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It's no good saying,
"WOW great pic!"
"Amazing"
"A real corker"
"Stunning"
when it looks like a dropped pie.
Guys and gals, let me quantify that.
I am not a fantastic astrophotographer, but I am way better than I was and I am constantly seeking to improve. When I first started out I was so proud of my underexposed, oversaturated, grainy, out of focus and poorly tracked smudges in a rectangle of black.
Just because a nebula or galaxy is an amazing thing, it doesn't necessarily mean the photo of it is. I cringe when I flick back through my first attempts that I was so proud of. Folks telling me how wonderful my photo was when it was plainly terrible, did not help me one bit. Scathing C&C mocking my efforts was also not helpful.
To properly C&C an astrophoto, one must realise things like how difficult the target is to acquire, how heat affects long-exposures, the methods required to focus and track, then how best to stack and post-process them, etc etc...
Then it is a matter of commenting with that authority to help and encourage the person learning this very unique genre of photography.
Even without astrophotography experience, the average seasoned photographer can still offer good C&C on an astrophoto.
Here's a loose C&C blueprint: Start off with what you like about the photo, point out what it is letting it down, but only if you can offer suggestions on how to fix the existing image in processing or in-camera next time they attempt capture. Finish off on a high point if you can to encourage the photographer. This is particularly important if the photographer is obviously a novice and even more especially if the photo is terrible.
If the photo is fantastic, then please, articulate and wordsmith the praise listed at the top of this post until the cows come home.
Edit: I owe my current level of photography to countless fora whose members offered me helpful C&C and coaching. I am forever grateful.
Have fun and bless ya's!
Baz.
"WOW great pic!"
"Amazing"
"A real corker"
"Stunning"
when it looks like a dropped pie.
Guys and gals, let me quantify that.
I am not a fantastic astrophotographer, but I am way better than I was and I am constantly seeking to improve. When I first started out I was so proud of my underexposed, oversaturated, grainy, out of focus and poorly tracked smudges in a rectangle of black.
Just because a nebula or galaxy is an amazing thing, it doesn't necessarily mean the photo of it is. I cringe when I flick back through my first attempts that I was so proud of. Folks telling me how wonderful my photo was when it was plainly terrible, did not help me one bit. Scathing C&C mocking my efforts was also not helpful.
To properly C&C an astrophoto, one must realise things like how difficult the target is to acquire, how heat affects long-exposures, the methods required to focus and track, then how best to stack and post-process them, etc etc...
Then it is a matter of commenting with that authority to help and encourage the person learning this very unique genre of photography.
Even without astrophotography experience, the average seasoned photographer can still offer good C&C on an astrophoto.
Here's a loose C&C blueprint: Start off with what you like about the photo, point out what it is letting it down, but only if you can offer suggestions on how to fix the existing image in processing or in-camera next time they attempt capture. Finish off on a high point if you can to encourage the photographer. This is particularly important if the photographer is obviously a novice and even more especially if the photo is terrible.
If the photo is fantastic, then please, articulate and wordsmith the praise listed at the top of this post until the cows come home.
Edit: I owe my current level of photography to countless fora whose members offered me helpful C&C and coaching. I am forever grateful.
Have fun and bless ya's!
Baz.
but don't tell a novice that their crap photo is stunning when it's plainly not.
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