Ok, just a brainstorm here, but basically i think there are a few people out there who really want some constructive criticism of their photography and arent receiving it even if asking for it.  I think in the galleries some people are afraid of saying what they think for fear of offending the person uploading the picture, but i have had a few PM's here and there thanking me for my honesty in my comments and believe it is a good thing to be honest about what you think/feel about a picture. Saying "ooo nice" isnt helping anyone...

what if we set up a system whereby each day (or maybe over a period of 2-3 days) someone from the photography forums/gallery would have their photo of choice open to honest and forthcoming critique from those on the boards? and there is a no-holds barred rule, where basically you speak your mind... those with technical knowledge would give their opinion and those who just want to say what they feel about the picture just say it (obviously this would dissuade those who merely want an ego rub)

That way someone who really wants some real critique of their work would receive it... obviously some sort of criteria would need to be met, like a minimum of uploads and/or a quick review by the moderators before being open to critique by the forum visitors.

Just a thought, what thinketh yee? and more directed at the moderators - is it plausible?

Interesting idea..I think to get an actual dialog running, the correct way to do, this.......
 is in the forum..

That way folks can go back and forth with thought and ideas..The comment section of the gallery is much too limited for this type of dialog.

here's a couple of quick ideas..

post the image in the gallery..disable comments
start a thread named....(need a name for this)
post a link to the image to be reviewed
folks can discus the image in the thread..

I'd like to see some discussion from everyone on this..that way we can get as much input as possible..

Na that would be really something!! We all got a basic knowledge or higher on photography and have  some good manners. I am sure it would be no "hurting feeling" issue. 
Kick it off guys I am very much interested to hear some honest opinion on my shot(s) or learn from others.

seeyus  Tunde

This sounds a very good idea to me. Much more helpful to anyone wanting to improve their photography than a gallery post. Real constructive critique is hard to come by.  I would be happy to post images for this. 

One thought occures to me though, would only one thread cause a backlog of waiting photos?

Thread name could be Constructive Critique.

I shall wait with intrest for the outcome of this good idea by Rich.

Time to set up the user name Simon Cowell I think   :D

very nice idea ! i like it ! ...

if everybody wants their pics in a contructive critique, the forum will be full very soon ;o)

yeah - that was my worry, the backlog. Because obviously the quality and quantity of the critique would be lowered if there were multiple threads on multiple uploads being critiqued at the same time.  Which is why i think some criteria should be made and maybe eligibility be decided by the moderators, like which photo/user would benefit more from the critique or something and have a limit of how many times you can enter your photo for critique, like once a month or whatever - depending on how long the critique is open for.

wise idea !!

Good idea and a wise move to set some limitations. I think Bruce's methodology is sound. We've always encouraged people to post images here for critique, but it is not too often that it is taken advantage of and 200MB can sometimes limit image quality. So haveing a gallery image with a link to a thread here would be a good idea, IMHO, and visa versa.

I do agree that having this structured is a good idea..So we would have to build some sort of list..

so, the next question, how much time should we allow for discussion on an image?

I think we do need to set some sort of practical time frame for this. The difficulty is our group is spread out all over the world..so we need at least a few days for each one..

One image per week?

Two? three?

The only possible problem I can see, is making sure the next image for review is ready..

I guess that's where a waiting list will work out..If one doesn't respond, we move to the next..

i think one every three days at max (in terms of days), and tell the person who is next that their photo of choice is going to be next during the current critiquing.

Also, i dont think it should necessarily be a new upload.  Say for instance someone put up a shot and only got one comment saying "not too sure about this one, it seems a bit off somehow", giving them the chance to post up here asking for a more in-depth critique would be a good thing.
With that in mind, maybe the person could just give the link by pm to the mods and they put it up in the forum thread when it is their turn, that way it makes it easier for people to not miss their place in the queue.

Well, as one of the people who has PM'd Rich recently and received very constructive advice and assistance from him (Thank you Rich!), I'm all for this - I'm desperately trying to learn how to take better photos and although I can sometimes capture a shot reasonably well, I lack the technical knowledge to make it a great photo - this is where help and advice is useful.

Comments in the gallery are all well and good, and it's a great place for "advertising" yourself, but without people like Rich (and I must also add in here Joe, as he has also PM'd me about a recent upload to the gallery), then it would take a very long time for me to ever achieve the level to which I am striving.

