Since we're all new here (although many names I recognize from other forums), I would like to hear a few words from the moderator about his vision for this forum.
I see already a number of image posts that simply say something like "critiques welcome." This is what prompted my subject: is this a discussion forum or a critique forum? If discussion includes critique of images, what are the guidelines for critique?
I often tend to be blunt, but never intend to be mean-spirited. That said, I think posting an image and saying "critiques welcome" while offering nothing else, requires no effort by the original poster and often significant effort by responders. It seems a bit unfair to me.
Personally, if I am asked to critique an image, I would first want to know what caused the photographer to press the shutter release. I want to know what caught the photographer's eye, what the vision was, what the lighting was like, and so on. What led the photographer to that composition, what weighed in the choice of lens, the aperture selection, the shutter speed. What image processing was done to achieve the vision.
In sum, I'd like to hear what the photographer wants the rest of us to see in the image.
To me, this is part of what promotes a true discussion.
I see already a number of image posts that simply say something like "critiques welcome." This is what prompted my subject: is this a discussion forum or a critique forum? If discussion includes critique of images, what are the guidelines for critique?
I often tend to be blunt, but never intend to be mean-spirited. That said, I think posting an image and saying "critiques welcome" while offering nothing else, requires no effort by the original poster and often significant effort by responders. It seems a bit unfair to me.
Personally, if I am asked to critique an image, I would first want to know what caused the photographer to press the shutter release. I want to know what caught the photographer's eye, what the vision was, what the lighting was like, and so on. What led the photographer to that composition, what weighed in the choice of lens, the aperture selection, the shutter speed. What image processing was done to achieve the vision.
In sum, I'd like to hear what the photographer wants the rest of us to see in the image.
To me, this is part of what promotes a true discussion.