Mar 24, 2005, 15:57
I have had a minimum of comment about my last several photos. It bothers me. I feel neglected. It's like posting pictures to thin air. If my stuff is too wierd, please let me know but don't ignore me.
--Don
--Don
Mar 24, 2005, 15:57
Mar 24, 2005, 17:20
Mar 24, 2005, 18:00
Mar 24, 2005, 18:45
Mar 24, 2005, 19:10
Hey Don, keep up the good work. Rest assured, I've been viewing every single one of your photos, but as others have said - most often only posting comments on those that appeal to me.
Not every single photo will appeal to everyone, so don't get discouraged.
If you're discouraged about no comments on your photos, just search using this link and just think how I must be feeling about my posts!
Not every single photo will appeal to everyone, so don't get discouraged.
If you're discouraged about no comments on your photos, just search using this link and just think how I must be feeling about my posts!
Mar 24, 2005, 19:53
Mar 24, 2005, 19:53
Thank you very much Don. Thats very admirable of you to say. 
Mar 24, 2005, 21:36
Mar 24, 2005, 23:53
Mar 25, 2005, 04:52
Mar 25, 2005, 05:13
Mar 25, 2005, 11:06
Mar 25, 2005, 11:56
Don Schaeffer Wrote:Thanks everybody. People tring to produce art should never whine, but I did. I can't say I won't do it again.
--Don
Nonsense Don. If you need to get it off your chest then do so. It's threads like this that help us get to know one another.
Group hug!!!
Mar 25, 2005, 15:42
Mar 25, 2005, 18:55
Rest assured Don your stuff is very interesting and appeals to a lot of folks on here. From time to time I look and see one that really appeals to me and I readily comment.
For what its worth however, I noted that in last 17 photos posted in the showcase over the past week that were not yours, you only commented on three of them and only one of them was actually related to the picture. I expect its not because you don't like the picture, its more likely you are like the rest of us and get lazy from time to time. I am in one of those non-commenting moods right now myself, though I look at everything.
You have a unique perspective. Its very refreshing. But sometimes a keychain is just a keychain
Continue to post. I check your photos everytime.
For what its worth however, I noted that in last 17 photos posted in the showcase over the past week that were not yours, you only commented on three of them and only one of them was actually related to the picture. I expect its not because you don't like the picture, its more likely you are like the rest of us and get lazy from time to time. I am in one of those non-commenting moods right now myself, though I look at everything.
You have a unique perspective. Its very refreshing. But sometimes a keychain is just a keychain
Continue to post. I check your photos everytime.
Mar 25, 2005, 21:24
Mar 26, 2005, 13:11
Hey Don,
I'm one of the new kids on the block here, so I can't really talk from any experience on this forum (or much experience with photography either!).... but I will at least give you my long-winded opinion FWIW.
I have a lot of respect for the type of photography you do, and admire what you are trying to portray through it.
I don't always find it aesthetically pleasing, but as Toad said, pleasant aesthetics are not a prerequisite for art.
Your images can be challenging and require some thought on the part of the viewer. But I think if the viewer is at all unsure about how to interpret a particular image, it is just human nature for them to keep quiet rather than look like a fool if they said something and "got it wrong".
I imagine there are plenty of people here who appreciate your images, but not as many who would feel comfortable challenging them and offering advice.
I think one of the reasons why I might not post many replies to your photos is because I don't necessarily understand the message you are trying to convey with them all.
It is very difficult to critique at image when you aren't 100% sure you know where the artist was trying to take it.
That is not necessarily the fault of the photo, the artist, or even the viewer.. but could simply be because the photo is presented without any context, so there are no other clues apart from the image itself.
I mean, even if you saw the same image in an exhibition, you would often be able to understand it better by looking at the other images it was placed with, knowing other work by the artist, or even the surroundings or nature of the exhibition. All those things give it context.
Would Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain" still be interpreted the same way if it were presented outside of an art gallery without any context?
When you post an image you wish to be critiqued, if you included a paragraph or two about why you took the image, what elements you are trying to emphasize and what message you are trying to portray, then it might give the viewer more grounds for a critique.
