Extraneous Critique Forum Matters

[Norm Dulak]

Some critique forum posts contain links to blogs, bulletins, equipment reviews etc. that have nothing to do with the particular image that is to be critiqued.

Such extraneous links should not be permitted by BPN.

[Chris Ober]

Can you give an example thread?

[Norm Dulak]

Can you give an example thread?

Sure Chris. Here's the link to a recent example posted in the Landscape critique forum: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php/94519-Adelie-Penguin-Hillside-Rookery.

[Chris Ober]

Thanks for the suggestion.

[Dave Mills]

Norm's original post is blacked out....

[Norm Dulak]

Norm's original post is blacked out....

Of course you are right Dave. If they don't like what you say, they will delete it.

[Chris Ober]

Of course you are right Dave. If they don't like what you say, they will delete it.

I usually only delete the smart-a$$ed comments like this....

You're post is NOT blacked out. It appears the text might have been copied/pasted from somewhere else, perhaps from another post? This took the font properties along with it. The color=black. If you're viewing with a style that has a black background, well you can guess the outcome. Switch to a different style and like magic, all the lovely, complete text is still there. You'll also see the font it's typed in is different than those of the replies.

[James Shadle]

I changed the font in Norm's post so it is readable. BPN was not responsible for the post text not being readable.
Chris Ober explained why.

When you copy text into a post, simply highlight it and select "auto" from the font tool bar.

Thank you for your comment. Many times included links can be very helpful, do you feel we should eliminate all of them or just certain ones?

"I usually only delete the smart-a$$ed comments like this...."
Ditto.

[James Shadle]

Norm said: "Of course you are right Dave. If they don't like what you say, they will delete it."

We will not edit or censor your post, if you violate a forum guideline or post an off topic comment, it will be deleted.

[Norm Dulak]

Norm said: "Of course you are right Dave. If they don't like what you say, they will delete it."

We will not edit or censor your post, if you violate a forum guideline or post an off topic comment, it will be deleted.

Thanks James for the explanation.

[James Shadle]

Thanks James for the explanation.

Not a problem, anytime.

[Arthur Morris]

Some critique forum posts contain links to blogs, bulletins, equipment reviews etc. that have nothing to do with the particular image that is to be critiqued. Such extraneous links should not be permitted by BPN.

Would that be your opinion or a fact?

[Arthur Morris]

Sure Chris. Here's the link to a recent example posted in the Landscape critique forum: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php/94519-Adelie-Penguin-Hillside-Rookery.

In Pane 1 there I linked to topics related to the image. The links took folks to additional educational materials. I have been teaching folks how to become better nature photographers for more than two decades. I am not going to change because you do not like that. At times the links lead folks directly or indirectly to various products that are sold through BIRDS AS ART. There are some perks that come with being a co-owner and co-publisher of BPN and the author of more than 21,100 posts here, most designed to help others. It is your right not to like that.

[Arthur Morris]

Norm's original post is blacked out....

I soft-deleted Norm's post as it contained comments not related to the image.

[Arthur Morris]

Of course you are right Dave. If they don't like what you say, they will delete it.

Norm, If that were true I would have deleted every one of the comments that you have made on my images over the years. Instead I just ignore them as it is obvious that you get some sort of charge by tearing me down.

Furthermore, your statement is simply not true. As James stated, the only comments that are deleted are those that are in violation of Forum guidelines. If you can prove otherwise I would be glad to see that proof.

[Norm Dulak]

Norm, If that were true I would have deleted every one of the comments that you have made on my images over the years. Instead I just ignore them as it is obvious that you get some sort of charge by tearing me down.


I'm sorry Arthur, but I think the comments you have made here are unfair. My critique comments are never intended to be anything but my honest, objective view. A recent case in point are my remarks concerning your "Typical Birds As Art" post with the Adelie portrait: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php/94622-Typical-BIRDS-AS-ART. After beginning with praise and describing your post as an "impressive image", I followed comments by Randy Stout, who noted that some of the white areas were not well in focus; I noted that the same was true about some of the dark areas.

To try to determine the cause of the problem with DOF, I asked whether the image was a substantial crop. That was a fair question, but you did not reply. When Randy did respond to tell me it was not a large crop, but you were quite close with your camera, I offered a comment about the factors that all photographers should keep in mind to establish good DOF. That was meant only to be helpful to others, which I think should be an important part of the critique experience.

I also suggested removing the specular highlight on the bill which, unlike an eye catchlight, was not natural or compatible with the image. Suggesting its removal was therefore not unreasonable.

Finally, I later suggested that more detail could be revealed in the vary dark regions of the image, and I demonstrated that by example. That also was not intended to annoy or insult you, but to help others in dealing with similar situations.

Images you post are almost always well received and appreciated by the BPN community. Others tend to emphasize only the obvious positive aspects of your images. But I try to find areas for possible improvement even in your consistently excellent work. That is not meant to "tear you down", but to offer cogent suggestions that may be helpful for others. And I generally try to balance such suggestions with appropriate positive comments.