Got my first criticism of my site and I handled it with graceNOT!
I went to a birthday party last night and talked to a friendwho is also on FB and so she read my blog. She said it’s ok but (I bracedmyself)… the pictures have to have better lighting. She said that on Pinterestshe does not even click on a pin if the picture is not perfect.
I think I smiled and said, yeah I am still working on myfood photograpy skills and I need to invest in some artificial lighting becauseI shoot in the early morning before work when there is no daylight. Then, Iwalked away to talk to somebody else.
Inside, I was hurt and embarrassed and felt deflated because I have been working so hard andmaking my pictures better and writing and it is not good enough. Insecuritieswere coming up to the surface and thoughts of being a pretender, not being goodenough etc. I know that this is one of my weaknesses. I am not good at takingcriticism and I need to work on it.
After thinking about it, I realized she gave me good adviceand really I should be happy somebody is taking the time to read my blog out ofall the content that is out there. I should use it as motivation to improve andto learn more. I know all this theoretically but the negative feelings still come first.
I guess it is inevitable to get good and bad feedback when we choose to make ourselves public. Itis just part of the job. Hoping I am not the only one struggling with this andthat some of you experts can give some advice and motivation. Cheers and happyFriday!
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Dont be discouraged it is a learning experience don’t take it personal keep working at it
You did much better than I did. A similiar thing happened to me today and I had not had a great morning so I reacted and sent a not so nice email and told them I did not want any more work from that particular company and not to send me anymore. I probably will get fired from the larger company that I contract out to. I hope not, but sometimes we just can't contain ourselves. As I said you did much better than I did.
It makes me feel better I am not the only one haha. Yeah my reaction also depends on how crappy a day I have had, let's both get over it and vow to do better. Cheers!
It's only natural to the feel way you did. The great thing is that you now realise she did give you some good advice. It was probably quite hard for her to say that to you as well, because she cares about you :)
She sort of has a reputation for being tactless so I should not have been surprised and hurt. Take the good from it like you said. Thanks!
Your friend is a good friend, and real friendship will survive when you are honest with each other
I wrote a blog about criticism last month It is never easy to hear criticism
She wasn't very tactful! Wonder what her photography looks like!
Seriously, yes, you will run into some people who aren't supportive, who don't understand all it takes to reach the final goal of perfection. Don't let them get you down. We will always understand and support you. So keep up the good job!
Thanks Jeannine. Good to have this place where people understand. You are right, other people do not get how much work we put in. Not an excuse for low quality work but it Is always a work in progress and as long as we are improving along the way 8t shld be ok. I'll get used to taking criticism in time. But thanks for having my back!
No one likes criticism, especially if we are working hard and giving our best but they can, and sometimes we do have to step back and see what is being seen through the eyes of others. After all, it's them we are trying to attract.
I just had something like this happen to me yesterday. I misspelled a word and it was pointed out. Before saying anything, I went back to the mistake and made the correction. I knew what it was. It was missing one letter and it was caused by my long nails getting caught in the keystroke, but it didn't matter. The mistake was still made.
If I had said anything before doing that, my embarrassment would have been far greater. I mean, it was only one small word but, I didn't do my spell check so, the error was all mine.
The best part of this was, this person misspelled a word too, while they were critiquing me.
The moral of the story is, nobody is perfect and mistakes will happen. How you handle it is what's important. You did well!
Jaye
Thanks Jaye I am glad I am not the only one who feels like this. In time we will be pros and this will just slide by and we use it constructively. I think youbhandled that very well too. So true that none of use are perfect.
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Hi Maria, learning to take criticism is a process and at first not easy, but to get critical feedback will help you in the long run. As for your pictures, is there a time you are at home when lighting is better. Food loves natural light, also food is best shot in 2 positions, major light from behind with a softer light in front, usually at 45 degree angles ( just enough to soften the shadows), 2nd position 2 artificial lights at 45 degree angles from the the front sides. You never want to light food straight on from the front. Food is full of texture and that is what you want to show. Front lighting flattens texture, and in short flattens the image. All in all the nicest lighting is window lighting from behind with soft 45 degree angle lighting in the front. Hope this helps.
Mary
This helps a lot Mary. Thanks! I will try it.