Is it me?

November 30th, 2020
Lately I have noticed something that is slightly troubling me, but not something I want to get hung up about!
Is it me or do others often find that photographs that they take which they think are good are often not seen as such by others, whereas those which they think are less appealing are seen as rather good by others? This has happened to me a number of times and I am often surprised that folk like some of my work that I think is rather mediocre.
This leads me to wonder if my ability to see things around me as photo opportunities is as good as I think it is! Just how do we discern what to photograph and what makes a "good" photo? And finally does it really matter?
November 30th, 2020
@allsop

Andrew, I have been a member of photographic websites for 8 years and exactly what you say still happens to me. I think you should follow your photographic eye/heart and just remember this is a 'subjective' subject! I'll take a look at your photos!
November 30th, 2020
Don't take it to heart!
November 30th, 2020
I know what you mean, I have thought the same at times over the years. Art has always been subjective and always will be
November 30th, 2020
@30pics4jackiesdiamond It isn't bothering me really, I am just conscious of it happening every now and again and only wondered if others experienced it as a 'thing' about our own perceptions of our work. An interesting psychological quirk, perhaps our perceptions of any given photo we take has a lot to do with our emotions when we take them.
November 30th, 2020
Hello Andrew, yes, I certainly relate to you comments! I am very much an amateur who uses a bridge camera and I have found shots that I have not been too happy with ending up on the Popular Page! I guess it is such a subjective art, what appeals to one does not to another!
November 30th, 2020
Yes, Andrew, I’ve noticed this in my photography as well. For as long as I’ve been posting photos on line (long before I discovered 365project). I admit that it used to bother me, at least a little, when an image that really speaks to me doesn’t seem to strike others. But I’m (mostly) past it. I appreciate every FAV and comment, but especially the ones on my favorites.
November 30th, 2020
I regularly post more than one image a day. Sometimes I will have what I consider to be a really nice image, and will post something else as well that in my eyes doesn't come anywhere near to the first. Then to my surprise, the also ran, attracts all the comments. It doesn't bother me. As they say, its Your Project, Your Rules, but other people see things with Their Eyes and Their Own Minds.
Fortunately, we don't all think alike.
November 30th, 2020
@markp It is the also rans that other folk seem to like that astonish me more, and I think what is niggling me is that the way I work includes a fairly rigorous early culling of those images I feel are not up to scratch — perhaps I am deleting the wrong photographs! If folk don't like the photos I happen to think are good then that is not a problem for me, but if I am not good at discerning what is good and what isn't, then how am I going to improve my photography?
November 30th, 2020
The liking or disliking of a photograph is, I would suggest 80% plus subjective. Some basics, perhaps sharpness, correct subject/background focus and to some degree exposure are perhaps common standards; other than that I think it is subjective. Around a couple of months back I won one of the challenges, having submitted several entries in the challenge. When I first saw which one of my entries had been picked for the final list, I was suprised. When it recieved most votes I was even more suprised. Our preferences are all different and long may that prevale.
November 30th, 2020
@allsop says "if I am not good at discerning what is good and what isn't, then how am I going to improve my photography?"

I have a couple people I'll run things by, especially my son and my son-in-law, They both have a good eye, and don't tell me what they think I want to hear.

