Simon, well, thanks for the vote; i appreciate your thought. i wasn't trying to solicit votes for him...just wanted to share my excitement. what you said is sooooo true. Too much great work DOES go unnoticed around here, and that's one reason i'm so excited kemal has gotten this recognition. He's someone who spends a lot of time looking at images, but he doesn't always comment. he doesn't vote publically either. i'm just so happy his art has been recognized and wanted to share that. and what you said about comments for comments...well i admit that's the way i do it. i only have so much time for looking at galleries. i would love nothing more than to look at every single image posted and to comment on them, but i just don't have time. my thinking is that if you're gonna take the time to look and comment in my gallery, then i'm gonna do the same in yours. For me, i see it as respectful to do that. i know pretty much everyone else is like me in that they don't have time to look at all the galleries they'd like and make comments, so when someone does take the time to comment on my image, i wanna take the time to comment on their's. yes, you're right, Simon. it's a you-scratch-my-back & i'll-scratch yours regime. as for voting, i vote for an image if i really like it. i vote quite a bit. i don't do it to try to get other people to vote for my images, because frankly, i don't give crap about getting votes. It wouldn't bother me if no one ever voted for my images. I'm here to become a better photographer. i can't get better unless i get people into my gallery to make comments. And since i'm still a beginner and my work is not outstanding enough to get people into my gallery because i post such high quality stuff, the only way to get people to look at my work is to look and comment on their stuff. i mean let's face it, my photography is not that great, but for a beginner, i'd say it's not THAT bad (well maybe i'm wrong about that...LOL!) is it fair that i might have more comments in my gallery when someone else's work is like a 100 times better than mine? No, it's NOT fair. But like i said, i'm here because i really DO want to improve. i don't wanna be a mediocre photographer; i wanna be an outstanding one. i don't spend nearly as much time as i should on reading tutorials and manuals and stuff. and perhaps my time would be better spent on reading books and taking classes, but that's not how i work. i just kinda dive in and go for it, learning as i go. As for voting, I don't know what the guidelines are for voting. i guess everyone has their own idea about when to vote. as far as i know, RR hasn't set up guidelines for voting. perhaps i'm wrong. if an image moves me, i'll vote for it. if i think it's outstanding, i'll vote for it. maybe that's the wrong way, but screw it. i just vote for images i enjoy. that's me. anyway, dunno how my tone is coming across, but just to clarify, i'm not upset or anything. i'm just telling you the way i do it. maybe i sound a bit on the defensive, and perhaps i am. i'm not angry or upset or anything. i just wanted to share with you my thoughts on the subject. You know i like your "tell it like it is" attitude Simon; i always appreciate that. and i do agree with you that maybe the way i do things doesn't give enough respect for those artists who do incredible work. you're right. perhaps i need to tighten up how i vote...do it less frequently...i dunno. Perhaps i should comment in more people's galleries, but i only have so much time. one of my problems is that sometimes i look at images for a LONG time...not all of them, but a lot. sometimes i'll just absorb myself in an image and get lost there. i enjoy that, but it takes a lot of time. it means i have less time to look at other galleries. But i don't like to just take a quick peek at a piece of art; i really like to take my time with it, enjoy it, and try to understand what the artist was feeling and wanting to convey. i will you that when i comment on someone's image, i say what's in my heart. if they don't ask for critiques, i don't give any. i do know that you can be a totally outstanding artist in your field here and not be recognized. the only way to get recognition around here it seems is to get people to look into your gallery, and with RR being as big as it is, the more comments you leave, the more you will get. it's a flawed system, but that's how it seems to work around here. anyway, thanks for hearing me. hope i haven't come across as ranting. i do appreciate you being straight up about how you feel about all this. and i agree with what you said. But since i would be considered one of those "back-scratchers," i just wanted you why i do things the way i do. i'm not here to kiss anybody's a_s. I do try to honestly tell people what i like about their images. if you ask for a critique, i might make a suggestion. but since i'm just a beginner, i oftentimes don't feel comfortable making suggestions. sometimes i do give them if i feel like i can make one AND if i think the artist will appreciate my feedback. and if i vote for your image, it just means i really like it. i don't expect or want you to vote for mine just because i voted for yours. ok, i guess i said enough. Yikes, i apologize for writing a novel here. i find it difficult to be concise. thanks, Simon, for your honesty. i really do appreciate you saying what's on your mind. it is a flawed system.