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07/09/2004 01:57:45 PM · #26 |
I think we have hit on one of the few weak links about this site... and that is the commenting setup.
I mark all comments I receive as helpful..purely because I appreciate people taking the time to add a comment about any image I submit.
I can only recall two occasions when I haven`t done this and that was because the comments were either sarcastic or nasty with absolutely no constructive element to them.
There are times when I receive really good advice and I find it very frustrating that I can`t do any more in the way of appreciation than I do for a mediocre comment. In these instances I have PM`d the commenter to thank them..but it really would be nice if we had a system where we could rate the comment instead and give it the credit it deserves. |
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07/09/2004 02:05:38 PM · #27 |
Solution!!!
Start all comments with:
"You are obviously a highly talented photographer, but I think on this shot you should have..."
And then critique away. |
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07/09/2004 02:09:22 PM · #28 |
Originally posted by boomer:
Here's what I don't get. You take the time to leave comments, and then, when I look at the results of a challenge, I find more than a few photographers who only mark a comment helpful if it was positive, and/or stroked the photographer. Maybe it's just me, but it's rubbing me the wrong way tonight. Is it just me? |
No, Boomer, it's not just you. I have noticed the same thing, and sometimes am not as honest or straight forward as I would be otherwise. I have also noticed that I get nearly no comments or "nice" ones, yet I score very low. While I like people trying to be considerate (!), I am one of the ones that are sometimes left not knowing just what mattered most to the person scoring my photo. I think we all get put off by the ones (the few, I think) that get all upset at a "negative" comment.
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07/09/2004 02:10:29 PM · #29 |
Originally posted by louddog:
Solution!!!
Start all comments with:
"You are obviously a highly talented photographer, but I think on this shot you should have..."
And then critique away. |
Let me cut and paste that right now! You are brilliant!!! LOL
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07/09/2004 02:46:56 PM · #30 |
I mark all comments as helpful. If somebody takes the time to comment I think he or she deserves acknowledgement. My favorite comments are those that make suggestions for improvement whether I agree with the idea or not. I'm here to learn so I like new input.
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07/09/2004 03:01:24 PM · #31 |
I think comments should be positive reenforcement and helpful, yes. Not positive as in "i loved your picture", but something like "I see you tried ..., but i personally think you might add this or try this instead, but keep at it and you'll get it" or something to encourage the photographer. After all, many of us don't check off that we want comments just because we want people to tell us we suck! We want to know how to improve our photos in order to get better. So, i think comments should be helpful.
It's always nice to hear "I love this photo" and it makes you feel good, but it's very little help to you when you are trying to improve it because it's getting a 4.5 score.
Negative comments are not helpful at all and very upsetting to an aspiring photographer/artist. It's okay to say "I don't particularly care for this photo due to the lighting or subject or something" but to say "What were you thinking?! or This is horrible" is really really really uncalled for, in my opinion.
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07/09/2004 03:11:28 PM · #32 |
I sometimes feel like saying "I love the idea, BUT..." (or variations thereof) comes off as very patronizing. If you have real positive points, make them, don't tie them to you negative comments. It's like saying "Hey, you look great in the dress, but those earrings are so over done!" There's no compliment there at all, just the negative tag at the end.
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07/09/2004 03:20:31 PM · #33 |
Personally, I don't mind a negative response so much. What I do mind is a negative response that provides little to no insight as to how to improve the shot or suture similar shots.
Why does something just look like "X" and not as suggested in the image? What could enhance the shot to make it appear more like what is suggested or implied in the title or by the theme?
What kind of lighting may have improved the shot?
If something needs to be 'Brighter' what does that mean? Does that really mean a more vivid color or more light on the subject/background?
To me, a helpful comment isn't just pointing out how crappy you think something is for reasons X, Y and Z. A helpful comment may say reasons X, Y and Z as well as include a suggested technique or other change that could improve future shots.
I have received at least one positive remark that was nowhere near helpful, all it said was "Good Shot!" or something along those lines. So, I didn't mark it helpful, because its wasn't.
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07/09/2004 03:43:43 PM · #34 |
Positive comments are always going to be helpful, they make you feel good about yourself and build confidence. Negative comments on the other hand can be helpful if they are said properly. Saying this photo sucks does nothing for anyone but saying...This photo is lacking in....and saying what is the matter with the photo and how to improve it is what is needed for a negative comment to be helpful.
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07/09/2004 03:46:29 PM · #35 |
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07/09/2004 04:14:47 PM · #36 |
For me the value of this site is to help me learn, and for me, I'm learning far more commenting on other peoples' shots than I am learning from the comments I receive. I think I do a good job with commenting, usually offering both criticisms and suggestions for improvement as well as what I think worked well in the shot. I try to be respectful and never rude.
I don't concern myself much with how the photographer takes my comments -- I honestly don't care how many of my comments are marked "helpful." If it's helps them, that's great. If my suggestion was useless to them because of something I don't know (the photo had to be cropped that way because of some ugly obstruction that was off to the side, they couldn't come back to the location a different time of day for better light... etc etc) well that's fine. Or maybe we just disagree and have different taste. That's fine. *I* still learned from my comment by reinforcing in my mind what makes a photograph good to me. And hopefully that means the next shots I take will be just that much better if I remember to take my own advice. :)
I have no hesitation with throwing out compliments to photos I like. Sure it can be argued that it's not a helpful comment. But I don't think there's anyone who doesn't like some kind words on their photo! If nothing else, it's encouragement that they are getting things right!
I wish we all would spend more time commenting on the "average" photos. It's easy to comment on the very good or very bad. But it's what can be done to help those almost-very-good shots that is most challenging and I think would be most educational for all involved - the photographer and the peopel commenting. |
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