I am completely and totally 100% appreciate of any comment someone has to make that offers me information on how to improve. As someone who is starting out, "Very bad lighting on most - I would have deleted them" doesn't really offer me much.
It sounds like your lengthy critique of the drawing offered reasoning on why the bad areas of the drawing were bad, which is exactly what I'm looking for! I'm just starting out with photography, so "bad lighting" without an explanation of why the bad is bad just leaves me perplexed and comes across as mean spirited. I don't expect people to write out lengthy explanations by any means, but why post if you're just going to toss out a general comment while adding in "I would have deleted them"? Seems sort of pointless and harsh to me.
In addition, I hardly turned my thread into a melodrama - I've posted in it maybe 5 times with this being only the 2nd post directed in any sort towards the "drama". I've always stressed how appreciative I am of helpful comments and will continue to post my photos.
lordarka wrote:
Tone is a nuanced thing that is difficult to convey in a written medium, but critique is relatively easy to convey. Why not give anyone who took the time to write something about your image the benefit of the doubt? Harsh or not, the person was probably motivated in some part to help you improve. Maybe the person had other motivations (self-aggrandizement, etc.), but you can take away from the remarks that which is beneficial to your art without converting a thread into epic melodrama.
Arka C.
you are so right. i would never be offended for critique with a reason behind why its bad. its not even hard for me to hear negative comments about what i post, heck, thats why i post. i do find very abrupt and short comments like "throw it away", or "it sucks" worthless. it not the harshness of the words used either. its when there's nothing to go with those words. thats when i think why did this person even take the time to comment, because its sure not helpful and therefore not appreciated, even if they did take the three seconds to type in 'this sucks'. thanks but no thanks. theres nothing helpful or contributing about that.
I would delete them was accompanied with the comment that most of the photos had bad lighting.
Perhaps I should have reposted those photos with the comment, but since they are at the top of the thread I figured anyone who wondered what I meant could see them.
Unfixable bad lighting. Do not bother to sharpen or soften it. See that it is wrong, delete it and do not repeat it.
Don't beat yourself up over it. Don't beat anyone else up for pointing out the obvious.
That's an important very early step in becoming a photographer. See the obvious.
Then you can move on to the next steps of seeing the moment, the character, the situation, the nuances, the wishes, the next photo shoot and photoshop work.
Learning is a process.
As long as one thinks this photo is fine or needs just a little work and is salvageable, learning has halted and time is wasted in arguing against the obvious.
Delete it and move on is perfectly sound advice and I stand by it, despite the useless emotional and deliberately insulting responses to it.
(Do I also need to point out the power lines overhead? See the obvious!)
Sorry, but there is no such thing as unfixable light. How many times as a working PJ did you walk into horrid light for a portrait and make it work. At the rags I've shot for it was almost daily. So, pretend you were stuck with the locations shown in the images. What could the OP have done to make these better... before pressing the shutter?
Before pressing the shutter, look around and see the obvious.
Where is the sun?
Directly overhead - find shade. Better yet, wait for it to be at a better angle, or for a day with some cloud cover.
Are there power lines?
Avoid including them in the portrait unless you are shooting a lineman on the job.
This is a portrait shoot, not photojournalism. Different standards apply.
Consider the time of day, weather conditions and quality and direction of light Before beginning the photo shoot. If you don't shoot in a studio, you are at the mercy of the elements, so be flexible with your schedule and wait for the light to be right.
ValerieUSA wrote:
See that it is wrong, delete it and do not repeat it.
Then you can move on to the next steps of seeing the moment, the character, the situation, the nuances, the wishes, the next photo shoot and photoshop work.
Delete it and move on is perfectly sound advice and I stand by it, despite the useless emotional and deliberately insulting responses to it.
You still haven't contributed one bit of advise/help that will help the OP to NOT repeat the mistakes you mention.
Deleting will help him place his head in the sand and pretend that image never existed but when he pulls his head out of the sand to try it again (and I hope he does)... all he can hear you saying is 'Delete it'... not very helpful.
I was at a park with my daughter-in-law on a brutally hot sunny day. We wanted to take advantage of our time together (we live in different towns) to take some photos, so we found a shady spot under some trees and then moved underneath a freeway overpass to find acceptable light conditions.
Seeing the obvious background I worked with it as a graphic element and then softened her brightened skin to lend some femininity to the image. Not good conditions, but an interesting workable photo emerged.
