I am curious as to where else I could go to post my photos. I am looking for an amateur site since most of the time I feel I am out of my depth (no pun intended) trying to compete with the likes of the members on this site.

Don't get me wrong, I love this site, and the members have always been more than supportive and helpful to me right from the start. I just feel that I am out of my league and need to compete with people more on my level.

If anyone has any suggestions, please message them to me in private.

Sincerely,
Amanda

I am the same i feel the quality of this site is better than i can produce at the moment with my old slr so like Amanda any other sites would be helpful i will not be leaving this site as i love the quailty of the work and it helps with finding different ways of looking for shots

Amanda, I don't have any other site suggestions to go to, but I do have encouragement to give, hence I'm giving it publicly in the hopes that others will add theirs. I think it would be sad if you left the site just so you could contribute to a body of work that was more so-called amateur in nature. You're work is certainly not anything to be ashamed of.

I went to your gallery and was going to write down all the shots I thought were strictly professional quality. There were more than I could take the time to write, so I just counted them, and I came up with 35. Mind you, there were many more that I liked, but the perameters of my hunt was to choose those that I thought any professional would produce, and any editor of a publication would give a nod to for printing.

And there were a few that are outstanding, that rank in the very best I've seen, such as: Mirage, Silhouette, Lemon Fresh, and Loves Me Not.

Amanda, whether you ever 'make it' professionally is something for fate to decide, but you've certainly arrived as an artist. Add to that your enviable way of giving people a boost up emotionally, and I must say you're one of my favorite bloggers. If your spirit calls you away to another site I guess we can't stop you, but please drop us another piece of art every now and again so we can revel in the beauty you add to the world.

--Chris

I'm not sure how helpful it really is to spend too much time on a site that is of a level you have already surpassed or outgrown? There will always be photographs that are better than our own, but there will also be photographs which we too in turn will surpass.

Part of what I have learned about that, is that photographers of this site are generally very highly skilled which can sometimes be incredibly discouraging in a way as we try to grow and learn in this field ... it sometimes feels like we just can't hit the mark, but it has helped teach me and force me to grow more confident in whatever spot along the scale I might find myself with my photography. It also at times feels truly impossible, but I think photography pushes and pulls like that by nature. The photo we take today is the stepping stone to the next one & etc, good or bad, they are all stepping stones and all important because of that.

I've also found though as hard as it can be here in terms of the struggle that is sometimes a necessary part of photography, this site is mostly full of photographers who can truly appreciate photography as an art form rather than just admiring "snapshots". I think there are snapshot sites, and there are photography sites. This site is much more about "photography" than "snapshots" and I guess you have to ask yourself where you want to be with your photography; comfort might not be all that helpful to growth.

If I can say so, I believe you care about photography strongly enough that I don't think you belong on an amateur site. And it's not just how much you think and care about it, but your photographs have shown that very push and pull that is a huge part of photography. Some of your photographs are truly outstanding while others are the very process we all have to go through to keep learning and growing in this.

Just hang in there Amanda. Don't be too critical of where you think you are. Keep going and believe in your work more. Just believe. You have done so much in the short time you have taken this up seriously. You have developed a portfolio that I don't think could have happened at this kind of depth were it not for the "ocean" of skill you swim in here.


Makes me sad that you might be down with photography. It's really hard when we are there but I think you should just go full speed ahead and you won't even notice the tough part going away. It will just be fun again and you won't want to put your camera down.
Hang in there.

D.

While I am new here and do not know the quality of your work I think that you wouldn't be helped very much by leaving a site behind and missing out on that much critique. I do however suggest that you check out the forum section at www.popphoto.com. It is one of my favorite forums and I'm sure everyone would love to help you with anything. If you are wondering about the site, just register (it's not a spam trap or anything) and send a private message to a moderater. I'm sure you could ask them what to expect from the forums and they would help you adjust to the environment. They (the members) range in skill from Extremely talented proffesionals to newbies who are just starting out and don't have a clue what's going on. (and the site is very well monitored so there is no reason to worry about innapropriate content). I do suggest that you don't talk about anything that isn't involved with photography or post anything with religous content, but that's just common sense. Good luck and happy shooting!

whoops, I think I kind of overwrote.