Of course some images don't need this, and perhaps it is also partly because I am new here and don't know you or your personal style well enough to be able to understand your language... but it won't do any harm
But I love the risks you take. You aren't afraid to shoot challenging subjects, you don't shy away from harshness or a raw look, and the "realness" of all your photos really comes through.
And your shots might not always completely "work" and convey the message as effectively as you intend (and neither do mine, nor most people's), but occasionally you end up with absolute gold. The first of your "More Snow and Prarie" photos through the cab window (http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=2301) still blows me away, and is I think the best photo I've seen on this forum. I'd be proud to hang a print like that on my wall. That is a image that anyone who plays around with tripods and filters taking photos of sunsets and flowers will never get, but you nailed it.
Keep up the good work and don't be discouraged. This forum would be boring if everyone all took photos that looked exactly the same as each other. I often look at my own work and think I should be doing some more challenging things, and I think the type of work you do really IS challenging. It can flop (and might have a higher failure rate than some other types of photography), but when it works it can blow everyone away.
Cheers
Adrian
I'm one of the new kids on the block here, so I can't really talk from any experience on this forum (or much experience with photography either!).... but I will at least give you my long-winded opinion FWIW.
I have a lot of respect for the type of photography you do, and admire what you are trying to portray through it.
I don't always find it aesthetically pleasing, but as Toad said, pleasant aesthetics are not a prerequisite for art.
Your images can be challenging and require some thought on the part of the viewer. But I think if the viewer is at all unsure about how to interpret a particular image, it is just human nature for them to keep quiet rather than look like a fool if they said something and "got it wrong".
I imagine there are plenty of people here who appreciate your images, but not as many who would feel comfortable challenging them and offering advice.
I think one of the reasons why I might not post many replies to your photos is because I don't necessarily understand the message you are trying to convey with them all.
It is very difficult to critique at image when you aren't 100% sure you know where the artist was trying to take it.
That is not necessarily the fault of the photo, the artist, or even the viewer.. but could simply be because the photo is presented without any context, so there are no other clues apart from the image itself.
I mean, even if you saw the same image in an exhibition, you would often be able to understand it better by looking at the other images it was placed with, knowing other work by the artist, or even the surroundings or nature of the exhibition. All those things give it context.
Would Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain" still be interpreted the same way if it were presented outside of an art gallery without any context?
When you post an image you wish to be critiqued, if you included a paragraph or two about why you took the image, what elements you are trying to emphasize and what message you are trying to portray, then it might give the viewer more grounds for a critique.
Of course some images don't need this, and perhaps it is also partly because I am new here and don't know you or your personal style well enough to be able to understand your language... but it won't do any harm
But I love the risks you take. You aren't afraid to shoot challenging subjects, you don't shy away from harshness or a raw look, and the "realness" of all your photos really comes through.
And your shots might not always completely "work" and convey the message as effectively as you intend (and neither do mine, nor most people's), but occasionally you end up with absolute gold. The first of your "More Snow and Prarie" photos through the cab window (http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=2301) still blows me away, and is I think the best photo I've seen on this forum. I'd be proud to hang a print like that on my wall. That is a image that anyone who plays around with tripods and filters taking photos of sunsets and flowers will never get, but you nailed it.
Keep up the good work and don't be discouraged. This forum would be boring if everyone all took photos that looked exactly the same as each other. I often look at my own work and think I should be doing some more challenging things, and I think the type of work you do really IS challenging. It can flop (and might have a higher failure rate than some other types of photography), but when it works it can blow everyone away.
Cheers
Adrian
Mar 28, 2005, 01:45
I am sorry Don, if you haven't had many comments from me, but I had a lot of work before my trip, you know... housekeeping and so on... I know it would be easy to write "nice one Don", but I don't like this, and I am sure you wouldn't be happy with a comment like this. I have still one I haven't posted any comment and I love it, but I just forgot. Keep posting your pictures Don, they are great, and believe me I have leaned a lot from them.
Irma.
Irma.
Jul 12, 2005, 16:41