Reply To: Some Concerns of Mine

[IHF]

Ditto what everyone else has said thus far.
I also have to throw in that there are times when I show a port or a photograph or two to my children from posts on this forum just out of curiosity (and they seem in the mood) and ask “what do you think of this picture?” They 99.9% of the time have the same opinion as I do and/or of other commentators on the thread. They may not say “These pictures are out of focus. They need to learn how AF works, and how to lock and recompose.” And only ask “why are they all blurry?”, but the honest first impression is the same. My children are sometimes even “meaner” than I am, and will laugh hysterically at certain images that I know weren’t taken to make people laugh :/ and then flat out say how awful it is. They will say “boring. It’s a building, oh great! The same building again…” When I will say something like “They need to start shooting their architecture in better light. And take more time with their compositions, and experiment with different POVs. I feel like I’m looking at aunt Ethel’s snaps of the neighborhood, instead of a photographer’s portfolio” . All my kids know is that the pictures are boring. I know why they are, but the critique and first impression is the same. My kids aren’t photographers and have no interest in it at all, yet they have opinions when they look at images, just like anyone else does. I’m only an enthusiast, peon, nobody in the photography world, and I like it that way, but I have an opinion and can see what I don’t or DO like about individual photographs or portfolios of work that are shared. To say that I cannot/don’t have a say or that I don’t know enough to critique, just because I don’t shoot for money, prizes or awards, etc is just silly, and seems a little desperate to me.

I have received negative critique, and have never once got defensive and said “let me see YOUR work, know it all!”. Instead I ask questions and learn what I can, and then thank them all profusely for their time. Sure there are a few out there that have a few screws loose, and I might question (TO MYSELF) their abilities if what they say just doesn’t make a lick of sense after listening to others and a little research or experimenting. Then just stand back and watch them get corrected by everyone else that replies to the topic/critique. Believe me when I say, that when invalid, incorrect information or advice gets thrown out there. There WILL be a discussion taking place that doesn’t even involve the original poster anymore. lol photographers don’t just let bad critiques or inaccurate assessments fly. If you got a negative review, and received lots of criticism and a whole blazing discussion didn’t start flying trying to defend your work or an aspect of it, you can rest assured that it was an accurate assessment, and it’s time to step up your game. Sorry, buck up!