Amanda,

Having surfed all around the net looking for places to post my photos I always dump them after a short time. Not only are photographyblog.com comments and criticisms the most helpful, but I'm also able to see a never-stopping parade of work that inspires me to be better. Other sites, while more "amateur-oriented," are just that, and you can only see so many camera-phone snapshots before you start thinking there are better ways to spend your time.

If the critiques get you down then try to direct them towards what you are working on. Post the first comment to a shot that says "I was trying to get a perfect reflection" or "How can I get the light AND dark portions to balance..." I think most people will be happy to help, and then criticism turns into advice, which can only make you grow.

Your photographs are good. Hang in there.

Steve

oh Amanda, dont go elsewhere, I have only just started enjoying you photographs!!
Im new, and yes the standard is high and that is what makes this site so worthwhile! To make it artistically is just simply to do it, and as someone else has said, believe in the kind of vision you capture of the world in your photography! Just to be exposed to some of the photographs on this site is an education in itself and I dont think you would find so much quality elsewhere, as far as I am aware anyway. Value and status are not the same thing......some photographers do enjoy both which is great, but that does not mean that those with less status are less valuable! Hope this encourages you, and I really hope you keep on sharing the very worthwhile images you produce. love jenny

Hi Amanda
Whats all this nonsense about going elsewhere ,you have some fine work in your portfolio a lot better than when I first started on this site( not that Ive got anything spectacular on here now),but I kept plugging away reading other peoples metadata because I didnt have much idea what all the settings were about and absorbing all the critique.Hell Ive spent a kings ransom on photography books and magazines,Ive even bought most books going on photoshop and I still havnt got a picture that I can say hand on heart 'thats the one'and I think thats what keeps me at it, if I reach the stage when I can say Im happy with my photos I think I will be so dissapointed because this is a marvellous and enjoyable journey and a site like this makes it more thrilling,just to see other peoples work and share your own its great and there is no such thing as a bad photo(well ive taken a few but thats by the by ) as long as youve taken it with a good heart and enjoyed getting it.Stick with it Amanda your getting there remember its not a cab ride its a train journey and a half
Take Care
Harvey

Amanda, please, please, stop saying this things.

You have encourage me to write my first comment in the forum , although as you know my english is not enough good...

...as my photos, but I'm not thinking in leaving Photographyblog, why? this it's the place where I enjoy more about photography, where I'm growing as "photographer"

I usually upload my photos in a spanish site too, but there it's not the same, it's funny but I don't learn nothing there.

I know what you feel because it's my feeling too. When I saw some of this marvelous photos here I wonder: What am I doing here? and my answer is: enjoying my eyes with this beautiful works and learning, learning a lot.

Please, Amanda, don't leave us

Ana

When I look at some of the photos on the site I get the feeling that there has to be some post camera tweaking in Photoshop or similar programs.
I look at all the photoshop tutorials but my tweaking never turns out like the tutorial.
I actually asked Mark a week or so back if he knew of a site where "before" and "after" photos are displayed.
I would like to see one of the pro's put up an out of camera original and take us amateurs through the steps of turning the shot into the piece we see here.
john

That's still something that I'm mulling over

Amanda

I am just finding my way with photography & I have found the feedback from members including you very helpful - am shortly off to Languedoc for some R&R (red wine and recuperation) with my trusty analogue SLR. The pointers I am getting here will make me think more carefully before pressing the button.

Stick with us and we can improve together.

Tony H

I'm late to this topic (I barely have time to keep up with the photos, never mind the discussions), but I'm going to throw in my two cents (two pence?) anyway.

Amanda, stay here and keep posting. I can give you two good reasons.

1. Your stuff is a lot better than you seem to think
2. In photography, as in most endeavors, you're much better off hanging around good and helpful people who manage to intimidate you now and then with their abilities. I know I learn a lot more when I'm around people who routinely make me feel ignorant, as long as they're supportive and helpful. In my relatively short time within this community, I have come to realize that it contains some supremely talented and helpful people. And, I have yet to run across a single egomaniac. Everyone seems eager to help other people improve.

Besides, you clearly have the "eye", and that's where it all starts and ends.

Best regards,
-Brian