If you want hard-biting brutal critiques of your work, go to p.net or some other site, but come back here when you're done. 🙂

 

[back alley]

THis is good stuff !

Whocares about the gallery ? The debate about the gallery is much more interesting !

WHOOWEE Come back Roger !

(oops, will that get me dumped ?)

sarcasm?

to be clear, no one has EVER been thrown off of this forum!

maybe we are not meant to be for everyone, that is a choice of the individual.

joe

 

[nemjo]

In my opinion, if you want serious critique, well, look for an appropriate place (though, frankly, I don't know any) ...; if you want to show off your very best pics and show what a great artist you are, well, make your own homepage.

... I totally agree that it is not quite OK to come here and upload pages and pages of holiday snaps (even though there's nothing wrong with that kind of pic per se), and then disappear and never participate in the community again... (though I don't know how to prevent that, except with daily upload limits).

Roman

I agree from the first to the last word - if it counts.

nemjo

 

[Kat]

I'm with Roman, too. After I found this forum, I signed up for a local egroups of photographers in my area which I expected to be able to easier relate to, but I found myself looking forward less to reading their messages than to checking out the posts here. Most folks there are "pros," most of the posts are on the more commercial aspect of photography. Many of the pictures they post are professional studio shots or wedding jobs, which would make my amateur shots and my subjects of choice out of place. I think it's all a matter of what we look for in a group--some may want something serious, others more laid back.

I like the openness and friendliness of people here, where there isn't a big gap over the "serious" or "professional" photographers and the amateurs, where anyone can feel comfortable enough to share whatever they produce--good or bad. I don't think everybody here necessarily posts pics for criticism, or for praises. People post pictures for many other reasons, like those the others have said (to demonstrate the quality of the camera, film, etc), or even just to share the experience. I think there will be little room for growth if only the good stuff are shown.

That said, I rarely to go the galleries unless directed by the photographer, I tend to look mostly at pictures shared in the forum itself where the person who took them can tell me more about them. And I can definitely see why it would be annoying and a major problem if people upload everything and anything they take in there.

 

[Bertram2]

Hi to all,

I've asked and I got some answers, thanks ! As far as I see nobody is really interested to look for a new approach to quality, most of of want to leave it as it is but restrict the quantity.

What i don't get is that for some of you criticism is imdissoluble connected to offensive, rude, impolite, I read even the word brutal ! We don' t need brutality here says Joe.
Could I be misunderstood as somebody who wants brutality introduced in our communication? I don't think so.

Is ANY kind of criticism necessarily violating for you ?
For heaven's sake, gents, have you forgotten that there are alternatives in between saying something "nice" and beeing violating, rude and offensive ?
Isn't it imaginable for you that sombody can say negative things about your pic without offending you personally ? And that you don't feel offended either reading such stuff but decide if there is anything useful in the comment you will accept or if it is just pseudo competent nonsense of somebody who has not learned his own lessons yet.

I mean this should work among grown ups, a BIT self consciousness would be necessary tho !

Regards,
Bertram

 

[bmattock]

i see no need for brutality of any sort.

That's because you're so nice. It's terrible, for God's sake. Politeness is the new brutality.

maybe there needs to be another forum somewhere, for severe honesty and brutality, where the truly strong can go to be horse whipped into being more creative.

One cannot be horsewhipped into being more creative. One either is or one is not creative. What the horsewhipping accomplishes is to make one realize that no one else sees what you see, and since you're going to get horsewhipped anyway, might as well make the creative photographs that you really want to make.

It also makes one realize that one don't need anyone else's approval to make a photograph and dare call it 'art'. When one arises from the muck and flings off the oppressive approval of one's loving friends, then perhaps one can begin to do work that matters.

The problem, you see, is that first we produce what we see others produce. Then, we produce what we think our friends and family will like. Then, and only sometimes, we begin to nourish the beast that lives within us.

Until then, it's just pretty pictures.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[bmattock]

The answer is crop rotation! Farmer's style. Take one quarter of your shots and plow them under once a year. The remaining 3/4 get to live a little longer. Add about one quarter new shots per cycle whether it is one year or month or what ever. Keep it fresh. If you have some personal standouts, keep them in a folder for that purpose. The rest are open for bringing in off the 'field' as the cycle comes up.

Perfect! I agree. I'd like to add that while rotating - we should have a small script that executes at pseudo-random times and erases all comments about a single photo - and replaces them with obscenities.

Likewise, I believe all voting booths in the USA should be rigged to administer a painful electric shock to one out of every 1,000 voters on a random basis. Just to make sure only people who really felt was important to vote did so. Voting should be painful, but on a totally random basis - like life. A boot to the head for no good reason.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[back alley]

bill,

i need clarification, are you looking for an argument or to educate us or...?

i'm am (in the nicest possible way) completely baffled.

joe

 

[dmr]

I'm one who does look at the gallery fairly regularly. (Yes, I did at first miss the flood from one user which started this thread and the previous.) I do enjoy seeing what others shoot.

