Who else is a bad judge of their photos?

[angelog]

I am curious if anyone else has this same problem: I post a lot of pictures in the gallery mainly to learn from the wonderful feedback in this forum. I never seem to get any notice to my personal favorites but I'm always blind-sided by lots of notice to photos I was reluctant to post!

 

[Ko.Fe.]

RFF is good gallery with dozen or so interesting pictures every week, but not true RF...

I have exactly same situation as yours here on Flickr. Two most viewed photos are not my specialty pics at all. It is gear related, DSLR taken pictures.
But I like it with RF on bw film 🙂

Few days ago I finished the article (in russian) about taste differences. With main reference quote and permission from one of RFF member.
The article is one of the views how we grow in photography:

You take pictures, nobody likes.
You improve, technically, pictures get noticed.
You learn how to take and cook pictures many going to like. But not you, often.
You take pictures you like and many others.

🙂

 

[BLKRCAT]

I find on flickr I scrutinize my own photos very hard. I only upload 1 or 2 from a roll. Which results most times most with a dozen or so favourites and a comment maybe from my personal best shots.

Either no one is seeing the shots, or it's not good enough for someone to fave. It doesn't get me down. I don't get beat up over comments, views, or faves. If what I'm doing makes me happy and I like the results and want to share them that's all it really is about.

 

[jsrockit]

I would not use flickr comments to judge the value of your work. You might be doing something right if you don't have a lot of comments. 😉

 

[2WK]

I find that when I submit photos to an art director / client, they usually pick the ones that I like the least. My favorites sometimes get unused. One mans trash is another mans treasure...I guess?

 

[Marco Milazzo]

This isn't always practical, of course, but you're usually a better judge of your own work if you can get away from it for a few months. Then you see it with fresh eyes.

Writers (especially poets) often do that. They'll write a poem or short story, then put it away for six months or so before they judge it. Many times the thing you thought was great was really just a temporary enthusiasm, and you've gotten over it.

 

[jordan.dickinson]

Ive had similar issues with recent photo competition entries. I submitted a handful of wet plate collodion images I liked (all of my girlfriend, which is funny, but easiest subject for my learning), but the one I thought the least interesting was chosen. I do see the value in the image chosen, it just wasn't my personal favorite. Additionally, I submitted the same images to another competition, so if any are chosen, I wonder if it'll be the same image with a different juror. My guess is no, but again, you never can tell. Everyone sees different things, so either here on RFF, on Flickr, or by a juror, there will always be a different take on your photos, but it doesn't mean you're a bad judge of your work.

 

[Jamie123]

I am curious if anyone else has this same problem: I post a lot of pictures in the gallery mainly to learn from the wonderful feedback in this forum. I never seem to get any notice to my personal favorites but I'm always blind-sided by lots of notice to photos I was reluctant to post!

Don't go by what gets good feedback, go by what you like. Don't take any advice from strangers. If you want proper feedback for your work, try finding a few people whose sensibilities you share and/or respect.

Personally, I love it when I like a picture nobody else cares for. If I really like it then no amount of criticism from other people will change my opinion and I'll gladly tell them that they just don't get it. However, sometimes I will put forth a picture that I think others will like but I'm not really that proud of. And then when I get even one critical feedback on it I feel quite bad. It's like I was caught being phony.

 

[Pioneer]

If I am taking pictures for others, I have learned to ask them what they expect and what they want.

If I am taking pictures for myself I have learned not to worry too much about what others expect.

My own style gradually changes and expands based on what I see in other people's work that I admire. Not based on what others may or may not see in my own work.

 

[cosmonaut]

Flickr is all about tags and what gear one uses. If I post a shot with a camera many people are interested in it will get all kinds of views. Ect. When I first got my D800 and tagged my pictures I would get all kinds of views.
Not so much with a camera that's not very popular. Also subject matter. Post a portrait of a young pretty lady and the views are very high.
There are ways of generating hits or views that has nothing to do with how good the pictures is. I see some pretty lame shots with hundreds of views and comments.

RFF is good gallery with dozen or so interesting pictures every week, but not true RF...

I have exactly same situation as yours here on Flickr. Two most viewed photos are not my specialty pics at all. It is gear related, DSLR taken pictures.
But I like it with RF on bw film 🙂

Few days ago I finished the article (in russian) about taste differences. With main reference quote and permission from one of RFF member.
The article is one of the views how we grow in photography:

You take pictures, nobody likes.
You improve, technically, pictures get noticed.
You learn how to take and cook pictures many going to like. But not you, often.
You take pictures you like and many others.

