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Add a new 'Your best' photo forum?


dpattinson

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There are a few comments in the tedious thread about posting images in the 'gear' related forums that point out:

 

1. Posted images often get pushed off the front page very quickly by a deluge of subsequent images.

2. People are not always looking for critique, just wanting to share images, so often members don't offer critical comments.

 

Would it be possible to create an additional forum, which is not delimited by subject matter, but is designed to allow members to solicit critique on images they consider to be 'good'.

 

If possible, limiting posting to be one post per week per member. Given that one can attach multiple images, that should allow for small sets of related images, or different treatments to be posted together. It should also ensure that posts don't fly off the front page too quickly.

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Probably get a greater variety of members posting...... 'Your best' is a bit so so as you may want to post something you are trying to resolve...... maybe "Images" and one post per two weeks

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Probably get a greater variety of members posting...... 'Your best' is a bit so so as you may want to post something you are trying to resolve...... maybe "Images" and one post per two weeks

 

You're right, 'Your best' probably doesn't cover what the thread would cover. I guess I was looking for a name that indicated it wasn't a dumping ground for the latest family snaps* or pictures of recently acquired lenses ;)

 

*Unless of course, you're looking for critical feedback on those family snaps...

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It's a good idea, but .....

 

Whilst 'your best' might raise the overall standard of input, constructive criticism might be better provided on work that is someway short of being your best, that the author thinks can be made better, but knows not how.

 

That, IMO, would lead to a positive improvement in the work and the author, and others, learning how others might approach it for a better result. Seems more valuable than just more 'slaps on the back' to some that are already on top of their craft.

 

The image therefore gets posted to be analysed, criticised and rebuilt without offending the author. Maybe comments like: I like this, great capture, wish it were mine, would be banned and replaced by "what I would do is ......... etc".

 

ps and I would add: subsequent posters and the author could not criticise the comments made previously on the image, but could only add what they would do. Thereby avoiding 'argument' between the posters. In a way a bit like the old postal groups - you say your bit and it's gone.

 

ps2 - just a thought - how about posting an unprocessed image where there is a 'best' version on hand, probably in the hands of a Moderator for honesty, and allow the masses to do what they will with the image for 5 days when the 'best' version is revealed by the Moderator?

 

Rolo

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OK, here's a couple of shots I would have posted in such a forum.

I'm up for critique on them - probably more about the framing and post-proc than the subject ;)

 

I looked at them but didn't have anything useful to say (not my kind of thing and your choices were constrained by the lighting) - but instead posted comments on the previous shot on the forum because the other comments on it looked like OBN contenders.

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For what I see,IMHO, Mr. Palank posted a critic comment that should reveal more than you probably think.

If you leave the positive comments apart, there are some suggestions that could easily guide you to what these two pictures are.

Don't get me wrong, I like the second picture the most, because of framing and focus, but still it's not enough to be a "my best" since it seems a pose pretending to be candid.

Matter of fact it could be not a pose as well, but the constructive critic lays behind some poster's comment (IMHO).

I hope I didn't hurt you, it's not my aim.

 

Anyway I like the idea of such a new section of the forum.

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Uhm... this threads is about posting photos in the forum... there is a certain difference between establishing a "my best" area, with limited capability of loading (and, hopefully, deeper criticism) and establish a "try to process this" area, in which people are invited to work (seriously, otherwise is a unuseful play) on the posted pics.

 

I think the "my best" area would bring to make the current subject-related photo forum a semi-neglected "B series" area : how many members do post more than 1 pic per week or even 2 weeks? In search of more criticism (which, I think, anyone likes) people would tend to limit his postings number to post only in the "my best" area... thus making it the only real photo forum. So if this would be the goal, better to simply apply restriction rules to the current photo forum : I think none would complain on this decision: the number of todays' posts is really too big to allow a decent scrutiny and a well thought criticism - also do not let us forget that this would mean less storage space needed - good for the economy of the forum.

 

The so called "try to process this" area would be a completely different biz... one has to work no little time to have something really significant to speak of... I mean, not simply doing "usual" PP on color balancing etc... I think we wouldn't like to have a number of posts with observation like "this is with a little more red for I think..." "I added a little bluish for I think..." ; for instance, I have always been interested in the specialty s/w tools that someone uses regularly (tools for skin renditions,tools for b/w processing etc...personally I never go beyond PS... :( ), I 'd like to see someone that works on some of my pics... but do really people like to do that ? Personally, having not too much time to dedicate to photo processing, I prefer by far to work on my pics... and the very few times I made, almost for fun, some processing on members' pics that I liked a lot, I made them quickly... probably they would have deserved a better job.

 

To end my thoughts... I think something DIFFERENT should be done to make the photo forum more effective: above I gave my 2 cents just for people (mods and admin too, of course).who can think seriously to the question.

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Guest wls.shanghai

....why so complicated !!

 

maximum two (2) images per week from each LUF - member only.

 

and no "family album pics"

 

Regards

wls

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...I think something DIFFERENT should be done to make the photo forum more effective: above I gave my 2 cents just for people (mods and admin too, of course).who can think seriously to the question.