But when push comes to shove, it is really myself I'm aiming to please. And I do love it when one of my dark-horses turns out to be well received!
November 30th, 2020
“Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” 🥰
― Andy Warhol
November 30th, 2020
@joemuli i love that quote joey @joemuli and i think mr warhol sums it up pretty succinctly. i too can be surprised at what goes down well - and i might post the same image on instagram and it goes down differently! and, like you john @lumpiniman, i have sometimes been surprised at which image has been picked to be a finalist in a challenge - but hey, always fun to be a finalist whatever ;) these days i'm just gently intrigued by what can seem to be the vagaries of people's reactions, and enjoy it when people like an image - and sometimes people's comments illuminate their reasons, and change my mind. love and light to all on 365, this most entertaining and friendly of sites :)
November 30th, 2020
True to the above...all of it! I've even had photos that were critiqued by professionals as really well done and some that have won prizes at art shows and some that have sold (not many of any of the above) just sort of "bomb" out when posted...and others that have gotten "meh" reactions seem to soar. That isn't always the case, sometimes the ones I like and that have gotten good critiques also fly here. No consistency. But, hey, I love that this is a forum to post and that there our folks out here who see what I do and encourage me.
November 30th, 2020
Yes, I've experienced this since day 1 on 365. Sometimes responses match up with my opinion, and sometimes I'm surprised when a photo I'm quite excited about gets little notice and one that I posted simply because it was "the best of some very ordinary shots that day" gets an overwhelming positive response. I suppose this happens at all levels in the world of art. I remember being at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and visiting an exhibit of a world-renown photographer and, honestly, the majority of his photos looked to me like ones that would have been instant deletes for me as mistakes without a second thought if I had taken them-- out of focus, strange awkward crops, photos that looked to me like a young child's snapshots when first handed a camera, and yet someone (or, I assume, a group of people) had deemed them brilliant enough to be a feature exhibition in a world class art museum. In the end, I think most of us take photos and post on 365 because it brings us pleasure. I sincerely appreciate every view, comment, and fav, in the end and, yes, I am pleased if a photo of mine makes PP or TP whether I initially thought it worthy or not. But, I think the important thing is that we each just follow our own passion with our project and feel within ourselves that we are growing in being able to take photos that we enjoy and that bring us greater pleasure, rather than in trying to decide what others judge as "good" or how they decide that.
November 30th, 2020
I would just like to add that often it is the subject matter that attracts other 365ers to comment - for example I love to see/comment on things that are "foreign" to me here in Australia. This includes snow, squirrels, bears, Niagra falls, etc. And this often works in reverse if I post a koala, kangaroo, etc - a truly Aussie scene. Just enjoy your own photography :)
November 30th, 2020
dont know how often people say their photo is nothing special but i like it, and i am amazed sometimes by which of my photos go popular, even TT , which i didnt particularly like.

I think we get caught up in trying to capture a vision we have, as they say a good photo is made, not taken, if we feel we succeeded in getting an image that meets our vision we like it and if not we don't but viewers dont have the same expectations so they can respond to the image at face value, and their own criteria.

. Its always interesting to go back to images after a long period , we can look at them with different eyes.
December 1st, 2020
totally happens to me all the time...makes me question my eye!
December 1st, 2020
@allsop I tend to like your photos of people but then again that is my favorite subject to shoot even though it's hard with the current situation. I also like interesting bits of composition and buildings in far away places which you often post!
December 1st, 2020
Andrew, I think that I may understand your frustration. In my humble opinion the beauty of art is that it is fluid. I've posted what I thought was of questionable quality only to have an aspect which I did not notice be mentioned or praised. I truly appreciate the positivity of this photographic community since being part for 5+ years I've learned so much and had my spark of learning new and different techniques tweaked many times. What I see one day in camera may not 'speak' to my inner creative spirit when I come home and start reviewing so I usually just let it sit and maybe I'll have different eyes and appreciate it at a later date. I 'do' my art for me but with positivity I am inclined to create/see much more.
December 1st, 2020
@allsop I think there is an emotive chord that an image strikes, which is very unpredictable. And also, many people on 365 enjoy the subject matter as much as the aesthetic quality of it, and will respond accordingly.
December 1st, 2020
It all depends on the person viewing the image and what they are on 365 for. Sometimes we view quickly and are time poor other times we have more time to see an image properly. Sometimes it's just the subject matter, if you are time poor you often connect quickly to something that resonates with you. It's all subjective and I wouldn't see this site as an official guide for your work. Some see this site as a way to share daily experiences.
December 2nd, 2020
I should point out that my original posting wasn't specifically connected to my experience with 365, but rather a general observation about how people's reactions to my photography was often different from my own. In fact it arose because my wife often thinks a photo of mine is rather good when I think others are better! Wanting to see if this was just a wife thing I began to watch to see if this happened with other folk and on 365, it did. That in turn made me question my own eye (as @jackies365 put it). 365 is a great group of people and a very pleasant group to be a member of, for me it has become a place also to learn more about the art of photography and the comments that folk make are invariably polite and useful.
December 2nd, 2020
Perhaps there is another reason for differences of opinions and that is the varied levels of skills, the multiple reasons that people are posting on this site. Not all is about the quality of the photo but as others have said, it's how the photo speaks to the other person. In my case I also consider the work that went into the photo. I may not particularly like the end result but recognize the photographer skillfully set it up and shot it and/or processed it.
December 3rd, 2020
@allsop OMG!! I think the same way. I will share one pic that i think is totally awesome and it barely gets comments. Then i will post what i think is a blah pic and everyone goes gaga for it. I think it is just the eye of the beholder. Since I joined 365 I try to look at everything differently and think outside the box.
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