Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/03/01
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Dear LEG and LUG - I would not have put the photos up if I didn't want to hear honest criticism about them. I, too, wish we would be more honest with each other. Photographers are notoriously bad editors of their own work. We can never improve if all we hear is praise of every image. I just wish I wasn't sick so I could answer more coherently! The difference between these photos and my Central American ones is that there is not the same connection with the people. I was in and out and couldn't talk with them or even learn their names. In Honduras and Guatemala, I live with the people for days and don't even start taking photographs until they are used to me and my cameras. If I could have done the same with the Masai, the photos would be totally different. The thing is that when I put the Masai photos with my stock agency, they will sell better than the Central American photos. They are bright and colorful and they show a different culture that not everyone gets to experience. Black and white photographs of rural families are hard to sell as stock. So I have to do both - some for me and some to sell. Or as Ted says, some for their soul and some for their clothes. I welcome constructive criticism. It's not constructive to say "I love it" or "I hate it" or "It sucks." Tell me why. Ben mentioned using the PSA critique of pics using Technique, Impact, and Composition. That's a start. It's hard for photographers to step back enough to criticize their own work. That's where lists like these could be invaluable if we are honest with each other. Leically, Tina Tina Manley, ASMP http://www.tinamanley.com