Flickr Camera Club Critiques

Hi Lisa, Now that my Flickr account is no longer "dangling" I've been enjoying posting my pictures. I've noticed that zillions of groups are thriving but our's, apparently, is stagnant. Do you think it would help if you sent out a memo to remind all members to participate? Perhaps, people have simply forgotten that Camera Club Critiques on Flickr exists. Well, I just wanted to make the suggestion, and there it is :-) Susan B. Naumann

Thank you Susan!
Yes, I would like to try this again. We all love to show our photographs and everyone says that they would like to receive more feedback -- well here is your chance. We created this Flickr group in order to have a way to show and receive feedback on more of our images. We were off to a great start and then people started posting photos without commenting.

Click here to view/join: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1018989@N23/

We are going to try to post only TWO photos at a time and when you post the photos PLEASE make sure to comment on other photographs posted here. Please Comment of two photos for every one photo that you post. If we all do this we will have lots of feedback.

When you post your image please include the shooting information: What camera and lens did you use, tripod? what shutter speed? what f stop? anything different? high iso? laid down on your stomach? etc.

For EACH photo that you post please comment on TWO other photographs, that way we will generate comments. This group will only be as good as everyone's efforts here. Things that you can comment about: What was your first impression of the photograph. Is the composition pleasing? What parts do you like best? what could be done to improve the photo?

We are all looking forward to seeing your images. You can also view this Blog on the itnernet at http://lifethrulisaslens.blogspot.com/ and there is a Flick widget displaying the most recent photos added to our group.

iPhone app for Flickr

Taken straight from the Flickr blog...

There’s a new native iPhone app for Flickr, created by Yahoo’s mobile team. It’s currently available in English and French in the US, Canada, UK, France, Hong Kong and Singapore Apple iTunes stores. Download it for free now!

You can take a photo and upload it from the app, view your photostream and activity, and see recent photos from your contacts. There’s also the nifty slideshow that features the “Ken Burns effect”.

There is also m.flickr.com, Flickr's mobile browser experience. And several hardware manufacturers including BlackBerry and Nokia have built in “send to Flickr” right from their phones, which we love! Learn more about using Flickr on your mobile device.

Flickr

From Digital photo school
How Flickr Can Make you a Better Photographer

In this post naturalist, photographer, and computer scientist Steve Berardi from Photo Naturalist explains how Flickr can make you a better photographer. If you’re not using Flickr yet, then you’re really missing out. Not only is it a great way to store and share your photos, but it’s also an excellent place to get feedback and learn from other photographers. When I first joined Flickr, I merely saw it as a way to store my photos and serve as yet another backup source, but after using the site for a few months, I became addicted, and quickly realized how the site could make me a better photographer.

Here are few ways Flickr has made me a better photographer:

1. Learning by example
Albert Einstein once said: “Learning by example isn’t the best way to learn–it’s the only way to learn.”

2. Getting feedback

3. Scouting out locations

How to get started

Are you ready to start using Flickr to help you become a better photographer? Great!! Here’s how to get started:

1.) Signup for a free account at www.flickr.com

2.) Upload your favorite photos (make sure you add tags, titles, and descriptions!)

You can also participate in our own Flickr group...
Click here to view/join: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1018989@N23/ and post TWO photos at a time. Include the shooting information when you post the photograph. What camera and lens did you use, tripod? what shutter speed? what f stop? anything different? high iso? laid down on your stomach? etc.

For EACH photo that you post please comment on TWO other photographs, that way we will generate comments. This group will only be as good as everyone's efforts here.Things that you can comment about: What was your first impression of the photograph. Is the composition pleasing? What parts do you like best? what could be done to improve the photo?

Flickr Camera Club Critiques

We are off to a good start. We have 19 members and 83 photos posted in just the short time since we started this. Click here to view/join: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1018989@N23/

We are going to try to post only TWO photos at a time and when you post the photos PLEASE make sure to comment other photographs posted here. Make sure to include the shooting information when you post the photograph. What camera and lens did you use, tripod? what shutter speed? what f stop? anything different? high iso? laid down on your stomach? etc.

For EACH photo that you post please comment on TWO other photographs, that way we will generate comments. This group will only be as good as everyone's efforts here.

Things that you can comment about: What was your first impression of the photograph. Is the composition pleasing? What parts do you like best? what could be done to improve the photo?

Red (critique and edit from Flickr)

Red
Originally uploaded by Howard00

Ahhh, the impact that this has! wow!

The juxtaposition of the red and the black adds impact and is very dramatic. The concept of this photograph captured by Howard is awesome, but there are some definite areas that could be improved to make this great idea a perfect photograph. (1) I am not sure what lighting effect you were going for, but either the dark side/bright side needs to be much more contrasted OR it needs to be much more evened out (2) her skin tone has a cast to it (3) her lips need to be burned in a little, as does the lower left shoulder.

I do not have the RAW file but here is an edited version of Howard's fabulous girl. Lisa

Flickr Camera Club Critiques

Hello everyone,

Yesterday I sent out an invitation to join a new Flickr group. People have already joined and some people have even sent this invitation out to others -- anyone interested in photography can join. Please pass this invitation along to others.

