[Leica] Tilted horizon, criticism of harsh critiques

[jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj)]

Larry,
My view is that there is no problem with an adverse criticism as long as it
is explained well. One line negative comments are as much use as one line
positive comments, and come off looking mean spirited. Real criticism can
also be done off list, and be of much use - these need not be in the public
domain.
Cheers
Jayanand

On Sat, Dec 19, 2009 at 5:21 AM, Lawrence Zeitlin <lrzeitlin at 
gmail.com>wrote:

> 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
>
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