[Leica] Tilted horizon, criticism of harsh critiques

[lrzeitlin at gmail.com (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

I thank everyone for their comments on whether the horizon should be tilted
or level on the sailing picture. Ted is certainly right about level horizons
in published pictures. I checked through my collection of sailing magazines
and I found very few pictures with tilted horizons. Curiously, sailing web
sites and blogs largely directed towards active sailors showed plenty of
tilted horizons. As Ted says, when you are on a boat at sea, the horizon is
always tilted. I agree about the purple cast of the water. Blame it all on
Kodachrome.


Now about critiques in general. While there is an educational aspect to the
LUG it is basically a social forum where people interact in a collegial
manner, bound together only by a liking for photography and loyalty to a
particular brand of camera. In this sense it serves as an extended family
offering the ability to communicate with people from all over the world with
similar interests. It matters not whether the subject is picture quality,
Tilly hats, single malt scotch, rare automobiles, new Leicas, or oatmeal. We
always have enough discipline to eventually return the discussion to
photography.

Harsh criticism of submitted images, while useful for learning, would tend
to decrease the sociability of the LUG. Potential contributors might be put
off by fear of failure to meet the quality barriers imposed by the "goodness
police."

I was a member of the LUG for nearly four years before I sent in my first
picture to the Gallery. I have no illusions about my photographic ability. I
am an adventitious photographer, shooting interesting pictures as they
appear in the viewfinder. Possessing a quick trigger finger was a skill that
served me well in newspaper and magazine work but it doesn't make for well
composed, perfectly lit images. I have taken excellent pictures but I would
be the first to admit that they were mostly taken by accident, generally as
part of a sequence. I felt a definite sense of inadequacy when I looked at
the beautiful photos of Dave Herr, Gee Bee, Sonny, Steve, Nathan, Lluis and
other Luggers that caused me to hesitate before submitting my own work..

The irony of my position is that I serve as an art critic for several local
newspapers, writing reviews of exhibitions in New York and Connecticut. It
is hard to write a critical review without coming off as mean spirited.
Fortunately I do not have to interact with most of the artists. With the
exception of technical adequacy, there are no absolute criteria of quality
for critics. Every image, whether a photo or a painting, is evaluated in
terms of the critic's prejudices. I would hate to have to apply my critical
standards to my friends on the LUG. If you want to increase your ability as
a photographer, attend one of the photo workshops mentioned on the LUG,
submit your pictures to photo shows, or try to get published in a national
magazine.

Larry Z