I wanted to invite you to join a cool group on Flickr! It's called Camera Club Critiques, and it's a big bunch of fun! If you would like to join this group, click on the following link (or copy and paste it into your web browser). Then you can see what this group is all about!
http://www.flickr.com/welcome/33345716/524518/

This can be a place where images are displayed, shared and/or critiqued. It will only be successful IF we post pictures and IF we ALL comment on the posted pictures. After talking with several members and after our own executive camera club board meeting I think that many people would like more comments on their photographs. Perhaps this is a forum that can help everyone and visually deilight us all in the learning process. Anyone with an itnerest in photograph can join.You will be able to subscribe to the group after you join so you will know when new things have been posted to the group.

Feed – Subscribe to Camera Club Critiques discussion threads

This is a place for you to upload your photograph so that others may enjoy it, comment on it and/or critique it. During the monthly competitions it is not possible to get comments on every photograph but everyone learns when we critique and are critiqued.We ALL love to see photographs and learn what might be done to improve them.

Constructive criticism only, remember the maker took that photograph for a reason and they chose it to compete for a reason. You can offer constructive criticism and you can also "score" the photo if you want (0-10) and please break it down into the 4 categories below so people can learn.

Please remember that what constitutes a GREAT photo for CAMERA CLUB competition does not necessarily constitute a GREAT photo for hanging on your wall, in an art studio, on the cover of a magazine, etc. Camera club competition is but one set of guidelines. If you want to be on the cover of a magazine you usually shoot vertical and leave lots of sky (or negative space) for the TITLE and words. This same image would have to be cropped tightly to do well in camera club competition.

See you there!
Lisa Cuchara

Camera Club Critiques

I have just started a new group on Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1018989@N23/

This can be a place where images are displayed, shared and/or critiqued. It will only be successful IF we post pictures and IF we ALL comment on the posted pictures. After talking with several members and after our own executive camera club board meeting I think that many people would like more comments on their photographs. Perhaps this is a forum that can help everyone and visually deilight us all in the learning process. Anyone with an interest in photograph can join.

You will be able to subscribe to the group after you join so you will know when new things have been posted to the group.

Feed – Subscribe to Camera Club Critiques discussion threads

http://api.flickr.com/services/feeds/groups_discuss.gne?id=1018989@N23&lang=en-us&format=rss_200


About Camera Club Critiques

This is a place for you to upload your photograph so that others may enjoy it, comment on it and/or critique it. During the monthly competitions it is not possible to get comments on every photograph but everyone learns when we critique and are critiqued.

We ALL love to see photographs and learn what might be done to improve them.

Constructive criticism only, remember the maker took that photograph for a reason and they chose it to compete for a reason.

You can offer constructive criticism. You can also "score" the photo if you want (0-10) and please break it down into the 4 categories below so people can learn.

Please remember that what constitutes a GREAT photo for CAMERA CLUB competition does not necessarily constitute a GREAT photo for hanging on your wall, in an art studio, on the cover of a magazine, etc. Camera club competition is but one set of guidelines. If you want to be on the cover of a magazine you usually shoot vertical and leave lots of sky (or negative space) for the TITLE and words. This same image would have to be cropped tightly to do well in camera club competition.

At a John Shaw seminar John remarked "If you are attending my seminar in hopes to improve your camera club competition scores then I will NOT be able to help you as my images would not necessarily do well in camera club competition. Howver, I have made my living with them and they have been published in many places".

The bottom line: Shoot what you love.

Judging Guidelines:

Light and exposure

0= badly over or under-exposed.

1= Use of light is appropriate with some tolerance for exposure range.

2=Use of light and exposure well handled & absolutely correct with no obvious lighting problems.

3=Light and exposure have been used effectively, beyond mere recording. The exposure may be deliberately unusual but correct, and the image shows skill in the use of light direction, character, and color.

Sharpness

0=the subject image is not sharp or as sharp as required in subject areas

1=the subject area is sharp (blurred areas are an enhancement)

Composition and Design

0=composition is careless with significant distractions. Design is not apparent or not satisfactory.

1=Composition and design are satisfactory. Distractions may be apparent but not dominant.

2=Composition and design are without fault. There are no distractions.

3=the organization of the elements is critical to the success of the image. Composition and design are both with out fault or distraction.

Mood, Impact, Subject Matter

0=the image has little emotional appeal and fails to communicate an objective.

1=the image initiates some emotional response or recognition of the makers perceived objective.

2=the subject conveys a sense of place or an event and is accurately rendered. There is an automatic emotional response.

3=the image is powerful and evokes an immediate emotional response which is strong and lasting. The subject matter is well selected and portrayed.

My personal opinion is that many photographs can be technically correct, lighting and exposure, but the "impact" portion is only a 1 or 2 and the composition portion is only a 2 leading to a score of 7 or 8 by a judge (21 or 24). You can improve on technical features but impact is hard -- either it is ther or it is not there. And sometimes a photograph has impact to US because we were there and the photograph brings back the emotion that we were feeling that day at the time that we tripped the shutter. That does not necessarily mean that a viewer that was not there feels the same impact as you did because you were there and they were not there.