Thursday, June 16, 2005

Open Your Eyes...

Of late though i haven't been posting pictures, i have been browsing through my friends' journals and blogs and i am really angered by the comments that some people leave on the pictures they post. Here is my conclusion, mind you, my own:
1. Nobody seems to encourage creativity. everything is based on 'rules' in photography. what are the 'rules', sir?
2. Photography is reduced to mere 'attractive light'. not so. please.
3. Techniques, techniques. and more techniques. enough! here one, 'i think it would have been better if you have underexposed by a stop..' ha!
4. Everybody is licking each other's a***s. dead end.
i am really sorry to say.... i have never ever found the enthusiasm to comment on a single picture for the past few weeks. and reading other's comments brings a smirk that need not be translated. some comments are absolutely insane, bizzare and saying exaggerated would do injustice. i have plenty of examples and i better keep my mouth shut. and just watch.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

well.. no comment on the pics above.. for neither u seek it nor want it ;p

Sathish N said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Sathish N said...

Gud to c ur pix after long time!!!

Ppl r commenting wat they think abt the pic.. it's not that we hav worry much abt it..
I guess u seen my pix last one year(may be less).. I hope now I have improved lill better.. I wld say credit goes to my blogger friends.. this is my point of view..
Once ppl grow up.. May be after certain stage ppl wont worry much abt others sat abt their pic!!

Unknown said...

I so agree with you...
but Man! do you sound angry!!!
I agree ..and i think i've very often remarked similarly also...
not in a need to lick anyone's a** but i have seen many doing that to get comments back onto their blog...lol... trust me if the stuff is good people will comment..if not you cant force someone to say something nice...

and if its nice you want...earn it!
Completely agree!!
Lovely pictures... never looked at them this way before..

small squirrel said...

hi vivek... haven't commented on your blog in a dog's age. but... well...

I guess I agree with you to some extent. Just not the angry tone you've used to convey it.

I think first of all not everyone has the level of technical knowledge you do when it comes to photog. And then some people have no idea how to express what they like (or dislike) and why. So when they comment, it comes out in a facile manner. Furthermore, some people really seem to stick to the "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" rule. It's not bad... it's just not as helpful. Then again, as Lavannya has mentioned, some people are not looking for help, per se.

I know for me, if I have criticism about a picture, sometimes I will email it to the person rather than post it. I know you're thinking..."well, maybe you should share so everyone can learn!" Not really... I am no expert... it is just my uneducated opinion... and it's usually not solicited. Therefore I am generally hesitant to criticize people I do not know well in a public forum, as I have no idea how they might react.

Furthermore, with people I know well, I am more likely to simply take the conversation offline.

So while I do not feel the need to defend my own comments, I just wanted to provide a perspective that maybe you had not considered.

Vivek M said...

Kishore: i think you grossly missed the point. please go through what the others have written.
Satish: of course yes, i see quite a lot of change in your approach. and i suggest that you don't take poeple's comments seriously enough to bring about a change in your photography. keep the art yours. that is all.
Jessica: i would agree with you. this was just an outburst of a lot of things i wanted to express with respect to photography. i am glad i did. i feel lighter. i feel free that i made myself clear. although it might hurt a few. i want the principle focus to be on the art.. that is what makes photography unique..

Anonymous said...

Man, you sound angry indeed.Most of us are in the process of learning Vivek...as Jess has mentioned, many of us dont have the art or the technical skills as you do....its a process of learning and I personally feel many of us need more time to differentiate a good photograph from a bad one....once that stage is reached, stupid remarks, exaggerations will naturally stop. I liked all three photographs and welcome back...nice to see you back in action.

Anonymous said...

well.. this is how I feel..

only if one is bound does one need to break free to explore..

I feel photography has guidelines and not view them as rules.. follow'em.. use'em unconventionally or ignore'em.. do whatever u want with them.. it is the image that matters..

some connect to the images I shoot and some don't.. some are profoundly moved and some just say its pathetic.. well.. I love everything I shoot, for I get to learn from each one and over the past few years I have slowly learnt (continue to learn) how to learn from others comments or critiques however they present it.. to know how others percieve the image I captured is fun too..

and then comes the fact of how different people present their image, which also has some bearing in influencing the viewer.. when image alone is presented and when it is titled or with a description, which hints to what the photographer was thinking.. influences the viewer and his perception to an extent.. and there by their views..

but whatever it is.. in the end photography is all about the image perse.. and how one acheives it translates into technique.. and one has the freedom to shoot in any form one desires.. all one has to do is open their eyes (as u said)

well.. I think one can go on.. in this topic and it goes on for the exploration never ends..heeee

Vivek M said...

Sudarshan, its not that i have attained techical perfection or have become a creative genius. its just that i enjoy photography as a art form and i assure you that if you don't complicate it, you can savour it better. i respect the fact that you have all grown better through people's comments... needless to say.

Vivek M said...

kishore: much better.

Nish said...

Nice to see new stuff from you :)

all i can say is that blogging and the comments got me to click picures again after 3 years of the camera being in the shelf. i may be good or real bad but it wont stop me trying stuff with it.. its real fun.

how critical can someone get about what they see?

nice pictures posted. i really like the one where the kids are on the cycle.

Vivek M said...

thanks nish. glad to know photography gives you such joy!

Pallavi said...

Ok i try to say it like the way I see it.. if i dont understand the pic I dont comment.. SIGH.. and also I am just a mere experimenting photographer... who does not know the rules so to say...