I lost a couple of photos because the owner thought the critiques were too harsh. I didn't find anything I thought was mean-spirited, so the comments are still there.
Please, if you submit your photos, remember they will be criticized unless you manage to submit absolutely perfect photos, which might not exist anywhere. You can help not only yourself to improve your photos, but also people who are too unsure about submitting photos themselves, but they are viewing and learning.
If you critique, please remember there are people on the other end of the photos. They are trying to help with the blog, and, I hope, personally improve their photos. So- remember to mention the good as well as the bad. If you can't see any good at all, it might be better to refrain from critiquing that one.
Remembering the other removed photo, it's also probably best if you only submit photos of models and dolls you still own.
So, I guess I'm back to submitting my own ;)
Laurel, That is the problem with online critiques. We have a lot of people with very sensitive natures who want to hear only positive comments. I think that is why many of us are reluctant to participate in online critiques - it seems there is always someone who really didn't want to hear what they did wrong. If someone wants to post a photo simply to win praise, they are losing the opportunity to learn something. *Everyone* makes mistakes when they are starting out, some of them fairly major. But is a person wanting to get better or are they just looking for "great try" comments? Hopefully, it's the former but many times it's the later. The value in opening yourself up to critique is that you will learn more about what judges are looking for in a very short time - far faster than you could if everyone just tells you what is good about your setup.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, if you do open yourself up to critique, always remember that a comment is just one person's opinion. The next judge may have different ideas. That happens *a lot*. So if you get a comment you disagree with, it's an opportunity to do more research to make sure that you are right. My advice is always to keep oneself open to learning and that includes accepting one's mistakes and fixing them for the next time. Don't get mad or hurt, get smarter!
P.S. I will freely admit that I have made many, many really basic mistakes and felt quite foolish once they were pointed out to me. Everything from bits falling off, to models in the wrong gait, to dolls not sitting correctly, to dolls eyes not following the action, etc. But if I had chosen to get hurt or angry at the person who showed me what I did wrong, I'd likely still be making those same mistakes. Now I make new mistakes *g* ... but I still make them and have to learn from them. It's the only way to get better at any skill. I encourage the person who felt picked on to keep on trying and to realize there wasn't anything posted that was meant to hurt her feelings. Those comments were made to *help* her progress towards more wins in performance showing.
ReplyDeleteI happen to agree- I made and still make- arrgh!- some stupid mistakes, especially considering that horses are pretty much my life, and I've ridden since I was seven. I have riding experience western, saddle seat and a little huntseat, as well as driving. I've shown in backyard shows, tri-state shows and Class A shows. But I have a couple of problems with getting great model performance shots. For one thing, I tend to shoot first and do research after. I'm working hard on correcting that! For another, I fail to really LOOK at all the little details, like, is the bit still in place, is my doll still in position" every time I take a photo. Plus, they look so cool to me when I get them all set up, I get excited, and then I tend to minimize my own mistakes. I'm NOT the best critic of my own work. But I really value objective opinions, and I can take constructive, helpful criticism. I mean to use the suggestions when I retake my pictures. Yes, retake, it seems my performance photos are seldom "done". Except that I'm through with the roping ones for a while- I might try again late this fall, or next spring, but for now, I'm done :D
ReplyDeleteBtw- any critiques on them are welcomed, and I'll print out anything to use when I do reshoot. know I need to work on the background still.