Apologies if been asked before, but does PAD work for you?

[jess_ulm]

As I am not a dedicted PaDer, I don't feel terribly qualified to participate in the general discussion, but I would like to interject two things:

It is frustrating that my less than steller PaD images goet so much more attention that work that I believe is far superior in other folders.

If you come back with a handful of great images and you don't feel that they are stong enough for their own seperate gallery outside of PaD, just make a subgallery in the PaD folder for that day and have a, for example, June 23 subgallery folder instead of just one photo from that day.

[bowman1]

As someone who is seriously considering doing a PaD project, I have found this thread to be an interesting discussion of the pros and cons of committing yourself to such an undertaking. After evaluating what everyone has said, I think that the pros outweigh the cons for me and I am going to give it a whirl.

While I consider myself to be a fairly decent photographer, there are some major holes in my game that a PaD project would help to shore up if I use it correctly. The only con I can think of (besides the possibility of straining a muscle lugging around DSLR all day) is that I might have to add more hard drive space. I think I can swing that.

A PaDding we will go... a PaDding we will go...

-Tim

[halesr]

While I consider myself to be a fairly decent photographer, there are some major holes in my game that a PaD project would help to shore up if I use it correctly.

Tim, I think if you use PAD to push yourself out of your comfort zone and do some images or use some techniques you are not comfortable with, that it can be a REAL opportunity for growth.

You also stand a pretty good chance of getting feedback on these new areas, which can be REALLY helpful.--Rene

[txbluyys]

I'm am VERY new to PBase, and within the past week, started posting photos for PaD. I am with a lot of you - you don't really want to throw in a photo of a street, your cat, etc., into the "gallery" just for the sake of saying you put something in every day. I use it as a way to push myself artistically, or rather TRY to find that something "unusual" everyday to post there. If I can't, I don't. On the same token, I think it's a little hurtful for people the say that PaD is "Full of Crap". There ARE a lot of aspiring photographers out there, some with more talent than others, but they are all trying their best (I would hope!!!). I don't really like the term CRAP used to explain a person's work - rather just say that it needs work?? I read towards the beginning of the posts that someone stated that 90 percent of the work in PaD was crap....great. Honestly, I didn't get ANY comments until I posted there - no one knew I existed on this site. I, for one, will do my best not to post crap. That's why I only have a chosen few photographs in my galleries. I just ask that the people with LOTS of experience and mega cameras have mercy on us beginners that are doing our best with the small cameras we have and experience we are trying to obtain by being a part of this site and viewing all the beautiful work here. We are only trying to hear words of constructive criticism about our work so we can grow, not words of crap. I know I shouldn't have taken the words written "literally", or even be hurt by them. I just thought that blanketing the Photo of a Day as a whole being 90 percent crap wasn't very nice. Stepping down now, but thanks for hearing me out!! Everyone have a great Fourth of July!!!!! May the "Camera-gods" be with you

[floradoragirl]

As the starter of this thread, I agree with everything you say .... I too began primarily for the first 2 reasons you give, although I now find that there is a distinct lack of people willing to offer constructive criticism and so question the premise of PAD (or indeed PBase's) ability to help actively help me develop and learn anymore ... there appears to be too many "Oooh that's nice" type of comments that are only there as a hook, fishing for a similar "Well done" comment in return ..

Recently I've not been able to keep my PAD up-to-date for various reasons (The main one being that my better half is constantly using our PC (our office is also where I usually take most of my indoor photo's) for study in her final year of her degree so I have little time to post and shoot) but will get back up to date for different reasons than I originally began my PAD.

Other people's critiques are not the only way of learning from PaD, it's a real opportunity to see for yourself what styles you like, what you don't like, what works for you and what doesn't. And sometimes all constructive criticism does is confirm why you liked your picture in the first place. Someone once sent me a photoshopped version of a picture of mine where they'd used curves to lessen the contrast of the shadows revealing a tiny amount more detail, when in fact, the thing I LIKED about the image was the naturally occuring high contrast. Other people's criticism is, ultimately, only their opinion and it's no more valid than your own. I think that shooting every day rather than necessarily posting every day is what makes PaD the learning tool it is.

Of course, I'm one of the people who post crap more than occasionally because another joy of PaD is having the entire year documented in a way that's meaningful to me, even if it's not a ground breaking picture. so perhaps I'm not using PaD as a tool in the best way. I'm beginning to find it restrictive as I have other pictures to post on other things and maintaining a pad can be more effort than I want some days.

I also have a huge number of pictures online because of it but find myself reluctant to do what Jude did and clear out some of the poorer efforts because of that thing of having the entire year documented. Ah...the new dilemmas that PaD throws up![/b]

[lindarocks]

I don't think you should assume that an 'oh that's nice' comment is solely there for a fishing trip to get a reciprochal comment. I am 'guilty' of leaving just that sort of comment but not because I expect a comment in return. In fact, I often scan through the meta-gallery at the speed of light and if something catches my eye that I like, I'll leave a (sometimes fairly glib) comment, rather than say nothing. Sometimes I don't have time to think about why but I just want the person who posted the photo to know that I'd appreciated the effort.

Likewise, no offence intended but I don't want 'criticism' of what I post - I post what I like and if it's less then technically perfect, I'm usually aware of why I think. If it's a matter of how I've cropped or not cropped, then again, I'm doing it for me, not really for anyone else so I'm happy with it as it is. In fact, I have on occasions, deleted comments from people who've said 'you should have done it like this...'.

Neither of the above should make me a 'bad person'.

I suppose it depends on what you want from pbase. For me, it's certain when I look back that pbase has made me a better photographer than I was at the outset but not because of any critiqueing of my photos, but because I've used my camera every day and (when time allows) I've experimented to try to do something a bit different.

The PAD experience has overall been a good one for me and I know that I'd never have taken most of the photographs that I now make money from and regard as my best shots because before pbase, my photography had dwindled from an aspiring rock photographer in the late 70s to solely holiday snaps with a point and shoot. Pbase undoubtedly breathed life back into my photography and that's a great thing in my view.

As for what is in the meta-gallery, everyone has their own interpretation of what's 'crap' there. For me, it's not the honest aspiring 'PAD for a year' challenge people who make the PAD meta gallery crap, it's the reams of non-PAD galleries that people tag as PAD just to get noticed and the same photo apprearing over and over again on the front page. For my money's worth, if the PAD meta gallery could be set so that only one shot a day from any one photographer would appear in the meta gallery that'd be perfect. I'm not suggesting that when people have been away on holiday or whatever that they shouldn't be able to upload a week's pics, simply that only one of the shots should get into the meta gallery. That might stop some of the posting and reposting. It might then mean that people who are really doing a PAD challenge would get more attention.

[mesullivan]

I think the pad has been working better for me of late as I've noticed some of the lessons I've learned by doing "month of" framing, color, style, whatever has made these things seem more natural. It has deepend my toolbox as a photographer and made me think and see in ways I might not have before.

I agree there is crap in the meta gallery, but to me the crap is the postings not from PAD galleries but just ones people want noticed or post several times etc. as has been mentioned. Hey, if you can shoot a calendar or mag cover worthy shot every day you have enough talent, tools, and time to go do it for a living, what are you waiting for?

As far as comments, I post them to other pics when I want, not to fish and I hope that is the same both ways. Constructive critiques are always welcome. I'm long enough in the tooth and thick skinned enough to take it for what it is, another's opinion. I value those opinions though as they might have thought of something I hadn't. Like all good advice, I will take it and use it as I like and am able.

Pad has been a learning tool for me so far and I hope to continue to use it as such.