-Ray
The black and white version is very dramatic, things that stimulate our emotions are bound to get our reactions sooner.
-Ray
So I guess this is my be yourself and just enjoy what you do blurb.. If you are looking to make a business of it I am sure there are professionals here that can advise you, otherwise just have fun.
maybe take a hint from 500px and shoot lots of eyeball-searing brightly coloured HDR. shortbread tin landscapes, "misty" waterscapes with an NDx10 filter and soft porn. I guarantee you will get lots of "likes"
You need to be happy with what you are doing and to alter what you do to 'please the crowd' in any network or social scene is to work a constantly changing and fickle dynamic. "Maddening". We all want to be recognized, appreciated, that's normal but once you start questioning yourself [and believe me as a member of MANY groups, I have], you are admitting that you will change, if you 'need to' to get that recognition. Or perhaps you'll even leave in which case I agree, better to move on that be assimilated. It's better to be recognized for your individuality than your ability to follow the crowd because in the end you still can't please everyone.
And really sometimes as BB said it is just a matter of the time you posted, the season [like this one is busier], how involved you've been.. there is no single variable. Imagine changing your whole philosophy of photography based on the holiday season being too busy to garner the recognition you feel is acceptable.. the season ends [or trend etc..] and where are you? You've over thought it. You could be shooting bobble head dolls with instant film through a holga that you taped a Nikon lens to and now everyone is shooting horses with clown costumes on. "Maddening".
So I guess this is my be yourself and just enjoy what you do blurb.. If you are looking to make a business of it I am sure there are professionals here that can advise you, otherwise just have fun.
Exactly, I post what "I" see and like...to thine own self be true
IMO, the "thanks" system should be removed because it encourages being passive. On top of that, it's not like the thanks or rep system I've seen on other boards, where one gets the rundown on their control panel. So one has to go back to the post and so on and so forth. I'd be in favor of removing the thanks system if it encourages actually connecting with one another, rather than just being passive and not being bothered enough to speak to one another. The other system even encourages more interaction between users, especially when a comment doesn't fit on the forum.
The "thanks" button is not Facebok-ish at all, in my opinion. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears that the beef against the "thanks" button is that it somehow makes it easier for people in this forum to not post any comments, but rather, just click the "thanks." This argument is only valid if the poster wants to receive comments regarding what he/she wrote or the image that was posted. IF that's the case, the poster really should say so. Inserting a "C&C welcome" or "C&C please" is painlessly easy. However, the expectation that people SHOULD comment on other people's posts seems a little over the top for me, unless of course the poster is asking for it. "Thanks" means exactly what it says. I am thanking you for taking the time to post the comments or images that you posted. It doesn't necessarily mean that I'm in love with the photo you took. Or with what you wrote.
I really had no idea that's what it was for. Then again, even if that is what the button is for, I'm not sure I agree with that purpose. I guess when I see people clicking the "like" button all over facebook and much of this is done for no real purpose, I am marginalizing why people click on "thanks" here, and I know I shouldn't. But then again, I don't know the exact purpose for it either. Just based on all the posts in the forum, it appears that each member has their own way of interacting with the forum and use the tools differently from each other. There is no established "etiquette", so each member uses their own. One of the pitfalls with each member using their own etiquitte, or way of posting and commenting to the forum, is that comments or the use of the "thanks" button is going to be viewed through the eyes of the individual's established etiiquette.
For example, my own etiquette:
For Images posted: If I like it, I comment and say why. If I don't, I'll comment and say why. Sometimes I won;t do anything for threads not labeld with "W/NW".
For Gear talk, critque, ideas..etc: I will post and comment. Sometimes I will use the Thanks for a +1 if I agree.
I feel personally that doing a thanks on an image is me being lazy, so I don't do it.
Where things get confusing is that I am looking at this as how I use the forum.
The problem is, some people really take the time to look at posts and and use the thanks button. That is their etiquette and way of using the forum.
I hope this makes sense. Everyone has a different way of using the forum and it gets confusing at how others use it. We shouldn't take anything too personal, IMHO, because many times, its just a matter of misunderstanding, and how people use the forum.
And you are absolutely right. I have been caught up in the wanting to be recognised and appreciated loop... often. But as I said in an earlier post, I keep wondering if the shots are actually bad shots. There seems to be a lack of confidence on my part. on one or two other forums I get absolutely NO comment at all, for the same shots as provoke a response here... so your words are true, you cant please everyone, and shooting for fun and enjoyment is what it ought to be all about. I guess thats why I left my local photography club... it was all about competing in local, national and international competitions and that way I think for some of us (speaking of myself of course) leads to gross disappointment.
So... WTH, I'm just going to shoot for fun and enjoyment and keep posting because sometimes, somewhere, some people like my stuff. If others don't.. oh well...
Wise woman, you are!
I view SC as more of a discussion forum centered on the latest sc cameras
I haven't been around SC that long and my memory may be less than accurate but I have the impression that when I first signed up SC was a lot less about gear and a lot more about images - indeed, that's the main reason I signed up.
I realise a lot of people are interested in photography gear and regular pick up new cameras but as one who isn't and doesn't I have to confess that I do tend to skip over much of the gear talk now that I no longer feel obliged to look at it.