| Author | Thread |
|
|
06/06/2003 10:58:49 AM · #1 |
Because you learn from it.
Well over the last month of being here I have learned more from leaving comments then I did from getting them. I used to say nice photo or really like it or something like that. Now however I find myself studying the persons image and trying to imagine what they were thinking. I get into the photo bad or good so that I can leave a helpful and well thought out comment.
I didnt realize that while I was doing this I was learning and have probably got more out of leaving comments then the person I gave them to.
So the next time you comment on an image try to take a few minutes and really study it, you may find you benefit as much if not more then the person receiving it.
|
|
|
|
06/06/2003 11:05:00 AM · #2 |
It's kind of disheartening to realize the scores *I* would give my shots, if I hadn't shot them and was voting on them the same as everyone else's. :-> I can definitely say I haven't deserved anything as high as a 6, yet.
|
|
|
|
06/06/2003 11:10:15 AM · #3 |
Funny I completely agree with you. I posted my first challenge to liquid. I got so wrapped up in setting up the shot that I forgot what I was trying to show. Then when i went back and looked at it thought damn I would only give that a 4. Ahh well at least its a learning experience.
However I would disagree with you on your images not deserving a 6 you have some really good shots that are better then 6's
|
|
|
|
06/06/2003 11:32:21 AM · #4 |
I do the same thing, sort of -- before the submission time runs out, I post my entry then come back to it sort of "suddenly" here and there, and try to think what I would rate it if it were someone else's photo. If it's too low, I've actually gone back and submitted something else.
But I would have given my own Matrix shot a 7, and it hardly got that. So who knows? :)
I love leaving comments, agreed. It does teach something about what is going on technically in the photo.
Maybe next time I'll try imagining what comment I'd leave on my own photo, instead of just what score I'd leave. Had I done that THIS week, my liquid photo would have been a lot better. Almost every comment is saying the same thing, and it's exactly what I'd have said if I had thought it through critically like that. |
|
|
|
06/06/2003 11:35:57 AM · #5 |
| I like your Matrix photo carolee. I would have giving it a 7 but thought that the tea-pot was distracting and taking my attention away from the spoon where I thought the attention should be. So I gave it a 6. I did like it though. |
|
|
|
06/06/2003 11:54:40 AM · #6 |
Originally posted by Diversq:
However I would disagree with you on your images not deserving a 6 you have some really good shots that are better then 6's |
In my portfolio, sure. But not so much in my challenge submissions, so far. I pretty much agree with which ones of my challenge submissions rated higher or lower than others; I don't feel cheated. :->
On the other hand, I don't get depressed and think, 'What's the point of submitting at all?' If nothing else, I'm making everyone else in the competition look good. And the critique club feedback is quite valuable.
|
|
|
|
06/06/2003 03:35:44 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by Diversq:
Because you learn from it.
Well over the last month of being here I have learned more from leaving comments then I did from getting them. I used to say nice photo or really like it or something like that. Now however I find myself studying the persons image and trying to imagine what they were thinking. I get into the photo bad or good so that I can leave a helpful and well thought out comment.
I didnt realize that while I was doing this I was learning and have probably got more out of leaving comments then the person I gave them to.
So the next time you comment on an image try to take a few minutes and really study it, you may find you benefit as much if not more then the person receiving it. |
Somehow this turned topic to scores. hmm :)
I agree with you Diversq. I have to admit to not having much time lately, but I try to comment based on the critique club standards. That doesn't mean I elaborate as much as CC, but I go thru the thought process in my head, and try to make quick summarized comments based on that breakdown. For example, look at the overall photo, and ask yourself what is going on in the photo, or how it makes you feel. Then, consider things like composition, lighting, colors, angle, technique. The thought process can teach you, and jotting down even the most important (in your mind) parts of your thought process might help someone else too. Later, when the challenge is over, when you go back to find out how a photo ranked, the comment you left, and the other comments others made can help to firm up your view, or change your mind.
It is interesting!
|
|
|
|
06/09/2003 04:53:42 AM · #8 |
This is my first post!
I agree entirely with the above - commenting teaches us about how to look at a photo, even if only to sharpen our awarenesses about what we look for in a photo.
