PN now and some times ago

[bartbies]

Hi

I want to ask what older members thinks about changes on PN. Some

times ago PN was best photosite , now the best photographer leave this

site or upload less and less photo, maybe the changes going to wrong

way?.(winer team don't should chanages). One years or two years ago

were here more comments and good photo, what is now?

[mottershead]

The "best" photographers have always been leaving the site. Attrition is a fact. If you have been on the site for a while, you tend to get comfortable with certain names, and when those names leave, you notice. You don't necessarily notice that new people with talent are always arriving.

[bartbies]

I am looking at photos in top photos and i notice that it's not be as some times ago.

[mbb]

PN was and still is the best site. I think too many people (especially new members) expect too much for a little money. Serious critique cost money, the best way (cheapest one) is to send photographs to be judged in well established competitions in appropriate genres. Few of them are free if we do not take in the account shipping cost. If somebody wants just an opinion, including one from a friend, here can find plenty of this free service.

 

The only minor improvements should include speeding up uploading process, preferably in batches and some flexibility to make arrangements of photos in folders.

 

As far as top photos go. Yes the average was better before but it was much less people showing their work and it was much easier to control. I am not surprise that now, when number of users is growing so rapidly, average is getting down in quality as many people will do anything to get visibility. Again nothing is free. Stay small and more elite or grow and pay consequences.

[jay_patel]

"The "best" photographers have always been leaving the site. Attrition is a fact." <br><br>

 

Perhaps the rules of photo.net in last few month have contributed to this phenomena more then it has in the past few years. Any opinions?

[cfimages]

I wouldn't say that the best (which is subjective anyway) are leaving at a greater rate now than in the past.

 

<p>Look <a href="http://www.photo.net/shared/community-member?user_id=782466" >here</a>, <a href="http://www.photo.net/shared/community-member?user_id=198623" >here</a>, <a href="http://www.photo.net/shared/community-member?user_id=23152" >here</a> and <a href="http://www.photo.net/shared/community-member?user_id=888636" >here</a> for starters. They're all photographers I'd class as amongst the best on the site, and all are active, whether it be in posting new photo's, giving critiques or providing useful information in the forums. I could find many more examples.

[bernhard]

I think of photo.net as a kind of nursery school.

 

Lots of photographers come here after they started or resumed photography. In the beginning you learn a lot from the site and the elder kids in kindergarden and it's great.

 

Once you start finding your own way around in the technical and artistic maze of photography you just outgrow photo.net. In particular you just don't need so much ego boosting. And once you start to persue you own photographic vision the gallery loses much of its attraction because you want to find your very own pictures not someone else's. And frankly the comments you get on non-mainstream pics are really not so much of a help.

 

I just think photo.net doesn't have too much to offer for mature photographers and that's why I think mature photographers become less active or just leave photo.net after a while. They kind of graduate from photo.net.

 

Hey Brian, have you ever thought about starting a photo.net alumni association?

[grinder]

Since this whole thread seems to be about observations I will add mine.

 

 

The people who do not pay to support this site seem to be the most outspoken critics of something free to them.

 

Feel free to quote that.

 

There are plenty of Pro?s here printers and photographers they may not be as active but there here. They might just be tired of Err99 ,Digital vs Film, Someone gave me a bad rating and Canon vs Nikon questions and are taking a break.

 

If you think running a Website is easy give it a go. You will find it is not much fun and I don?t deal with forums.

[grinder]

Bartek, That is not directed particulialy at you. There are 2 people a day that attack Bob and Brian over ratings.

[jhenry]

Funny enough, I observe that many people keep complaining or whining for years, try other sites but, still, come back here regularly, still whining thou, ... and that's the best of any possible indicators IMO... indicator that the site despite its big is still leading, at least alive at a Myth level (a kind of 'American Dream' for photography on internet), indicator that those PNet's prodigal sons are still frustrated....<p> Well, what to say, the nursery has become quite big, messy enough to beget creativity or get lost, sometimes looks like kindergarden, but if you show up with enough curiosity and less of diva's ego, you can find interesting things and meet interesting people here... there is still fire here thanks to Brian&team, some oldtimers and many newcomers...

[yann_r.]

I don't know at all how a "best" photographer can look like.

[bartbies]

maybe i used wrong word - best, i didn't know that you wrong understand me. I thought about photographer which have fantastic portfolios

[grinder]

Bartek, I looked over your portfolio. Wow you are an excellant photographer. I was impressed.

[yann_r.]