 

I think we all can agree on that. The photo forum, for whatever reason, is not stimulating to many here. I myself feel guilty that I do not post more and comment more. I like the idea of a "premier league" section, but can see more than one argument here:

 

1. A "critique this" section

2. A "process this your way" section

3. A "creme de la creme" section

 

Of the three I like the third the least. I agree that it would effectively kill the rest of the Photo Fora. I like option 1 most, because it would help encourage constructive criticism. The mechanics are hard though. I agree that there should be "post and no comebacks", but the problem with that is if someone says something that is a little cryptic then they may be asked to explain, and then what? We also need to get away from the "thanks for your comment" comments that some use to bump themselves back to the top.

 

....why so complicated !!

 

maximum two (2) images per week from each LUF - member only.

 

and no "family album pics"

 

Regards

wls

 

I am against a blanket restriction per se, but I can see the sense of regulating the numbers to keep the quality up. As to the "no family album pics" again I sympathise, but what constitutes a family album pic? One man's portrait is another's snap and sadly where our own families and pets are concerned, perspective can be in short supply. In any event, a shot of a family member can be exceptional in it's own right...

 

Complicated, complicated, complicated... (shakes head)

 

Regards,

 

Bill

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....why so complicated !!

 

maximum two (2) images per week from each LUF - member only.

 

and no "family album pics"

 

Regards

wls

 

Can be a simple and good rule to see how it goes... Don't know if it's easy, for the mods, to automate the process (that is surely possible via SW).

 

But do not agree on "family album pics"... concept is too questionable... (and... I often posted pics with my daughters... :o ).

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I think we all can agree on that.....

 

1. A "critique this" section

2. A "process this your way" section

3. A "creme de la creme" section

......

Bill

 

1. could be good... but you had to draw some rule like "post observations only if they are at least xx words..." strange, uncomfortable, and at the end, next to absurd rule.

(" Oh damn, my dear old friend John Van Doe, this time I think that you have finally and really succeded in taking a rather good picture, and I am pleased to see you have used the Apo Summicron which is a lens that me too appreciate a lot on my Leica M8 ! fine image, compliments." :D )

 

 

 

2. as I said before, I fear very few significant workings...

 

3. right concept, name a bit pretentious... limiting the number of pics probably would achieve the same goal.

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Guest wls.shanghai
Can be a simple and good rule to see how it goes... Don't know if it's easy, for the mods, to automate the process (that is surely possible via SW).

 

But do not agree on "family album pics"... concept is too questionable... (and... I often posted pics with my daughters... :o ).

 

 

post # 9

 

I have a solution !?

 

...just a "new" category "family-album-images"

 

and everybody will be happy - maybe ;)

 

Regards

wls

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I agree that the name 'your best' is probably not a good one. My feeling was that there should be a place for people to post images where critique would be encouraged, and the volume of posts would be constrained.

 

Applying a daily or weekly limit to the number of threads started by an individual would ensure the number of posts was constrained. This doesn't however necessarily encourage critique - and so I thought a separate forum would be appropriate. Also, I wasn't sure that the volume of posting is generally regarded as a problem, so was reluctant to suggest curtailing posting in the existing forums.

 

So, perhaps there is a better name?

 

David.

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I've just taken a look at the people sub-forum and there's roughly a 7 hour time diffrence between the last message posted and one at the bottom of the page. That's a very quick turnover, and once a thread gets onto page 2 or later it's usually dead.

 

One suggestion I've made is that the number of threads per page in the photo forums could be doubled. This would at least prevent threads disappearing from view in a few hours. It may also encourage people to respond, at the moment the number of comments seems rather low in comparison to earlier times.

 

The idea of a critique forum interests me, but it would probably need careful moderation to keep the responses civil <grin>.

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I've just taken a look at the people sub-forum and there's roughly a 7 hour time diffrence between the last message posted and one at the bottom of the page. That's a very quick turnover, and once a thread gets onto page 2 or later it's usually dead.

 

One suggestion I've made is that the number of threads per page in the photo forums could be doubled. This would at least prevent threads disappearing from view in a few hours. It may also encourage people to respond, at the moment the number of comments seems rather low in comparison to earlier times.

 

The idea of a critique forum interests me, but it would probably need careful moderation to keep the responses civil <grin>.

 

I've made this suggestion before. The time lag you remark on above might well have been seven hours when you checked but on a busy day posts can "disappear" onto the second page in what seems like minutes. Personally I never venture onto the second page and I would suspect I am not alone. Once the tide washes a thread over that horizon it is flotsam never to be seen again.

 

I have set my preferences to display 200 posts per thread. I find using the scroll wheel on my mouse much simpler than clicking through previous pages. I've previously requested that the personal settings provision should also allow us to chose 200 threads per section.

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Michael, I guess it depends on whether the software can have a variable number of threads per page. If it can't then there's not a lot Andreas can do.

 

There are so many forum packages out there, most of them free or open-source, and most of them provide this facility. If the people Andreas bought this from can't then he deserves a refund.

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