The silent majority

[pnodrog]

I have just been looking at a photograph (Star storm..under my umbrella..ella..ella. By Daisy Mae) which I like – not sure why (probably the moody lighting etc) and I did not leave a comment. I often browse the photographs posted without leaving a comment and the number of viewings indicates I am certainly not the only silent viewer.


Generally I only comment on a photograph when I think (rightly or wrongly) that I can make a constructive contribution.


Colin, Sharon, Phil, Donald and many other skilled photographers put up work I usually enjoy but if I am not drawn to the photograph it is purely due to my personal preference rarely due to any fault with the image – so no comment.


There are other photographs posted where any comments I would make have already been made - so no comment.


Are the rest of the silent majority shy, apathetic or just a bit busy?

[Mike Buckley]

Are the rest of the silent majority shy, apathetic or just a bit busy?

The challenge is to get them to come out of their silence to answer you.

I'm not one of the silent ones, so I'll mention that even when I have nothing to add to what other people have already mentioned, I'll simply post that I agree with them. It can be helpful and never harmful to provide confirming information.

[FrankMi]

Are the rest of the silent majority shy, apathetic or just a bit busy?

I would venture to say that given your reasons for not commenting that you are not necessarily shy, apathetic, or, given the time you've taken to view the images, so busy as to not look.

I to tend to comment most often where I feel I can be helpful or where the photographer has contributed a fantastic image and deserves the recognition for their efforts. Like you, I often see an image that is outstanding but just not my style and I will ‘sometimes’ but rarely comment on some of those. It certainly doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate their work.

I sometimes I see someone comment that knows exactly what to say, regardless of the image and for those folks I am most grateful. It is a skill that I am sorely lacking in so I try to refrain from commenting for fear of saying something inappropriate. Unfortunately, I’m not always all that wise.

I suspect that many of us are much like yourself Paul.

[Polar01]

I am somewhat the same, looked and read the post then left, then returned as I felt that I should say something. I do not write on some posts as the image is not my thing, and knowing there are others who are well versed in that field. I do comment on those sometimes if the image strikes me right or if I believe I can give direction, not advice as I need all that I can get for myself.

Cheers:

Allan

[dje]

Paul I think there are a lot of different factors at play here. Certainly the quality of the images and perhaps to some extent the "reputation" of the posters do come into it. But they are by no means the only factors that influence the number of responses to a thread.

For a start, and I'm sure the mods will correct me if I'm wrong about this, I think the number of viewers of a thread includes non-members who can't leave comments.

When a very good image is posted, and quite a few responses are generated, others will tend to think that "enough accolades have already been given" and not post a response.

Sometimes fairly ordinary images will generate quite a few responses with a lot of improvement suggestions being made.

Sometimes a bit of humour and banter creeps in.

The time of posting I think can have a bearing on the number of repsonses - different time zones can have an effect and also weekends seem to be "slower".

And yes I think there probably are quite a few in the "silent majority" category.

These are just a few factors that come to mind.

Dave

[Carl in Louisiana]

I am about the same here. Sometimes I just don't know what to say and also fear it could be wrong if I do say anything. Plus a lot of the times I get to posts many have already posted and with answers I would not have thought of so I learn something from them. I do try to look and see what everyone has posted some I like and others are just not my cup of tea.
I really think I am still trying to find my niche and still trying to learn how to critic my own images and I find that the hardest part and trying to tell a story is even harder.

[tbob]

I think I am firmly in the silent majority category. I do feel some guilt for not chiming in more often as I feel quite attached to the site and get a lot more out of it then I put back.

Why do I read and not post? A lot of the technical,processing and gear threads are something I will look at but not comment on due to lack of expertise. I read them to glean any useful stuff and only infrequently do I think I could contribute anything useful to the discussion. The Canon questions are beyond me to advise on; shooting only Nikon.

As for the photos critique; I frequently feel "if you can't say something nice then don't say anything at all". Perhaps I should try to be constructive; but honestly I usually have only a few minutes to check out the site and to compose my thoughts and comment is frequently more time than I have on the vast majority of days.

I really appreciate the frequent contributers as they have created a very civil and useful site.

[Mark von Kanel]

Well i anything but silent! but i simply dont have time to comment on everything.

I wont comment if there is enough feed back, unless i can contribute something that i feel has been missed.

There is no such thing as a wrong opinion, only those that differ from mine / yours. (unless technical but thats not opinion its a miss statement of fact).

you should never be afraid to comment because you think you may be wrong, if you do this you will never learn if you were wrong or not.

Often the most uninformed veiw on an image will be the freshest and most enlightening because they havnt been "educated" into what is "right" (qualified artists are the worst for this)

humor and politeness are fabulous attributes, try and use them.

there are photogs on here who are very good. they submit images for c&c to boost their egos and rarely take the time to help others here, i wont post on their submissions.

Ive gained a huge amount from this forum in the past year and try to contribute where i can. if we were all wall flowers the forum would not work at all. Any and all comments should be welcome if they are put forward in a well meaning and polite way. EVEN IF THEY ARE WRONG! Something can always be learned either by the poster or the reader.

The more we contribute, the less work for our poor mods......

Now did you here the one about the actress and the bishop?

