Good photography forums with critiques and judged comps

[0bs3rv3r]

I am looking for an online photography community where I can share photos, get helpful critique, on selected images, and particpate in challenges and, most importantly, weekly and/or monthly judged competitions. Something like an online photography club.

Searching around the seems to be quite a few, but a lot have very few active members, or are targeted at more professional photographers. Without joining each one and spending some time there, it's a bit hard to tell how good they are. So, do you spend time at any online forums? Any you can recommend?

 

[Ron Texas]

Trying to get meaningful critique in online photography forums cost me several years of progress. That said, what do you like to shoot?

 

[BlackTalon]

Pentax Forum has monthly competitions. Mainly for Pentax but members there also gave gear from other makers.

 

[0bs3rv3r]

Trying to get meaningful critique in online photography forums cost me several years of progress. That said, what do you like to shoot?

Some variety. Nature, birdlife particularly, and macro shots, but also landscapes, and even some street photography.

 

[0bs3rv3r]

Pentax Forum has monthly competitions. Mainly for Pentax but members there also gave gear from other makers.

I'll take a look, thanks.

 

[Ron Texas]

Some variety. Nature, birdlife particularly, and macro shots, but also landscapes, and even some street photography.

Open a free account at flickr. Look at lots of photographs. I think that's the best way to learn. I would also try to cut down on the number of genres. There are contests and challenges in various flickr groups or make some for yourself. For example, find interesting signs and photograph them. Avoid doing what everyone else is doing. Things like floral close ups are a dead end.

Don't trust strangers on the internet to give you a meaningful critique. Even the well-meaning ones are usually wrong.

 

[LTig]

[..]
Don't trust strangers on the internet to give you a meaningful critique. Even the well-meaning ones are usually wrong.

This.

 

[001]

Hey Obs3rv3r, welcome to the enjoyable/frustrating but personally rewarding world of photography.
In my experience I have found I will always get enjoyment out of the process of 'doing' photography. What I mean by that is no matter how the photo turns out I had already gained three lots of happiness [bear with me]. This is mainly relevant to outdoor photography, from my experience.
The three [maybe even four] stages of enjoyment of 'capturing the shot:
1. the planning of going to get the shot. All the practical stuff that you need to do so that you can actually do what you came there for. Maybe not so much fun if you're not a details person, but you're not leaving anything to chance.
2. the journey of going to the place, the location. Take someone with you, great to have company, a chat on the way and back and good to have an extra set of eyes and ears [and phone in case you break a leg or something]
3. Being there. Capturing the moment and then enjoying the surrounds, looking behind and around you for yet another perspective.
IF you're lucky enough...
4. Other people enjoy your photo. If it brings them happiness too, you have done very well.

What happens if the photo didn't 'turn out' the way you wanted? Lucky you; you get to return to the same location, different time, different season. I always try to return to the same place about 4 times to have another go to capture the feeling of the place. Oh man, I've had thousands of dodgy shots but it gets me vaguely excited to try again to chase the light.

A photographer (I think) wants to evoke an emotion, imbue a feeling to the viewer (even if it's just you). A technically perfect photo is by no means a guarantee of artful success. Just go for it and enjoy your time in taking photos.

ps. of course you need to know your camera and learn the triangle of exposure.

 

[xykreinov]

Pentax Forum has monthly competitions. Mainly for Pentax but members there also gave gear from other makers.

I was going to mention this. Very nice place. People there tend to focus more on camera tech that actually matters as well as photography simply as an art.
So many other forums are mere dumping grounds for marketing hype and meaningless spec sheets (who cares if some all purpose camera can shoot 120fps if its rolling shutter lag is atrocious). It's refreshing to see a place more rational and down to earth. While there's of course lots of talk of Pentax cameras, other brands are sometimes freely discussed too.

 

[lolayong]

There are many photography forums for beginners and communities. Each of them has its own lens and its own tone; I offer you the best for me VSCO,Flickr,500px

 

[Waxx]

Well, photography is a diffecult subject for fora with a lot of very annoying snobby people arround, it's even worse than hifi. This is about the gear, the style, ... almost every subject. And this is already before internet the case. I once tried to study photography at the Academia of fine arts in Antwerp, but I did not fit in the fashion of the day for "artistic photography" and was attacked on my choices even without arguments. I was also bashed because i use Nikon and Pentax camera's while everybody there fancied Canon, Leica and Hasselblad (this is 23 years ago, still in the analog photography days). I left after one year (that i even did not finish) and was so disgusted by the mentality there that i did not photograph for about a decade.

