No criticism worse than negative

When I enter this website at first I thought it was good place to enter photos and learn from entering. If you read what is posted that is the impression one obtains.
What bothers me is that no criticism is worse than any negative comments..........if fact it is worse.
I f some one does not like a photo then say so....I am not looking for positive comments either.......constructive comments are what I appreciate but none appear to be forthcoming.......is this a place to grow?

[Brooke9]

I agree. There si constantly praise of photos which is good but I see very little negative comments. It seems to be that if somebody views a picture and then doesn't like it, then don't bother to comment.

[Mazza]

I've noticed that too, one of my photos has 40 hits...and no comments.
Now I must admit, I haven't commented on photos much and thats because I don't really have much idea about photography, that is why I am here to get advice (and yes, that includes criticism).

[STaylor]

One thing to remember is you have to participate in meaningful way to get the full benefit of the site’‚’‚…‚’‚‚¦... if you want to get meaningful and quality comments on your images so that you may improve ’‚’‚…‚’‚‚¦

you should be willing to give fair and constructive comments on others photos ’‚’‚…‚’‚‚¦ that does not mean simply going thru the photos handing out 10’‚’‚…‚’‚…¾‚s like candy in a effort to be ’‚’‚…‚’‚¹¦‚“popular’‚’‚…‚’‚…¾‚ in the long run that does no one any good ’‚’‚…‚’‚‚¦

if you are uncomfortable in the beginning giving numerical ratings .. then just do your best to express what you feel are positive aspects of an image along with how you feel the image could be improved if applicable.. ’‚’‚…‚’‚‚¦

additionally if you come across an mage that you like ask the photographer how they setup the shot .. you will learn volumes by asking specific questions on individual photos ..

[Paul_OH]

Whilst I agree and appreciate your individual openness, there are a lot of people that don't like low scores especially in the contest and where low scores are added there seems to be justification or excuses for the photo that they took. In my opinion it's a thin line so I'm glad that I'm not the only one that thinks like you do. I too appreciate good, bad or otherwise comments and treat a 9 or a 5 the same if there's no comment to justify it. I guess it comes down to a simple question of how do you improve if there's no comments or score?

just my $0.02

Paul

[STaylor]

I’‚’‚…‚’‚…¾‚d say score alone is of little value in terms of helping a fellow member improve ’‚’‚…‚’‚‚¦ imho

[ponder]

Paul,

I just found your wonderful site on Sunday and since then I've gone through many of the different sections under the Critique heading and picked out photos that intrigued me and gave constructive criticism.

When I was in college taking Photojournalism, each week there was a new critique done by your peers. Some of the critiques I participated in were brutal, but we all learned a lot of information and the instructor actually graded on the critiques. God forbid anyone said oh thats a nice photo and didn't say anything else.

The reason I posted two pictures on the general photo contest page was to get that kind of criticism. Its very hard for someone just starting out in photography to hand out constructive criticism, but you have to try.

The other thing I've learned is that while you can give constructive criticism, you still have to end on a positive note or you may crush someone's self esteem especially when that person is just starting out as a new photographer.

We were told in journalism class that you should learn at least one or more things new per day. The day you stop learning is the day you die.

I feel strongly about the preceeding threads too and they all make great points.

[tibet2004u]

I totally agree with u! I just registered today, and I hope to get some constructive criticism! That's why I came here for! I wanna learn!! I do have problems to post critics myself though cos I just start in digital photography and I don't think I'm good enough to dare criticising other's work but also because some people take it very badly! Kind of hard to handle really! Mmmmh!

[ponder]

tibet2004u,
That's what everyone thinks, that they don't have the right to criticize, but everyone including people just starting out in photography have thought about how a photograph should look. Photography and art are very subjective and there is no right or wrong in the thought process of a photograph. Technique is a whole different animal. If the horizon tilts one way or the other, tell the person that. If a person puts the object of the photo dead center, then they broke the rule of thirds, so you can tell them that too. All rules are meant to be broken sometimes. I just uploaded a green frog and I broke the rule of thirds on purpose and the photo works because there's drama to it.

Don't be afraid to tell someone in the critique forum what you think of their work. From what I've read on this site most people crave some sort of constructive criticism, so give it to them and both you and they will learn something.

Ponder

[tibet2004u]

Yea I guess u're right! But I don't know anything about these rules u're talking about! How can there be rules in art??? It doesn't make much sense to me! Art is freedom of expression therefore, there's no rules! But anyway, I was referring to the technical side of a photo. Now on an aesthetical basis, I can give my opinion on course but it's only very subjective since we all have different tastes! And it's not because someone doesn't like something that's it's bad! I'm craving for technical advice and help, not for criticism on an aesthetical basis. If I post a photo it's because I like it the way it looks but if it can be sharper, or with better contrasts or stuff like that, that's what I want to know! I want advice to make better quality pics and not to make different looking pics! Not sure I'm very clear here! LOL! Anyway, thx for ur feedback, I really appreciate!

[ponder]

tibet2004u,
You're right about art being very subjective. You can comment on art, but its your opinion and you still have the freedom to do that. I'm referring to the technical aspect of photography. I know you say you don't know the rules, but in time you will learn quite a few of them from this site and other sites like it and books and magazines.

I agree with many of the threads at the top of this discussion. It seems that many people are just saying a photo is nice and that's it. Some photos are fantastic and nothing can really be changed on them either aesthetically or technically, but many have technical problems. I think people just want to learn to perfect their technique better and that's where the constructive feedback comes into play.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to push you or anyone else into making comments if you don't feel confident in doing so at this time. When you feel the time is right then make the comments.

I came to this site to learn from photographers that are at a higher level than me and there are many.

I think the most important thing in photography is to find your niche whether it's scenics, nature, portraits, journalism, close-ups or other things and then hone your skills before moving on to something else.

I hope I didn't offend you by my preceeding threads because that was not my intention.

Ponder

[tibet2004u]

No no!! Not at all!! LOL!! Thx for answering! It seems we're the only 2 members alive around here! And I don't comment on this site because I don't really have time for it! I post my work on quite a few different sites and 3 of them take most of my time! But I will try to find some time to browse around here! The thing is, it's not very encouraging since nothing seems to happen here! Mmmmh! Duno!
Anyway, talk to u later and take care!