I mainly comment on the images I like, I certainly am not qualified to critique, but I will sometimes offer my opinion on something I might do differently. I have had so much help from the very kind people on this site,and had a lot of fun along the way, I started joining in the comp to learn my way around the computer as I didn't have a clue when I started.
I find the comp gives me something new to try each fortnight,even if it is trying to find a different angle on an everyday subject. I do tend to post a lot in the gallery,the main thing for me is to have fun & keep learning.

Trena, that brought a smile to my face. That's a distinction so fine, I can't see it. You, like ANY other member are qualified to critique. The only qualification you need is to have an opinion that you can explain to others.

I probably needed to say I am not that confident with explaining my thoughts !!!! I'll keep practicing that too...

forgot to mention, nice images Clive, I agree, crop to suit the image

Thanks Trena... but that's a different thread

Attachment 6762

lol...woops..I'm not very good at this ,am I.

Giver or taker...? A bit of both I think, and it varies a lot as well. In the past I have tended to use the gallery as a test bed for images that I think have some merit, but have also tried to give advice on field technique and constructively critique images where I feel I have something useful to say.
As with a lot of people on this thread, I have gone through what felt like a stale patch in my photography, and hence havent posted any images on here for several months - thinking about it now, I dont know why it has felt stale, as I have had two images placed on a nationally distributed calendar, and several more used in advertising and publicity for various Mountain Rescue things in my own team and others. I have been successful with image sales for fund-raising, and I have even had requests for some images to go in a book, so things cant actually be that flat!
At last however, I am managing to find time to get out in the landscape with my camera and make some images after what has felt like a really long gap, and that is what I enjoy most in photography. It feels good to be out again, so you might see a few more images from me soon.

That is interesting Gordon, perhaps it is sometimes easier to shoot for a project, especially if there is a deadline set by somebody else, than get in the right frame of mind on a more casual basis for oneself?

Maybe so. And as someone said earlier, perhaps when you have refined your subject matter and approach so far, you need a break to come back to it with fresher eyes. The slightly frustrating thing is that the images that have gone down well in sales and usage terms are ones that I consider not much more than snapshots - I havent yet found an outlet for the landscape images, which are the ones I actually put some effort into.
In addition, the stale feeling co-incided with the summer season, which is a time of year I have always struggled with in landscape images - it just doesnt really suit how I see my local Dark Peak moors. Next year I think I need to get down to the limestone dales of the White Peak during the summer and find some more suitable subject matter.

I guess in the early days of WPF I was very much a taker. I understood film photography but digital and the processing element was a total mystery. I still do not do any of the fancy photoshop stuff, but without the givers input I would probably still not have much idea. Thinks back to last year and my dabble with Infrared. Tech stuff on getting an image was easy enough as I had done it on film, but without Harry's help on processing I would have given that up.

You guys know who you are and I cannot thank you enough for all the help you gave back then. :) :) :p

Other things on the bubble so I am not here as often as I used to be, but I hope after my initial take, take, I have been more of a giver.

Don

Thinking back to my work advertising/promo stuff that gave me a chuckle Mike.
That was pressure, pressure and very little fun when deadlines were not really realistic. Now I can take as long as I like, and the only pressure is from the boss to clear up if I do it in the house rather than my workshop. :D :D

Don