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Do photographers posting here want honest feedback, or not?

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RichDitch said:
Do people posting images here want honest feedback? Or is this more for "social sharing?"

I used to spend a lot of time posting at naturephotographers.net, where the expectation was that people would post their best work and expect honest critiques from other photographers. It was an excellent way for people to gauge the quality of their own work, hear honest criticism and advice, and incorporate that into their future work. I spent many years at NPN but have moved on after it changed owners and took a different form.

I know it can be hard for any of us to take criticism, and some people posting at NPN actually only wanted positive feedback. I also know how hard it can be to give honest feedback in a sensitive manner.

So, before I go down the wrong track here I'd like to hear what others think of this. Do you want such feedback? Do you think it helps or hurts to get such feedback? Do we need a way to indicate our preferences when we post an image? Should the be a separate forum just for image critiques?
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It is no use having honest feedback let alone troll type feedback. There are photos in my DPR galllery that i like for example and will be looking to replicate those types of photos but better. Nobody else likes them. I have a photo with 600 views which is great for me but some of my other photos are nearly as valuable to me in terms of ideas and poetry. I see competitions very often and the wrong photo wins. I entered a superb shot showing fantastic bokeh in a DPR challenge because actually it is stopped dowm a bit but all the winning shots were like shot wide open with a ton of bokeh. Bokeh is subjective so they are right you can say. I find it funny TBH. A 600mm F4 won i think. There is no bokeh in that shot. It is simply thrown completely out of focus. Bokeh is much higher quality in portraits than that. The winner was a wildlife lens. I CAME LAST WITH SUPERB BOKEH. Now you might agree with my shot coming last. Therefore your opinion is quite irrelevant to the journey i am on to try and improve and surprise. I do not agree with people critique my photos because even Take A View Experts pick the wrong photo to win. Hopefully the photographers that should have won do not change their direction in order to win next year because it means ART loses.
Attached photo I took just the other day. I luv it. Whether you or anyone else feels the same way is irrelevant to me because I do not trust other people to even say what is true anyway. I knwo it can be improved. Many people will say the wall is not straight . . I say the clouds and fence means it still works.
Regards Dino26323
 

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Dino26323 said:
It is no use having honest feedback let alone troll type feedback. There are photos in my DPR galllery that i like for example and will be looking to replicate those types of photos but better. Nobody else likes them. I have a photo with 600 views which is great for me but some of my other photos are nearly as valuable to me in terms of ideas and poetry. I see competitions very often and the wrong photo wins. I entered a superb shot showing fantastic bokeh in a DPR challenge because actually it is stopped dowm a bit but all the winning shots were like shot wide open with a ton of bokeh. Bokeh is subjective so they are right you can say. I find it funny TBH. A 600mm F4 won i think. There is no bokeh in that shot. It is simply thrown completely out of focus. Bokeh is much higher quality in portraits than that. The winner was a wildlife lens. I CAME LAST WITH SUPERB BOKEH. Now you might agree with my shot coming last. Therefore your opinion is quite irrelevant to the journey i am on to try and improve and surprise. I do not agree with people critique my photos because even Take A View Experts pick the wrong photo to win. Hopefully the photographers that should have won do not change their direction in order to win next year because it means ART loses.
Attached photo I took just the other day. I luv it. Whether you or anyone else feels the same way is irrelevant to me because I do not trust other people to even say what is true anyway. I knwo it can be improved. Many people will say the wall is not straight . . I say the clouds and fence means it still works.
Regards Dino26323
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Sorry and maybe irrelevant, but I like this shot very much! Thnxs for posting.
 
If the image is posted in a specific critique forum, or if it's not but they asked for critique then yes honest critique should be given. Sometimes, though, people just post an image to show what they did and aren't really interested in what someone else thinks. I think it's kind of petty to call them a "snowflake" (from another response) for not wanting critique; it's a term that's quite overused.

Mark
 
Often times, for me, a photo is like beauty and the image is in the eyes of the beholder. Some seem to be able to give their honest opinion on a photo and have the ability to help rather than tear down the photo or, worse yet, tear down the photographer. As many probably remember from the old DPforums me asking several questions. Almost always got answers that were very well written and welcomed. In a forum like this, I think there will be questions and photos for us to consider. Few people I know like to be criticised. Some just have the ability to be helpful rather than critical, if that makes sense. I think we need to remember that we are all at different stages in our photography skills and should try to tread lightly. I am one who is admittedly easily offended but if someone can help me, I really enjoy the help. I think the bottom line for me is, treat others as you would want to be treated yourself. The Golden Rule.
 
I think it could be interesting that in the configuration of our profile we have the option of activating in our avatar some kind of signal that shows that we are open to all kinds of criticism (if they are polite) and not just likes and flattery.
 
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