Just noticed a new member last night doing it to half of the lovely flower shots. When I looked in their gallery and profile no pictures and joining date 2 or 3 of this month.
Obviously most people will take no notice of this sort of thing but it is frustrating I agree. And especially when you see your total rating drop a point or more because of one person who will not say why.
As janzark said, flower photos are not my thing either. I look at them from as neutral a point of view as I can and If it is a stunning composition with good exposure and colour I have no problem giving it a 9 or occasional 10. My initial reaction is always "Do I like this?" but then I try to get more objective and give as realistic a rating as possible, if I rate a 7 or 8 or lower I will say why and as janzark said also, if the photographer doesn't agree then that's fine, I feel compelled to explain why I did not give a high rating though out of fairness. Then other better photographers can also point out the error of my critique.
Generaly this seems to be a pretty friendly and helpful community amongst those who contribute regularly. I hope that by offering ratings and advice I can also encourage others to become more involved, especially new members.
A low rating with no explanation to me seems a pointless exercise and leaves the critic looking vindictive rather than helpful.
Most people here are very consistant and fair with their ratings and the few who are not will probably disappear pretty quickly.
I would actually be very happy if more of you would comment on my failures rather than just my occasional successes.
I love praise and high ratings, but in the short time I have been here it has been h the critique that has helped me get a few better ratings. I still post what must to be some real c**p sometimes, as no one say's a word.
I will certainly not take offense to any of you ripping the S**t out of anything you think is not up to a high standard, anyone at all who does it in a constructive way is more than welcome to do so. I will not engage in some stupid vendetta to "get back" at anyone.
Some may already feel I am a little outspoken, not in keeping my own skill, if you read my critique though I think you will find it is given constructivley and with a positive atitude. I always try to praise the good points before pointing out any weaknesses I feel are there.
One thing which I see on this site is a number of people with great skill and talent in different fields of photography. I believe we can all benefit from this wide range of knowledge.
Just Please, don't give me a 4 without telling me what you feel is the problem.
I saw yesterday that another person that had also entered the competition and that same person had voted onmy picture awarding a "7". My average was then about 9. My wife thought it odd that people that enter the competitions could also vote on other entries, I did not realise that anyone could do this.
