I joined a local camera club about 8 months ago, and every month after the club meetings I blog about my results. I sometimes get quite despondent about the criticism that is levied against my art, but in reality, this criticism has vastly improved the quality of my photography.
Let's take this photo that I submitted this month as an example. I took the photo at my first wedding shoot, and everyone that saw it on my blog loved it. I thought it would be a guaranteed Gold photo.
Well, I was wrong. The judges gave it a Silver because they felt that the photo was flat and that the trees at the top of the photo need to be cropped out.
When I got home, I opened the photo in Photoshop and made a few slight adjustments to see what the difference would be if I followed their advice.
I made the following changes:
- Cropped the photo so that the tree line disappeared.
- Added a brightness/contrast layer. I made the brightness +6 and the contrast +12.
And look at the difference…
I often get asked why I carry on going to camera club meetings, because I always moan about my results. The reason is quite simple… the readers of my blog and other internet sites like Flickr are very nice. Hardly anyone really gives constructive criticism and everyone praises you all the time. I'm not saying for one minute that I don't like the flattery; but I do believe that in order to really stretch yourself and grow your skills… you need someone to give you that honest but tough feedback.
So, do yourself a favour, find someone (whether it's a friend who understands the finer art of photography or a local camera club) to give you that honest feedback and grow your skills.
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Great post. I'm glad to see that you are enjoying the camera club these days.
While your example is great, I do not think that the judges are always right. I like that you went home and tried their suggestions, and in this case, liked the results. I hope that if you had not liked the results, you would believe in yourself enough to know that it is a matter of taste sometimes, and YOU have good taste.
It is finding the balance….and I think you are there, now.
I'm happy for that.
I always say the wisest photographers and some of the best… are those who can take CC.. and you do! thats why I think you have grown so much.. cause your photos are just beautiful! ROCK ON!
Blending your own vision with the thoughtful critiques of others seems like an excellent way to fine tune your eye. Great article!