I must also stress that I am all too aware that you all have private lives too and any comments passed are welcomed and appreciated and I'm sure each and everyone of us feels the same, but with this in mind, this suggestion of Rich's makes a lot more sense and relieves the burden from him and Joe (and any others who help out) from helping all of us "newbies" single-handed.

I will wait with baited breath for this new thread to start here in the forums and hope that one day, I too may be in a position of offering advice and guidance rather than just "taking" it!

Hugs to all of you - I really do appreciate all the efforts made.
xx

Ok...how does this sound...

We have images for "constructive criticism"

On Monday and Thursday...

We'll consider Sunday a day off..

Perhaps in the interest of keeping things current..I'll keep the list of folks who want to submit an image rather short..

say four or five names...

then I will ask for more when we get down to the last two..

I think this is an excellent idea. I've been visiting a few critiquing groups this past month to learn to be more detailed in my comments. I think it helps me not only to have my shots critiqued but critiquing others trains me to see what components/angles/settings make a good shot and I can become better with my own photography. So if some criteria is to be set up it might be beneficial to include participating in critiquing others photos when you've had yours critiqued. ;o)

Just my 2 cents
        

Sound good Bruce....I like to be in a line please. I have much to learn and I realy need honest oppinions. 
I have not much photo experience or study, still would I be able tell my thoughts about a picture what will be posted by other artist?

seeya  Tunde

Actually Tunde, this is all Rich's idea..

Yes everyone can comment and discuss..even if you are inline to post an image..

In fact, I would encourage the person who uploads the image to respond to the comments..

An interesting proposal!
Just a thought....rather than having a "free for all"....how about having the critique "panel"...consisting of the last years photography AOM's.

I think everyone here certainly respects those chosen for that award.

I know it might , in some cases, be difficult to get them to contribute...but.......

This is not intended to imply that other's have no right to critique....it is only intended to minimize outright flaming.....

Apology  to Rick. I thouth it is a collaboration, His got a good idea and you Bruce set it up.  Sorry about it.

seeya  Tunde

"it is only intended to minimize outright flaming....."

Trust me..I won't allow that in anyway shape or form..

Ok Bruce.....just a suggestion....but get the flame retardant suit ready just in case....LOL!
Seriously, this is a great idea....I hope it turns out well!!!!

I have faith in this group of Photographers..
They will conduct themselves like ladies and gentleman.

So, how do we go about setting this up then? Seems like the ground rules are laid out, more or less.  Are you organising it all bruce or am i, as a "punishment" for thinking up another way to put time constraints on the mod staff?

Rich...if you want to help out with this..I would appreciate it..

Otherwise...I'll try to manage this..The only problem is, my schedule changes  every week..It's never the same, so It might be difficult on SOME weeks..

Next step..I think we can start this Next Monday.. I will need FIVE members to contact me via sitemail/PM...

(five will give us a head start in setting this up)...

The first person will post the image for review on Sunday night...or early Monday..
(I'm refering to Renderosity server time)..The image will be posted in the gallery with NO COMMENTS ALLOWED

That way we can discuss the image in the forum.

AS soon as they let me know the image is ready.. I will create a sticky thread...and we will begin..

Either late Wends night or Early Thursday...That thread will be locked, and we move to the next one..

This also means we will need the second image for the week posted on Wends...Then that thread will begin on Thurs..

I'll do my best to keep this on track..If we get off schedule we will have to fly by the seat of our pants..

I'll try to put this together in a more formal presentation sometime tonight..

Right now...I'm at work, and should actually try to get something productive done !!!

i dont mind helping out in some way - just tell me what i can do i suppose.

What WILL be important, imo, would be to show the EXIF data along with the image.
Then pple will get an idea on what settings were used on the shot and what could have been used to obtain a 'better' image!

Its not just about the image etc...!
Wrong setup can break an image!

Which asks me this question...One thing I do not see on the 'show exif data' when posting an image is the ISO...surely, this is one of the most important bits of info!

yeah - good idea, i always like to see what someone is doing with the camera settings so that i can make a judgement as to any sort of remedy.  And ISO is important.  Suggestion seconded... if that was a suggestion ;P

Jim and Rich

 I'll mention that to the programmers and see if they can add it..