As a photographer, I tend to instantly criticize photos that I see in my everyday life. Depending on the circumstances, the person presenting the pic might not want to hear all of that shit because of sentimental reasons or because they took it themselves and would like to enjoy the qualities they see in the piece of crap... either way, I try to not say anything that might give away how the quality was sacrificed. I had a colleague who got married and when they received their photos, he instantly started ripping into them - his wife didn't want to hear it, of course.

So have you ever experienced a time where your expertise in your profession was actually something you oughtta keep to yourself?

/tldr

7/27/2008 11:40:42 PM

Yes.

7/27/2008 11:41:01 PM

Yes.

7/28/2008 12:28:13 AM

All the time.

7/28/2008 12:30:00 AM

Yes.


Like right now.

7/28/2008 12:33:12 AM

how did you feel when people talked shit about you for dating a senior citizen?

7/28/2008 12:33:27 AM

It hurt to hear the comments, but I listened. And when it came time to move on, I remembered them all.

7/28/2008 12:35:34 AM

I feel your pain. Being a photog I think you have to separate pictures into 2 main categoriesocumentation and Photography. Docs are shot on cell phones, P&S junk, often are incorrectly white balanced, and 99.9% of the time includes the target directly centered in the frame grinning. Photography, on the other hand, is RARELY easy. It requires planning, lighting, nailing the technical side, a bit of luck on the non tech side, and deserves to be polished off in 20 minutes in PS. We also ditch what normal people call 'great shots' with a mighty axe - shooting up literally gig's of photos for a handful we're willing to put our name on. Most people cling to Docs like it's the only frame they can carry off to war.

Therefore, perhaps you should only be critical when an effort has been made to take a photograph and not a moment in life captured by a camera on hand. However, if they lay it out there shoot 'em straight, holding back makes the process drag out. I like to be hit hard so I know where I screwed up and start turning that hand-full of keepers into a book-full.

7/28/2008 12:37:52 AM

Shit, I was a financial advisor.

Damn near nobody likes to hear how ridiculous their purchase decisions are...

7/28/2008 12:38:25 AM

\/, goddamn, it's like you're painting a picture with your words. How do you do it man?


[Edited on July 28, 2008 at 12:41 AM. Reason : .]

7/28/2008 12:38:50 AM

but my point is, you saw the beauty in him. even though others thought it was wrong, you saw the beauty in it.

i might take shitty pictures, but i take them for a reason and I see the beauty in them. the last thing I need is a stranger telling me my pictures suck

7/28/2008 12:38:55 AM

Quote :

" I like to be hit hard so I know where I screwed up and start turning that hand-full of keepers into a book-full."

Yeah, I strive to find photographers who don't mind taking the time to give me an honest, hard-hitting criticism. I can learn so much through the vets.

Quote :

"i might take shitty pictures, but i take them for a reason and I see the beauty in them. the last thing I need is a stranger telling me my pictures suck"

That's what I'm worried about - there are so many photos that I am tempted to pick apart and the photographer / subject is so proud of them, so my advice really isn't appreciated, or welcomed.

[Edited on July 28, 2008 at 12:42 AM. Reason : .]

7/28/2008 12:40:22 AM

http://www.dgrin.com - join, and post something to the whipping post. They'll do exactly that. Stuff I would buy and hang on a wall gets 2 pages of criticism.

7/28/2008 12:42:01 AM

thank you so much for the link!

7/28/2008 12:42:41 AM

what I have found is: when in doubt, keep your professional opinion to yourself. no one likes a know-it-all



[Edited on July 28, 2008 at 12:48 AM. Reason : a]

7/28/2008 12:43:48 AM

Ok.

7/28/2008 12:44:51 AM

i totally know where you are coming from by the way. i pretty much run into IT morons on a daily basis that have no clue what they are talking about. usually I just bite my tongue then make fun of them when i get back to the office

7/28/2008 12:47:32 AM

Quote :

"so my advice really isn't appreciated, or welcomed."

Then don't give it.

In my job, I only give advice if the words, "Can I have your advice?" comes out of the person's mouth. Otherwise I just think about what a screw up the person is in my head.

7/28/2008 12:48:08 AM

Lol.

I feel sometimes like I have less control over the crap that comes out of my mouth than most.

7/28/2008 1:19:53 AM