Very nice but I wouldn't give out cards with pics of my kids on ...having said that, the phot is gorgeous

HHUNDREDS BETTER


HAVE YOU THUOGHT OF A LOGO SAY A ROSE OR SOMETHING.

MINE HAS A GIANT EYE
sorry for shouting

ive tried to post it but cant

Nobodys gonna know their my kids I do know what you mean though ... not sure if want something other than a portrait on there though, as thats what im efectivly advertising .....

I did want the little shot of JJ on the rocking horse on there, but he's in his nappy so its a definate no go!

the second one is so much better !

Very nice KK - I must admit I do prefer the second one although I would also be wary about handing cards out with photo's of children on, but since that is the the type of photography you do (portrait) it is more appropriate than still life (for example).

Much better, as I thought the same as the others, the original card was slightly confusing, especially to those outwith this forum who don't know you and your hubby!

I like the layout of the second one! Nice job. And I don't agree with the folks who say that it's a bit dodgy because you have the kids on it.

If people ask you " What do you think? " about an image they've posted, I think as a forum, and as fellow photo enthusiasts, it would be wrong of us to always say nice things about every post. Surely the only way we will ALL improve, not only our technique, but in this case our editorial skills, is to have a fair and honest critique from fellow members. We all see things differently and someone might suggest something that no one else had thought of.
We all like having our pictures praised, I'm no different, it's good to encourage, but it's for the better good, to be honest!

ps

That doesn't mean that from now on, everyone has to slag off my shots!!!

Whilst that is very true, you have to draw the line between saying ' well actually, IMHO it is out of focus, could have been tighter and the composition is wrong' and ' Love the colours, nice pic '

There are times when I really want to give a critique but if it is a new photographer, you do have to be careful, ego's are fragile things and I don't want to be responsible for putting someone off the hobby by being a bit too heavy handed with a critique especially as I am a rerlative beginner myself

Having said that, if people don't like a certain *sort* of photography, I don't think they should probably comment. I don't like nudes so I never look and don't comment , the same goes mostly for portraits, it just doesn't really interest me much Some folks don't like HDR ..so they will look at pics in a biased way, it is only natural.

I welcome C&C from people on any pics that I take ..doesn't mean I will always agree with them though Anything to improve my technique is a good thing ...I am poo at ISO and aperture ...hit and miss would explain it rather than working it all out like hubby does

I agree with some of your points Mel. To some, one portrait shot is just the same as the next one, or one landscape shot is the same as the last or one picture of a pet dog with some of the colour removed looks just like the one they did yesterday. Therefore some folks find it difficult to say something positive OR negative about each shot.
However, most people on this forum, can tell the difference between a badly framed, out of focus, badly composed shot, and a shot where all the elements just fit, even if it's a subject matter that you're not that interested in yourself.
If people don't want to comment on an image, just in case they offend the photographer, then that's up to them, of course it is, but from what I've read on this forum so far, most of us on here are relatively new to photography, and certainly to digital photography, with more and more of us opting for the latest DSLRs, therefor, not only do we need encouragement from others, but sometimes we need guidance too!
And you don't need to be " heavy handed " to give someone constructive criticism.

My advice to anyone posting on this or any other forum is this: If you're easily offended and don't want anyone to say anything other than " Wow! You're pictures are great!" then d'ya know what, it's probably just not worth your while posting. How are you ever going to develope as a photographer?
But absolutely, give credit where credit is due, even if you still think it's a poor photograph, but you can see some improvement since the poster's last picture.
Maybe I'm way off the mark here, but I joined this forum a couple of months ago in order to improve myself as a photographer, and in my introductory post, I actually said that I was looking forward to learning all sorts of new and wonderful things from everyone. I can only do that if people are honest, and tell me when a shot is not working or when an edit needs re-editing. I love it when people really like my shots, but I can't enhance what few skills I might have if people don't tell me where I'm going wrong.

And I'll say again, this doesn't mean that you lot now have a license to slag off my shots

Azz, if I'm out of line here, please forgive me, and I'll sit on the naughty chair for as long as you need me to.

I think it is more a question of.... tact

If critiques are offered in a tacful, amicable manner they're much more appreciated. What I don't like to see is harsh comments - that just puts people of posting and puts a dent in their confidence. Hopefully that'll never happen on YoP as I'm sure there are plenty of us who would say, 'hey look, it costs nothing to be nice you know!'

We are going to have those C&C things soon anyway - I think there are abunch of things we have thought about, posted in the suggestions section, that should cover this type of thing