Very few gallery photos appear to me to lack, to the photographer, a serious effort at what he or she considers an artistic, creative, or interpretive work. Some of them don't really interest me, but I do appreciate the fact that they are eager about what they shoot. IMAO, there are relatively few trivial ("this is me and the kids standing on line at Disneyland") type of photos. 🙂

As to critique and criticism, this is a very nice group of people here, and we, myself included, are hesitant to say anything bad about another's work. That's a compliment, gang! 🙂

Now as to somebody getting p*ssed off and leaving, that's his or her choice. If somebody truly doesn't think he or she fits, it makes sense. I don't read everything here, but I have yet to see a discussion digress to name-calling or a shouting match, or worse to the point that one user thinks the best thing is to leave. The most heated thread I can think of is one on battery types and voltages a while back. I think most people here can agree to disagree when it's necessary, while still respecting the other's opinion as valid from his or her point of view.

We're a very diverse group here, and that's one thing I like! We cross not only geographic boundaries, but cultural boundaries and value boundaries as well.

Oh well ... those are some of my thoughts anyway ...

 

[bmattock]

bill,

i need clarification, are you looking for an argument or to educate us or...?

Perhaps I've just gone stark raving mad, is all.

i'm am (in the nicest possible way) completely baffled.

I'm baffled too, Joe. I woke up this morning and realized that my best photographic work has not been done yet, and that everything I've ever done is utter garbage to this point. I want to tear the world down and scribble on it with a big felt-tip marker.

Drugs in the water supply? Too much coffee? Perhaps too much Pink Floyd...

Run to the bedroom, in the suitcase on the left
You'll find my favourite axe
Don't look so frightened
This is just a passing phase
Just one of my bad days
Would you like to watch T. V.?
Or get between the sheets?
Or contemplate the silent freeway?
Would you like something to eat?
Would you like to learn to fly?
Would you like to see me try?
Would you like call the cops?
Do you think it's time I stopped?
Why are you running away?

Perhaps I shouldn't have bothered chewing through the straps on my straitjacket this morning....

Sorry, everyone! I'll shut up now...

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[back alley]

thank you manny, i can sleep tonite knowing that typing, spelling and being in a hurry is STILL something i have yet to conquer.



mmmmmmmmmmmm🙂 joe

 

[kiev4a]

Now as to somebody getting p*ssed off and leaving, that's his or her choice. If somebody truly doesn't think he or she fits, it makes sense. ...

That must be me. For 17 years I have attended a Saturday morning five-member coffee group. Recently, we were discussing why the group has lasted so long. We concluded the reason we stick together is we're the only people who can stand us.🙂

 

[back alley]

bill,

we seem to share the timing regarding our feelings about our 'work'.
i too have been in a dowmward mode, feeling almost angry at myself for being such a lousy shooter.
i have been reading even more about gear lately preferring that to looking at photos.
the gear i can understand and even attain if i have the ready cash, but the talent and patience to improve my photography still seems to elude me.

joe

 

[oftheherd]

...


Sorry, everyone! I'll shut up now...

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

Whew, 'bout time. 😀

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

It's all crap. 98% of what everyone produces, myself included, is pure dross. The 2% that isn't utter crap is worthy of sharing with friends such as here on RFF, but it should be here and gone - moving on to the next thing.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

Having run a 1-hour photo lab and observed thousands of other peoples photos, I have to say that you are very generous in saying that 98% are crap. I honestly believe it is closer to 99.5% crap.

What is a gallery?

My ignorance and apathy are going to show 'cause I don't know and I don't care.

Good Light Everyone,

Wayne

 

[Todd.Hanz]

Is a gallery like the RFF gallery simply a shoebox in the web for all subscribers, a place to post photos of anything and everything , the photog's unrevisited "raw" ouput ?.

Or is it a "Gallery" in the proper traditional sense of the word ? This would be a place to show the very best of your work only and posted to get some constructive criticism.

There is a a large part of the daily pic-input which belongs to the "raw output " definition and the question is why should this be interesting for the rest of the members ?

Bertram

I shoot images of what "I" find interesting, I don't think about Bmattock, Bertram or anyone else before pushing the shutter (sorry guys!). I appreciate when someone leaves a comment, good or bad, constructive or not, I welcome anothers opinion but it doesn't affect what or how I shoot something.

I value the gallery because it shows the end product of our gear, why own 50-60 rangefinders if you don't shoot them once and awhile? I have used the gallery to see the results of gear that was on my short list of GAS, Taffer, Roman, wlewisii are responsible for my purchase of an Iskra due to thier sample shots in the gallery.

If you don't like an image why does it matter to you? You could leave a constructive comment, a tip on composition or exposure and help someone to improve thier skills, or you could do nothing and complain about it.

I agree with the choice of limiting the number of posts to 5 per day, this should solve alot of issues.

Someone said we should require those who post in the gallery to participate in the forum, this would eliminate two of the best photographers the gallery has, Peter and Graski, both of whom post little in the forum but choose to speak volumes with thier images.

Should we hold the forum in the same regard as the gallery, littered with meaningless dribble and "OT" posts by many who are just trying to pad thier post count???



Todd

 

[24x30]

Having run a 1-hour photo lab and observed thousands of other peoples photos, I have to say that you are very generous in saying that 98% are crap. I honestly believe it is closer to 99.5% crap.

What is a gallery?

My ignorance and apathy are going to show 'cause I don't know and I don't care.

This one made me smile 🙂 ... enough to repeat it 😉

/rudi