[Donald]

I think a useful test is to ask what you want when you post an image. Do you like to get comments? Are you disappointed if people don't comment? If the answer to either of these is 'Yes', then it is likely that lots of other people feel the same and would love to see you commenting. I think it does give confidence to people, even if the comment is more about correcting errors than praising quality. And of course, it is a great learning tool. So, making comments is both nice and helpful.

But, the corresponding responsibility of the poster is to ask for C&C. In the main, I don't comment on images where C & C is not requested. I assume the poster is displaying the image because he/she is satisfied with it and is just displaying it because of that.

Frank's post (How to Get Effective Feedback for your Posted Images) is still the best aid/support for people looking for C & C.

[nimitzbenedicto]

Silent majority?

First of all, if the poster does not indicate/type he/she wants CnC, obviously, I won't CnC.

Otherwise, I'd like to take the positive points of his/her image from a noobs POV.

Knowing I still lack a lot of technique, I'd rather let the technicians do the technical comments.

HTH

[davidedric]

Perhaps We should have extra smileys for various degrees of acclamation? I would like a white flag or a towel to throw in for those images that make me think these people are so talented I might as well give up!

[Soozie B]

I would like a white flag or a towel to throw in for those images that make me think these people are so talented I might as well give up!

I echo this sentiment, however, it is also these talented posts that make me strive to try and post images that receive positive feedback from the experts. So, never give up!

[oleleclos]

Generally I only comment on a photograph when I think (rightly or wrongly) that I can make a constructive contribution.

I haven't been on CiC long, but that's what I have been doing too, and it seems to make sense. If everybody commented on everything, the site would just bog down.

[dubaiphil]

I'll try to comment on shots where I'm more familiar with the subject material.

For example nature/birds/insects/macro is something which I have no experience with so I generally won't comment. It's not that I'm not interested, but I don't feel confident with my comments as I'm not shooting that sort of material.

The good thing about CiC is that there don't seem to be many cliques. People patting each other on the back in small groups. It's a very open resource to people with all sorts of experience levels. The difficult thing is starting to critique people's pictures, but even people with just an understanding of composition can do that with enough confidence.

[MilT0s]

Personally I only comment posts with photos of the kind of photography I am interesting in, e.g. I don't have interest for bird photography so I only see them, of course I admire the good ones, but I don't comment since I have nothing to contribute.

On the other hand I think that since most people here are amateurs of medium level (like me) a simple "I like you image" comment always boosts the photographer's self-confidence and helps him/her to keep trying going deeper into photography.

And something else: sometimes a bad critique is necessary. Even in a Cartier-Bresson photo you can find something you don't like. I always try to comment some points I don't like even in the most fabulous photos. Not because I envy the creator, just because we all can get better. And of course often people don't agree with what I say. And that is among other things what I lone in CiC.

(writing at the same time with Phil)

[oleleclos]

I think a useful test is to ask what you want when you post an image…the...responsibility of the poster is to ask for C&C. In the main, I don't comment on images where C & C is not requested. I assume the poster is displaying the image because he/she is satisfied with it and is just displaying it because of that.

A fair point, but one that in my short time on CiC I had not even thought of. I assumed everything posted here (certainly my own) was open to comments & criticism. As a result I may have come across as both smug and condescending, although I hope not Happily the CiC community seems a friendly and forgiving one

[MrB]

CiC is very good and, despite trying not to visit too frequently, I already spend too much time here, when I should be following Donald's wise mantra - "Practise, practise, practise". Clicking on "Today's Posts" shows about 75 messages, most of which are of interest, and many of which require the reading of several previous posts in the thread. It has already consumed 10 minutes reading and posting to this thread. So I agree with reasons already posted here, but I would stress that time is the main factor for usually being one of the silent majority.

Philip

[rtbaum]

I tend to comment only if I feel that I can contribute in some constructive way. As my photographic journey appears to be far from the best available on CiC, I will often not comment on the more experienced contributors. I don't know.......perhaps if I were seeing more comments on my own posts, I would be more likely to comment on others.

[oleleclos]

Thanks to Miltos for signing his posts with a Saint-Exupéry quote. It reminded me of my favourite St-Ex quip which I will add as my signature. Call it copycat; I call it inspiration

[Loose Canon]

I am travel a lot and don’t always have time or consistent internet access when I am geographically displaced. Unfortunately, I sometimes get so far behind with viewing threads that I can’t catch up. When I have time/opportunity I sometimes have to stick with the newer posts or those that are more along my interests.

I try to add comments when I can or if I happen to see something that no one else has mentioned. But by and large, most of the time a post has already been critiqued out by the time I see it.

Because of all this, I don’t get a lot of opportunity to post my own stuff. In fact, I don’t get to shoot as much as I would like and don’t always have something I even want to post. I try to do a little of both commenting and posting as the opportunity arises.

My abilities certainly do not warrant any egocentrism whatsoever on my part.

I try to always be polite and suggestive. After all, they are just friendly suggestions. They are not absolutes. And many is the time I have made my own changes based on the great feedback that is available on this Forum.

When I post a shot of my own, I like to be sure to thank each and every one individually who took time out of their day to view and comment for me. Make no mistake, I really appreciate the comments I receive.

Because of my time limitations and because of how I feel about other’s taking the time to comment on my photos, I sometimes have to suspend commenting on other’s shots to monitor my own thread.