Now i do, but i don't publish much. But at least i'm back at enjoying what i do. I got little equipment to do it, but it's good enough for my purpose. I did check some fora, but they are all like what i've seen at the Academia so i'm not kind of interested in their view on what I do. I rather have some friends amateur photographers to discuss things than some strangers on the internet these days...

 

[Offler]

I posted one photo here and to a local forum in my country.

ASR:
+ meaningful thoughts on cropping and color balance.

Other forum
+ meaningful advice on full-body makeup, instead of costume imitating skin

- comments about forcing Ukraine into every topic
- "you should use natural light and stop using flash"
- "do more editing"
- "i would prefer single color background"
- "why the colors are not neutral, they should be like that"

I will try to reply to the wrong assumptions and "advices" made on other forum:

- The photo isnt about the Ukraine, but the model was not discussing at all with anyone. Its a fanart character, recreated as a cosplay.

- "natural light mantra"
There is a photo taken within seconds of this one, without flash and this one is way better and always will be better simply because i used flash fill-in correctly.
The use of flash resulted in eye reflection and hair (wig) reflections as well. Also at 1/2000s with flash, the background got darker while the subject was still well lit. Also its hard to take such advice from studio photographers

- no advice what to edit whatsoever

- Single colored backgrounds can be found in buildings, but in general this is again something done by studio photographers.
Its not a bad thing to do, but people who are aware of how reports work can create background out of anything. Subject separation can be done by bokeh, color contrast, light intensity. The exact opposite approach when you frame person in the location works also great.

- I usually go for photorealistic natural color tones, but since this is cosplay i went for vivid.

Also i checked portfolio of some of those commercial photographers. They use their own personalized filter over all photos. They either go for semi-sepia, or yellowish color tones and I really dont understand this...

Special cases were pure speculations like:
- if its a dance group, or clown costume, you should take a photo of them while they perform on stage
- the costume is flimsy - no arguing on this, yet not my point as well.
- "keep taking photos" with a pat on a head not knowing I have already 25 years of experience


The photo in question:

 

[Ron Texas]

There's a critique forum where once someone posted a famous photo by Henri Cartier Breson. There were mostly negative comments and nobody recognized the famous image. That tells the story.

 

[LTig]

- "natural light mantra"
There is a photo taken within seconds of this one, without flash and this one is way better and always will be better simply because i used flash fill-in correctly.
The use of flash resulted in eye reflection and hair (wig) reflections as well. Also at 1/2000s with flash, the background got darker while the subject was still well lit.

Fill flashs are a great tool to overcome the limits of dynamic in photographic media. There is just no reason to not use it if it helps to create the picture as the photographer saw it with his own eyes (which are very dynamic). I wish I would use it more, it would save a lot of time in editing.

 

[Ron Texas]

Fill flashs are a great tool to overcome the limits of dynamic in photographic media. There is just no reason to not use it if it helps to create the picture as the photographer saw it with his own eyes (which are very dynamic). I wish I would use it more, it would save a lot of time in editing.

I think it's mainly for the studio. Outdoors I try to move people into the shade.

 

[Newman]

There's a critique forum where once someone posted a famous photo by Henri Cartier Breson. There were mostly negative comments and nobody recognized the famous image. That tells the story.

Also this satirical post by a former editorial staffer for a photography magazine in the 80s: link

I think he nailed it!

 

[Offler]

Ltig and Ron Texas, you both nailed it.

On the event every single photographer was taking people to the shade when they were outside, or we patiently waited for clouds. I prefer to wear black clothes, and the side effect is that I dont throw color or white light fill on someone when taking a photo. There was a guy in white shirt doing exact opposite thing.

Also without flash there would be burned out highlights (white beyond capability of sensor), and much more dark sections. Usage of flash balanced both and i did not need balance it too much in post.

yet I was probably the only guy using proper flash (the ones embedded in cameras are usually weak) in proper FP TTL mode.

 

[LTig]

I think it's mainly for the studio. Outdoors I try to move people into the shade.

So do I if shade is available.

 

[LanceLewin]

I am looking for an online photography community where I can share photos, get helpful critique, on selected images, and particpate in challenges and, most importantly, weekly and/or monthly judged competitions. Something like an online photography club.

Searching around the seems to be quite a few, but a lot have very few active members, or are targeted at more professional photographers. Without joining each one and spending some time there, it's a bit hard to tell how good they are. So, do you spend time at any online forums? Any you can recommend?

Good day! I am the South Atlantic Area Membership Director for the Photographic Society of America (PSA); however, it is a world wide photographic
community. Reach back out to me: [email protected] to continue this conversation.

 

[Bren Derlin]

Fred Miranda dot com also has the best buy/sell forum online. I've bought and sold plenty of gear there.