I'm pretty hard on myself, and hate almost everything I take (especially at the moment) but I still post them all this is because I am an attention hound! :P

xx

I'm the same! I look at some of the pics I posted and cringe! I think I was more excited about having a new toy and just sharing what I was taking rather than being disciplined in the art of photography. Less is definitely more Hence I'm personally glad all my shots have gone in the General Photo sharing section!

I also think our new set-up really makes us think about our photos, and I think, no, know, it will help YoP members new and old improve their skills. I reckon we have finally found our place - to be the site where people join when they're serious about wanting to improve their photography. Site's like flickr will be the place for people sharing snaps, communities like ours will be about helping, improving, while still accomadating sharing too. Oh Yes. YoP has arrived!

The simple answer for me is...evidentally not hard enough.

I`m very critical of my own photo`s, now more than ever.
A lot of them over the years I am happy with in terms of sentimental value of the moment in time as it were but they are crap from a composition/technical point of view so are not for showing to anyone, those are mostly snaps of cats and dogs so mean a lot to me for memories and smile moments only.

Its only since coming here that I can see just how - or rather why - they are so majorly technically and aesthetically flawed, however considering my past knowledge of using a camera was limited to knowing the front from the back and where the button was to take a photo it`s hardly surprising my photos could never be considered as works of art

My expectations now of what I would like to achieve are making me look at new photos with a demoniacally critical eye when I look at them on the PC straight after taking them but I think there can be a point of being so self critical generally that spontaneity could be lost and pictures could become so `sanitized` that even if technically near perfection they could be flat without warmth or character ?
Maybe sometimes it`s a flaw which `makes` the picture, sometimes it could be something in the frame which had been un-noticed at the time but turns out to be what brings a picture to life, and when it comes down to it, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that - it`s a blimmin` minefield in other words

I am very critical of all the shots I take, I know I shouldn't be but I have looked at pictures I took last year at Pennington Flash and at the time I was happy with them but now I am not too sure. Even pics I take now I try and find fault with

im never happy with mine even tho it have improved over the last year but im never satified with them
so yeah im always hard on myself with everything anyway lol

Conversely, what puzzles me is when you go to a good deal of trouble and time to take a large series of shots of something you have been planning you rush in upload them and hate the lot or more usual can find one from dozens that you think passable.

You move onto something else and forget about them, then a few weeks later you come across them again and the photo fairy has been and you now have several you think are not to bad and a few more you think may stand a bit of work.

I'm about to delete nearly all of my flickr account. The ones I took of Kristy when I was with her, I was so happy with at the time, but now I look and cringe! That was only a couple of months ago. I spend nearly every day looking for my "photographic voice" at uni, so until I find it I will think things are good until I realise I hate them I guess!

I'm quite hard on myself, I have two criteria for any shots taken,
1, is it good enough for me too print it and hang it on the wall
2, is it good enough that someone else would want to hang it on there wall
so far no pictures on my wall