Guys, (a long post – sorry) somewhat surprised to find this thread however I am very much a newbie (to PB, but have contributed to other forums for a good while) so am obviously unaware of the trend. Personally I am enjoying PB very much. Keep looking on the bright side
Rating systems always cause a bit of head scratching. You will never stop ‘buddy’ or ‘pay-back’ rating by some but my experience is that this is a very small minority. For the rest of us, whether we tend to rate high, low or in the middle (in terms of the number) doesn’t really mater, it should all even out as long as everyone is consistent in what they do.
Personally I don’t really place much weight on the rating for two reasons ……..
1. Public forums will always be made of individuals of differing abilities both in terms of the images they post and the comments / rating they are able to give.
2. It’s the comments which are important to me. It’s by useful and constructive criticism that I learn and improve. It is also the opportunity to try new areas of photography as the comments give a good indication if I am along the right lines etc.
Picking up on this second point, it’s the very reason why I take part in forums like PB. I would rather receive 20 concise, useful critiques from fellow photographers than a log diatribe from a so-called ‘expert’ (e.g. a club judge). If 10 people say that the composition doesn’t work then the composition doesn’t work ….. fact. If only 1 out of 20 says it then that’s their minority opinion. It’s a 2-way thing, the person commenting should try and be helpful + it is up to the recipient to separate the wheat from the chaff
If everyone didn’t get hung up on the rating thing and concentrated on giving honest opinion expressed in a positive and helpful way then we all gain, from the most proficient to the complete beginner.
Personally I wouldn’t place ‘amateur’ on a scale with ‘intermediate’ and ‘advanced’ but it would be good to know someone's own perception of their level when they post a pic as this would allow any comments to be pitched correctly. It would avoid ‘grannies + eggs’ to advanced photographers and being too technical to beginners etc
Lastly In my short time here I feel very positive about the PB site, gallery and forums. One area I would like to see is a dedicated ‘critique’ gallery so that I could post an image that I was unsure of, explain what I was trying to achieve and ask for some feedback; or where I needed some advice in a specific area of, say, composition etc.
Cheers, chin up, Dave B.