🙂

 

[lynnb]

It's human nature to categorise. If you post pictures that people have trouble categorising, or where they have no interest in the perceived category, I suppose they'll be less likely to comment.

Sometimes I get all enthusiastic about an idea or a picture, spend a lot of time on it, only to find it's of little or no interest to others. It doesn't mean it's a bad idea or photo though - it might well be bad, or it might just be that it doesn't resonate with that particular audience.

 

[FrankS]

I'm okay, it's the other people who don't see things my way.

😉

 

[mfogiel]

A lot of success in modern art, comes to people, who manage to persuade the others, that their ugly and meaningless artefacts are in fact masterpieces. Obviously, a friendly art merchant, who is going to bid your crappy photoshopped snapshot of a river bank to 2 miillion Euro will help underscore this idea. On the other and, if you like to have a lot of faves on flickr, either shoot your sister naked, or shoot your dog with sunglasses on and a lit cigar between his jaws. The golden way is in the middle.

 

[daveleo]

No one (I mean normal, non-artist, non-photo people) ever likes my personal favorites.
People like the same old stuff over and over again. Try to ask the typical person to step outside that small box they live in and you are pretty much a lonely guy.

Back to your original question . . . There was a fabulous thread here about a year ago (I think that FrankS started it ?) . . . it was "Critique my picture" and after 5 people critiqued it, someone else posted the next picture.
That thread just faded away, despite that the comments were very honest and helpful. None of the usual "wow!" . . . "funky" . . . "awesome" . . . real solid commentary.

The gallery here (and everywhere else on the internet) is too overwhelming with content for people to comment regularly and consistently. (IMO) So . . . don't take it badly. The lack of comments has more to do with the dynamics of internet forums than it does with your pictures.

 

[BlackXList]

I think the hardest thing to do is to detach emotion from the subject, it's very easy to allow your feelings towards a subject or a time when it was taken to colour your views about a photograph.

I know it happens to me. I love it when someone likes a photo that I feel that way about, but I try to keep an open ear to the feedback of people who don't necessarily know about the circumstances surrounding the shot, they might be seeing something that I'm not, because my view of it is clouded.

I also seek the views of non photographers, because we all judge on technical basis, and too quickly get into thinking "how would I have approached this" rather than taking a step back from it and seeing if the image works regardless of the technical variables.

One of the photographers I shoot with a lot and I have a short hand when discussing each others work (we've also known each other for many years, so neither of us get upset at criticism from each other) the phrase we send back and forth is usually along the lines of "ehhh, it's not saying anything" meaning that regardless of the technical merits, the photo isn't reaching a point of becoming more than a sum of the technical elements.

I think it's very beneficial to have someone who you can have that kind of emotion free occasionally brutally honest feedback with.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Who else is a bad judge of their photos?

Just about everyone. This is one of the luxuries of being an amateur. You can let the picture "mature" or "ferment" for a while before you show it to anyone. Professionals don't always have that luxury.

Cheers,

R.

 

[rivercityrocker]

As a professional many times editors choose photos that wouldn't have been my first choice. Actually I would say that about 85% of the time they choose differently from me.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'm a bad judge of my photos as that other people don't see the world in the same way as I do.

And part of being a pro is knowing that you have to use your talent to make someone else's vision come through your own viewfinder.

 

[Roger Hicks]

. . . part of being a pro is knowing that you have to use your talent to make someone else's vision come through your own viewfinder.

Which is of course even more fun when the brief is terminally vague because they don't know what they want.

Many years ago I did a Mexican cookbook with both food shots and Mexican "atmosphere" shots (general Mexican pics). They liked the former but not the latter, so they used someone else's "atmosphere" shots.

Then, a couple of years later, another publisher did a Mexican cookbook with someone else - and used their food shots and my "atmosphere" shots.

Cheers,

R

 

[gho]

One thing is to know how to take pictures that others will like the other thing is taking pictures you like. I would not worry too much about the comments.

On the other hand, it may be a nice exercise to have a look at pictures that get lots of comments and likes and trying to use the ingredients that lead to many likes. Be aware that you are then catering to the taste of a specific community. May not be a bad thing, especially if you are getting paid for what you are doing.

 

[rivercityrocker]

Which is of course even more fun when the brief is terminally vague because they don't know what they want.

In my experience that's usually the rule rather than the exception.

"Well, I kinda want it like this, but also like that with a dash of the other thrown in... You know what I mean?" :bang: