Most common/annoying reaction to your photos

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Rassie said:
So true. There's even some of that in these forums.....
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That's always a tricky one for me. There are people of all skill and experience levels posting and you don't want to discourage them, especially if they are posting in the "presentation" section, not the "critique" section.
That said, I tend to apply my grandmother's rule in those situation "if you have nothing good to say, then say nothing" - it's saved me from sticking my foot deep in my mouth on many occasions 😉
 
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Just this past weekend I stayed at a guys' cabin and took some photos of nearby birds, including nesting Bald Eagles. I got a not-so-artistic shot of mom feeding the chick, and a few other decent photos. The guy says "great photos, you must have a nice camera!".

I wanted to reply "the only way my camera entered into the equation is the fact that it's weather-sealed, so when I dragged my butt out of bed at 6am to go sit motionless in the rainy, 39°, 20mph wind for hours, the camera didn't fail." Instead, I just said something like "yeah, digital cameras are great!"

Steve said:
"If I had a 600 F/4 I could take photos like that too!"

I want to repsond:

No, no you can't :) If you can't take good photos with the gear you have, new gear isn't going to make much of a difference.
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I have that problem in a different way. It usually goes like this:
  1. I justify buying some new bit of kit, cause the only thing stopping me from getting the photos I want is obviously the hardware. (Right, everyone? Can I get some GAS affirmation?)
  2. I get my new gear and head out to shoot
  3. My wife comes along, so I pack my old gear for her to shoot. She enjoys photography occasionally.
  4. We go out shooting, and I'm over the moon with the new hardware. My wife quietly shoots a few frames.
  5. I come back home, check my photos and am very happy. This new hardware has made me a much better photographer! ;)
  6. I load my wife's photos up to hand them over to her and find hers are better than mine
I don't mind so much when it's Z9+500PF versus Z6+100-400. But once she did it to me with my 7D+300/2.8IS versus 350D+Sigma 70-300APO.

Fieldcraft is 90% of wildlife photography, in my opinion, and my wife is a ninja.
 
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Steve said:
"If I had a 600 F/4 I could take photos like that too!"

I want to repsond:

No, no you can't :) If you can't take good photos with the gear you have, new gear isn't going to make much of a difference.
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I wonder if, between all the bells and whistles on the new cameras and lenses and the fact that you can buy a certain level of field-craft (often where there is wildlife there are guides who know where and when to find it), getting what is considered the average good shot of wildlife isn't easier than ever by just throwing enough money at the problem.

Might make for an interesting video, grabbing one of your non-photography inclined friends for the day and see what they can come up with using a Z9 and 800mm PF :D shooting side by side with you. Maybe give him like top 5 or 10 tips on bird photography and show the before and after.

FB101 said:
That's always a tricky one for me. There are people of all skill and experience levels posting and you don't want to discourage them, especially if they are posting in the "presentation" section, not the "critique" section.
That said, I tend to apply my grandmother's rule in those situation "if you have nothing good to say, then say nothing" - it's saved me from sticking my foot deep in my mouth on many occasions 😉
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Maybe it should be that before someone posts in the "presentation" section they should first be able to post in the "critique" section. Once they get a number of up-votes there they could move on to the next area.

I think that you could actively harm somebody that is doing something wrong by giving them positive reinforcement... Then again, giving useful critique is hard and these days it seems that receiving critique is even harder :D.
 
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Abinoone said:
"Why don't you take pictures of people instead of a bunch of animals?"
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jeffnles1 said:
haha, the only appropriate response to that one would be "because I like animals" then smile and walk away. :D
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Jeff beat me to it. With my personality no doubt my response would be something like "because I like animals better than people".
 
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For some reason when someone says "stunning" it bugs me. It's such a generic thing to say. It's the verbal equivalent of a mindless like click or thumbs up emoji.
 
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FB101 said:
The one that drives me nuts is "nice but the subject is too small" or "can't you crop tighter?"

My favorite pictures are environmental shots - I frame like this on purpose.
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i got this in reverse the other day. that's a great photo, but it would be better if we could see more environment. i guess what the photographer wants doesn't matter :LOL:
 
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StefanSC said:
I wonder if, between all the bells and whistles on the new cameras and lenses and the fact that you can buy a certain level of field-craft (often where there is wildlife there are guides who know where and when to find it), getting what is considered the average good shot of wildlife isn't easier than ever by just throwing enough money at the problem.

Might make for an interesting video, grabbing one of your non-photography inclined friends for the day and see what they can come up with using a Z9 and 800mm PF :D shooting side by side with you. Maybe give him like top 5 or 10 tips on bird photography and show the before and after.
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I've essentially had that happen over the years. While gear helps and can improve keeper rates, it only gives you more of what you are already getting. I've shot with people using the exact same gear as I use and they weren't even close to getting the same photo. They weren't watching their backgrounds, weren't as creative with composition, weren't getting close enough, weren't getting low / high enough, they didn't get into the right position, they didn't know how to approach / handle the subject, couldn't find the subject in the viewfinder, didn't know how to use the cameras features effectively, didn't have proper technique for the shutter speeds they were using, and on and on. :)
 
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Charles Loy said:
It's annoying to get the 'How much did that camera cost?'
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i had some guy ask me at the fair, just recently, how much my lens cost. i was really caught off-guard. my first thought was am i being set up to be mugged? i saw he was carrying a basic dslr with kit lens and decided just to answer and told him.. 26 or 27. it took a second for him to process and a bit of surprise and i realized it was just an honest question for someone who was interested in photography but didn't yet know that much about it.
 
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John Navitsky said:
i had some guy ask me at the fair, just recently, how much my lens cost. i was really caught off-guard. my first thought was am i being set up to be mugged? i saw he was carrying a basic dslr with kit lens and decided just to answer and told him.. 26 or 27. it took a second for him to process and a bit of surprise and i realized it was just an honest question for someone who was interested in photography but didn't yet know that much about it.
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That always makes me uncomfortable too. I usually just answer "too much" and laugh.
 
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In terms of annoying responses, "you must have a really good camera" is easily number one.

I am kind of puzzled by the comments dunning people for complimenting bad photos. Where are people seeing one's bad photos? Why would someone post in a public place photos that he/she considers bad photos? That said, how rude is it to respond to someone's photo posted in a public forum with unsolicited criticism? What I find kind of galling is when people post photos in "C&C" forums who clearly do not want any criticism or suggestions; they are apparently assuming that people will ooh and ahh.

I will add that when I look at photos in a public forum like "Flickr," I kind of expect that people will post the camera/lens used, basic exposure info, and also the location (general, at least). So in a vague way, at least, the "what camera did you use" question is not all that annoying to me. People "out there" hear a lot about this or that camera and which is better and all that. Curiosity about which gear I use and why seems reasonable.
 
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Related to this topic is things people say in the field that are annoying. I think my biggest is when they tell me, "That's a big lens!"

I don't know why that one gets under my skin, but it think it's because I can't walk anywhere with my rig without hearing that at least a few times. :)
 
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FB101 said:
That's always a tricky one for me. There are people of all skill and experience levels posting and you don't want to discourage them, especially if they are posting in the "presentation" section, not the "critique" section.
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i have no problem with this. i run a group on facebook for dog sport photographers and if someone is out there trying, they have my approval. we all started somewhere and there's always someone better and if you're trying, i approve. i'll happily like their out-of-focus-too-dark-crooked-blurry-image. *IF* they ask for CC, i'll give them *A FEW* suggestions aimed at their skill level, and i'll try to find something positive to say about it.
 
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Steve said:
I've essentially had that happen over the years. While gear helps and can improve keeper rates, it only gives you more of what you are already getting. I've shot with people using the exact same gear as I use and they weren't even close to getting the same photo. They weren't watching their backgrounds, weren't as creative with composition, weren't getting close enough, weren't getting low / high enough, they didn't get into the right position, they didn't know how to approach / handle the subject, couldn't find the subject in the viewfinder, didn't know how to use the cameras features effectively, didn't have proper technique for the shutter speeds they were using, and on and on. :)
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Bingo. I have handed my a1 to folks and let them shoot away. I have never seen more out of focus shots in my life. The gear only gets you so far if you can't even remember to hit the focus button.
 
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On a related note, the constant and inevitable, "That's quite a lens" and similar comments from passers-by while I am carrying or using my rig (it really doesn't matter whether it's a 600mm f4 or a 500mm PF; they are all "quite a lens") kind of wears on me. I recall that Steve was considering creating a tee shirt with a response to that comment, "Yes it is a big lens"). I'd buy one.
 
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Steve said:
Related to this topic is things people say in the field that are annoying. I think my biggest is when they tell me, "That's a big lens!"

I don't know why that one gets under my skin, but it think it's because I can't walk anywhere with my rig without hearing that at least a few times. :)
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To funny! I get the same thing with my 600F4 all the time. I also find it annoying that when I am out shooting everyone wants to ask about it and for some reason want to hold it. I have limited time to shoot, it isn't social hour for me if I don't know you. It comes with the territory I suppose.
 
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GrandNagus50 said:
I am kind of puzzled by the comments dunning people for complimenting bad photos. Where are people seeing one's bad photos? Why would someone post in a public place photos that he/she considers bad photos? That said, how rude is it to respond to someone's photo posted in a public forum with unsolicited criticism?
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my policy is i try to only give CC when they ask for it and if they ask for it AND i'm so inclined. i've broken this approach a few times, but not many
 
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I am one of the guilty. I have frequently asked photographers with lenses that look like they must weigh four or five hundred pounds what they are shooting. I asked because I was interested and was out shooting with my 55-300 kit lens. I asked a lady shooting shots at my grandson's tennis match the other day and she told me, with a big and genuine looking smile that it was a Cannon.
 
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I don't know why but for some reason capture ('great capture'/'nice capture' etc.) really bugs me. It doesn't make logical sense but it feels diminishing or dismissive to me.
 
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