Warning! Beware of This: We share our pictures but ignore each other too often!

[Asher Kelman]

The best of us post such amazing pictures.

• Some are technically brilliant and artistic.
• Others wildly exotic
• A few even socially challenging.
• Mine merely beautiful or nostalgic!

We post and hope for notice, recognition, attention and responses!

But we can’t allow others to be ignored. But that’s what we do! Why? What are we going to do about this?

Can we each commit to finding 2-5 posts of compelling interest to acknowledge and comment on?

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

I commit to that!

Now who else?

Asher

 

[Tom dinning]

The best of us post such amazing pictures.

• Some are technically brilliant and artistic.
• Others wildly exotic
• A few even socially challenging.
• Mine merely beautiful or nostalgic!

We post and hope for notice, recognition, attention and responses!

But we can’t allow others to be ignored. But that’s what we do! Why? What are we going to do about this?

Can we each commit to finding 2-5 posts of compelling interest to acknowledge and comment on?

Asher

There’s two possible outcomes for hope: yes and no. That’s all we can expects, Ash.
Most of my photos posted here are aimed at stimulation thought, not necessarily conversation. If I relied on the comments of others I’d be somewhere else.

 

[Andy brown]

I’m very poor at such commitments but I totally agree with what you’re saying.
I will try to do better, a vibrant forum depends on it.
By other standards this is not a particularly vibrant forum but what it lacks in quantity it more than makes up for in quality.
That for me is part of the issue you talk of Asher. I’m not about to ever critique the likes of Nicolas, Dr Klaus, Maggie Terlecki, Wolfgang, etc. etc (you on the other hand Asher are fair game{chuckle}...)
If I comment more often, it comes out a bit like “great image Dr Klaus”
“Great image Tom”, “great image Maggie”... a bit like a broken record.
I’ve just realised I’m going to be brave and offer an observation to Nicolas...
On his thread, ‘My latest victim’
After all he would doubtless welcome input from us on OPF as much as from his paying clients. We can offer unbiased opinions.

 

[nicolas claris]

That for me is part of the issue you talk of Asher. I’m not about to ever critique the likes of Nicolas, Dr Klaus, Maggie Terlecki, Wolfgang, etc. etc (you on the other hand Asher are fair game{chuckle}...)

You should!

If I comment more often, it comes out a bit like “great image Dr Klaus”
“Great image Tom”, “great image Maggie”... a bit like a broken record.

It happens to me too

I’ve just realised I’m going to be brave and offer an observation to Nicolas...
On his thread, ‘My latest victim’

You did and I thank you so much!

After all he would doubtless welcome input from us on OPF as much as from his paying clients. We can offer unbiased opinions.

Sure and they are needed!

 

[nicolas claris]

That for me is part of the issue you talk of Asher. I’m not about to ever critique the likes of Nicolas, Dr Klaus, Maggie Terlecki, Wolfgang, etc. etc (you on the other hand Asher are fair game{chuckle}...)

I do not know for the others,but I also like to add, Andy, that if I do care the comments of my client, I do as much to other viewers, these comments may let me think again about my intents and wishes when shooting, wether these comments are positive or negative.
A good critique is always useful, even if sometimes it makes me angry, but only for a short period of time
So yes, please comment, do critique, ask… react!
I'll be honored

 

[Jerome Marot]

I am probably not posting as many comments as I should either... I can give an example why I find commenting difficult.

Earlier this day, Andy gave a comment on Nicolas picture here. Andy suggested to remove the rocks on one image. My comment would have been just the opposite: I would prefer to see a bit more of that rock, I think it would balance the picture better, also because we see the structure of the rock underwater and it leads our eyes towards the boat.

But I don't want Andy to believe I tell him he is wrong. He is not. His opinion on the picture is as legitimate as mine.

 

[nicolas claris]

I am probably not posting as many comments as I should either... I can give an example why I find commenting difficult.

Earlier this day, Andy gave a comment on Nicolas picture here. Andy suggested to remove the rocks on one image. My comment would have been just the opposite: I would prefer to see a bit more of that rock, I think it would balance the picture better, also because we see the structure of the rock underwater and it leads our eyes towards the boat.

But I don't want Andy to believe I tell him he is wrong. He is not. His opinion on the picture is as legitimate as mine.

So you would have been welcomed!
In such picture there might be no truth.
Such a discussion should be instructive to me in regards to the “quality” of my original intent…

 

[Tom dinning]

I have been thinking some more.
The problem might be that we know too much.
In knowing that, we don’t know if others know more or less.
That has a 2 fold effect: we say nothing for fear of looking foolish or stating the wrong thing; we say something that we assume others will want to hear.
Andy apologises profusely for his comment. Others tell us it’s IMHO as if the opinion is already worthless. Nick then announces his preference and verifies Andy’s ignorance. Ash takes the safe ground.
Nick doesn’t need a critique, he wants praise and recognition.

when I’m teaching young people about photographs I ask them to tell me what they are thinking about when they look. They know little or nothing about technical details or composition or what’s good or bad or what the photograph is designed for.
Basically they have a more open mind to view a photograph than any of us. They talk freely and intimately about their thoughts which include their own experiences, memories, associations, feelings, desires and fears.

with adults it’s another story. Getting adults to talk about a photograph is like pulling teeth from a chook.
They don’t want to embarrass themselves.
They fear to say what they know and don’t know.
The consider themselves unworthy of comment.
They’d prefer for someone else to say something.
They prefer to listen.
They fear their thoughts will be irrelevant.
They assume the comments must be nice, polite, accurate, useful, on topic and meaningful.
They assume if they speak their mind they will be held in contempt.

no wonder we get very little response.

 

[Michael Nagel]

Comment just for the sake of feeling recognized and a warm fuzzy feeling in general?

No thanks!

For me it is quality over quantity.

I prefer no comment over a self-promotion disguised as comment (seen here as well).

 

[Asher Kelman]

Comment just for the sake of feeling recognized and a warm fuzzy feeling in general?

No thanks!

For me it is quality over quantity.

I prefer no comment over a self-promotion disguised as comment (seen here as well).

Exactly!

But I do get surprised when a superb image is ignored!

Likely it’s my quick comments that says what others might have said and folk don’t want to comment then just for the sake of adding their name and saying “me too”. So perhaps I am in part to blame!

Perhaps I should wait 48 hours before my own comments are posted!

Asher