Bartek,<br>

You have a WONDERFUL portfolio, at least for my taste. There are many very very good portfolio on PN... Being the "best" photograper is rather subjective, don't you think?<br>

I just think there are more and more "average" photos (like mine) cause there are more and more users of PN, but not really less good photos.

[bartbies]

Hmm, I don't know whether is true or ironical, bacause that post... BTW Thanks:). I wrote about all time and photographer average in top photos,.

[yann_r.]

I wasn't ironical concerning my point of view about your portfolio.<p>

About the top photo, I find there's a lack of originality. Often the same kind of shots visible - gorgeous model with devilish curves or landscape from Heaven... Hell and Heaven in the top photo, isn't that funny? : )) - may be it was what you meant? In this case, I agree you. I think that a very good photographer must be an original one.

[bartbies]

I think that each of us know who is yourself authority. Every of you have different taste. You prefer orginal photos , Somebody prefer streetshoot anoher prefer landscape... That members whose are at top rated uploads less photos than before, that is fact. The idea with 7 at foutreen days seems not good, i think that this idea most change PN

[leorossi]

My observation: originally I thought this was merely an online portfolio. I didn't know about the ratings. It sort of started getting intriguing, then a pain in the neck, but it's ok all in all. The best moment is always the theme forums, I always get support and valid advice. I keep seeing wonderful pictures and portfolios here, although I'm not going to make names. Maybe it's just because I tend to avoid the Top Photos section.

[nicholasprice]

The "best" will always be a subjective opinion, and I feel as though there is still great

tallent here, you just have to look hard for it. One place NOT to look is the TRP pages.

These tend to be filled with crowd pleasing dross (my subjective opinion), which for my

taste have nothing to offer the photographer who is here to learn. I have built up a good

list of "interresting people", who I visit often, enjoy and learn from. I recommend that

others do the same.

 

As for how the site has changed - I joined in April 2001, and things are very different now

compared to then - but not nessessarily worse. More emphasis seems to be put on the

site being run as a buisness, which seems to result in a lot of pandering to the masses,

resulting in far too much fuss about ratings etc.

 

If I ran the site (which I have neither the skill, time or inclination to do), I would immediatly

get rid of all the ratings, and would have this as a non-competitive critique only site.

Clearly this would be bad buisness. So I try to ignore the plebs who take the ratings so

seriously, and try to make the best of what is still a wonderful site which is well run with

good intentions.

 

photo.net is only a bit of fun afterall...if people think that members of this site are any

good at judging the artistry of contempory photography, then they will have their silly

notions thrown into sharp relief if they ever visit the real world!

 

Regards, Nick.

[alexguerra]

Nicholas, I agree 100% with you. I reckon that getting rid of all the ratings would be rather difficult and it would unplease so many people until a point that the site would lose many of its members, although IMO it is a highly desirable option. Perhaps a good step in that direction would be to remove the photographer's average from the member's page, or at least to make them visible only for the member himself. I see no sense in highlighting so much something that tags people with numbers, when we are speaking about art - something highly subjective which cannot be represented by maths. Moreover, I think it has a perverse effect on people that visit for the first time someone's portfolio, biasing them maybe to the point of not even giving the trouble to open the member's folders if he/she has a low average displayed there. Finally I believe that it also stimulates all this competition for the ratings and consequently all the bad things associated to it.

 

ps: sorry for my messy English!

 

Alex

[nicholasprice]

Alex, your english is fine, and you make your point rather well.

 

Regards, Nick.

[bruno]

I just say one thing: going through the rating queue has become a real pain. And I do it less and less. Too much pictures, which in best case don't tell absolutely nothing.

 

I didn't like all the landscapes and birds I had to see some time ago... but at least they were sharp and well done... the last times I've seen only cheesy pics of sunsets with PS flares and unsharp pidgeons.

 

Quality is definitely getting an issue in the "queue"... forums are still a good place.

[bruno]

...and of course if I had to leave a constructive critique it would take too much time...

[billfoster]

Well, I don't know whats to blame but I find that I get a lot less comments than I used to and that bothers me. I put my pictures in the ratings queue all the time. I have an interesting person list and I am on some people's lsit and I appreciate their advice. I've learned a lot on the site and I still love and appreciate it. BUT ... the best way to have yur work seen is to post it in the queue and it seems like I often just get 4 or 5 ratings (even if they are 5/5 or 6/5) which NEVER used to happen. Other than that ... no complaints.

[leorossi]

I'm experiencing the same as Bill and Bruno. Also, since the submission to ratings has become mandatory in order to I don't remember what, I sensed a sudden decrease in viewings per newly submitted picture. I'm sure it must be my fault.