My comment would be about the issue of hurting peoples' feelings. I know that we are free to leave comments, and also that only positive feedback is hardly valuable (unless the shot is truly great). But how do others avoid bad feeling while leaving useful comments? |
|
|
|
06/09/2003 08:24:12 AM · #9 |
| Because a useful comment .. even if completely honest ... can be tactful. |
|
|
|
06/09/2003 11:17:58 AM · #10 |
| And because you can make it clear you're just expressing your opinion. A LOT of my comments have included a phrase like "I would have preferred" or "I think a foo would have been better" or even "maybe x instead of y", because, well, it IS just my opinion. Ones that aren't phrased this way are of course no less my opinion but usually they're things that I expect the photographer will easily see the basis of and therefore not be offended. Frustrated, maybe, but not offended. |
|
|
|
06/09/2003 11:22:37 AM · #11 |
Originally posted by qachyk:
And because you can make it clear you're just expressing your opinion. A LOT of my comments have included a phrase like "I would have preferred" or "I think a foo would have been better" or even "maybe x instead of y", because, well, it IS just my opinion. Ones that aren't phrased this way are of course no less my opinion but usually they're things that I expect the photographer will easily see the basis of and therefore not be offended. Frustrated, maybe, but not offended. |
I remember being taught in English classes that when providing feedback or critique that it was entirely superfluous to phrase the comment with terms like 'I believe' or 'in my opinion' or similar, as it should be patently obvious to any reader that this is the opinion of the author and not statements of fact. There are ways to be tactful without being redundant but it would be nice to think that readers were robust enough to take the what they need from comments and ignore the rubbish.
I think comments that are phrased in terms of absolutes are probably more likely to be offensive or be ignored. Suggestions for improvements or areas to consider are probably more effective than definitive statements about what is wrong or should have been done. Personal feelings, emotional impact etc are often the more interesting comments.
The comments that usually tend to irritate me the most are those that explain in detail how to fix things that were made the way they appeared through concious choice (exposure, depth of field, blur etc), particularly when they are phrased in terms of how to avoid this 'error'
Message edited by author 2003-06-09 11:28:55. |
|
|
|
06/09/2003 11:31:18 AM · #12 |
I'd just be happy if those who really think my entries are worth 3s and 4s would at least spend a second to tell me what it is about my pic that they think makes it below average..... don't mind that my photo might not be to their liking but would at the very least like to know why...... okay, this is bordering on a rant..... but sometimes it just leaves me scratching my head!
Message edited by author 2003-06-09 11:31:31. |
|
|
|
06/09/2003 11:39:54 AM · #13 |
| I agree Todd. I always leave a comment if I vote 1,2,3,4 or 8,9,10. If its a 5 thru 6 most of the time I dont comment and only sometimes on a 7. And now I am also saying what score I gave. |
|
|
|
06/09/2003 12:47:28 PM · #14 |
Yeah, I was taught in English class that you could assume the "I believe" as well, but this was clearly by an English teacher who had never been online, where a) some people clearly forget this rule and b) some people think everything they say is Gospel Truth even when it's an opinion. So I hedge my bets.
Also, I like to avoid the trap of having people think I'm telling them "This is the way you can 'fix' your picture", because I'm generally not qualified to say so (just look at my scores for why) and anyhow I might be missing something about intention (that's the drawback of the purely blind vote without any of the photographer comments), so yes, I tend to emphasize I'm making suggestions of how the picture would have come across better to me. I don't do this with every bit of every comment, mind you, I just have a trend of doing it as often as not. |
|
|
|
06/09/2003 02:21:14 PM · #15 |
I will often note the things that I think worked well for the photo, then I might add a comment suggesting one thing that either distracted me or that might work better. But for me, if I make a point to mention the good stuff, that helps me SEE the good stuff, too.
|
|
|
|
06/09/2003 02:36:19 PM · #16 |
I'm spending a lot of my time with the CC assignments. I'm not giving comments during voting lately, cause I find it hard to say what I want during voting, then say the same thing again when I get it as a CC assignment later. Seems silly to me, so I wanted to go 'one way or the other'. Talked it over with a bunch of people, who said that I should stick with commenting for the CC. I tell people what I like about a photo, and more importantly what I don't like, maybe a trick that could make it appeal more to me, and I like to tell a lot of exactly what I see. Sometimes, what the photographer sees, isn't always what the viewer sees.
Feel free to request a CC comment. We don't always get to ALL the shots, but we've been doing a good job getting to most of them lately.
|
|
|
|
06/09/2003 02:37:19 PM · #17 |
| Oh, and feel free to JOIN the CC too. It really IS a great learning experience. |
|
|
|
06/09/2003 02:45:05 PM · #18 |
Originally posted by Diversq:
I agree Todd. I always leave a comment if I vote 1,2,3,4 or 8,9,10. If its a 5 thru 6 most of the time I dont comment and only sometimes on a 7. And now I am also saying what score I gave. |
I feel quite the opposite. I think I pick the shots to comment on that I feel have good solid composition, but just don't quite have it how I think it should be. Sometimes, I'm way off. You can't see every picture the way the artist thinks it should be seen. Sometimes, I can offer a good alternative angle or perspective, or whatever I see that the photographer did not or saw but could not properly capture. I've gotten a little more confidence in my commenting and that's sometimes good, sometimes not.
I don't like to comment on photos where the composition is kinda weak, or an average composition that it is maximized by the photographer's skill, but still not really strong as an overall image. I guess I like to comment on the ones that are almost good. I do give the pats on the back comments too. I make few comments these days, but most of them are pretty detailed, sometimes like mini-critiques even.
To each his own.... Bob |
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 07/26/2025 07:33:56 PM EDT.
