EID Study Groups: Submitting and Understanding Comments
Comments on all of a group’s images for the current month (due by the twenty-fifth), are the basis of the Study Group. This is where everyone has a chance to learn. Images are NOT scored. No numbers, no stars, etc., are used. This is a "study" group, not a photo contest. It is a sharing of images, techniques, and personal reactions, so that all members can learn to make better photographs.
“This is a nice picture” or “I like it” are not by themselves very helpful comments. Here are some alternate suggestions and thoughts for comments.
- Participants do not need to comment the same way as a camera club judge would, but may if they wish.
- Participants can say how they react to the picture as a whole as if they saw it in a gallery and were making comments about it.
- Participants can describe how they react to the digital techniques used to edit the images, the choice of techniques, and their execution; especially if they can suggest other/better techniques.
- Participants can say what they would have done in a similar situation or to correct a similar problem.
- Participants can say how the same effect could have achieved using another technique and can suggest other things to do to the same image.
- Participants do not need to confine comments to digital editing techniques, but should feel free to suggest different or better compositional methods, camera or lighting techniques, or ways to improve impact or interest, that is, anything that would help make a better image.
- It is all right to point out (in a constructive manner) anything the participant considers a defect, but remember that photographers often have emotional attachment to an image, so diplomacy is needed. The Study Group is designed to be a fun sharing of ideas and an enlightened sharing of reactions. The more creative the suggestions the better and more informed everyone will be.
- Participants can download the photo, work on it themselves, and include a thumbnail of their ideas in the comment to illustrate their point. In this case they can simply select the image they want to discuss on the member’s web page image, right click on it to bring up a local menu, and select “Save As” to where it can be found in their computer. The participant then does their thing to illustrate their point, and then save it as under “Submitting Images” above, making the maximum dimension 250 pixels; this will automatically give a file size within reasonable bounds. A thumbnail this size is not very good for showing anything subtle, but does a good job in illustrating format and composition, and sometimes tones and colors. Give the thumbnail a filename consisting of original file name, followed by the participant's number, like this: m1-m3.jpg (if member 3 is commenting on member 1’s image). This gives all members a better idea on what is being discussed.
Please send the Administrator all comments in the body of an email, and attach any thumbnails to the email, just as for the images submitted; please don’t send comments as attached documents.
Understanding Comments
Since most photographers have emotional attachments to their images, there will probably come a time when comments by fellow members can sting, even though offense was not intended. It will help to remember:
- We don't know what the other person knows, so take intended constructive criticisms in a positive manner.
- Don't get upset; not everyone sees his or her own crooked horizons. It is permissible to giggle to yourself at some of them, however.
- Appreciate the comments and ideas that are acquired from the rest of the members. Remember that not everyone has the same tastes, nor does everyone visually like the same cars, architecture, fashions, colors, or whatever.
- There isn't always a right or wrong, often merely preferences; the supposed “rules” of composition are not cast in concrete, but are merely guidelines that don’t necessarily always apply. There are times when any supposed “rule” can be violated to achieve a better image.
- We all know that there is often more than one way to perform a digital technique, so be happy to hear about other methods.
