Herschel Mair <herschelmair@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
They are not encouraged to express an unqualified opinion, even of their own
work.>>Surely, most importantly NOT about their own work. Development of critical opinion about the work of others is fundamental for one's own abiliy to reflect. So much so, that I might even argue it more important for development of your own work than for others'.
If your opinion is all you have to offer, then you ought to get some
photographic education so that you can make meaningful comment on, not only other people's work but also on your own.>>Or, just keep y our mouth shut if you're worried about what the "experts" will think of you, and you still get nowhere. I thought "get[ting] some photographic" education was one of the purposes of this list as it does include "students" as one of its membership components.
After all, if you can not clearly state what is good and what is bad about an
image, beyond the fundamentals of exposure and acutance, then how can you know
that your own images are any good at all, even with 40 years experience in the
lab and shooting 100's of images with with an 11X14 camera.>>
I agree, though hold caution to the evaluation of whether or not your pictures are good. Example: I view a technically perfect picture that bores me to tears...is it a good picture? My message to my students is that images serve a purpose to communicate something, even if it isn't the intended message. Having a solid grasp on the technical aspects simply gives you greater ability and flexibility in communicating the intended message. So, must the two (technical and aesthetic) go hand in hand to give the photographer "qualified" feedback? If more people would review and express their thoughts, I believe both bases would be aply covered and we wouldn't be spending so much time worrying about what people think of our opinions.For instance, my monkey shot last week: I thank everyone that took the time to comment, by the way. One evaluation was that the monkey should have been the subject of focus, not the cage around it (technical). My opinion is different (and irrelevant), but I am forced to think about the alternatives. Another said the image had an emotional impact on the viewer (aesthetic). The latter made me think the picture worked, regardless of the technical details. If several people had said that this picture was a piece of trash and should be put where it belongs and a considerable number of other reviews spoke of the blinding technical flaws, I might possibly reconsider my own admiration of the photo...or, if I were looking for a particular piece of feedback, and not simply abject praise, I might make mention of that in the section labeled "details".
"The optimist believes this is the best of all possible worlds.
The pessimist fears it's true" - J Robert Oppenheimer
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