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mrswoolybill (e2 Member)

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13 Feb 2012 - 8:14 AM

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I've really enjoyed the week, thanks so much to Pete for allowing me the opportunity. I religiously looked at every single upload during the week, including the ones that I might normally only open out of morbid curiosity. I carefully avoided using my Favourites page; but I have to say that a lot of regular members have such instantly recognisable styles that there is no way that anonymous uploading, which has been suggested from time to time, could ever work.
Bear with me if I ramble on with a few more observations, then I shall disappear back into obscurity.
It's going on for two years since I had the GE slot previously. I have the impression that there are a lot more uploads now; the week increased my respect for Pete, for the way he holds the site together and keeps a balanced overall view.
Contrary to the fulminations that appear in the forums sometimes, there is relatively little that is truly, irredeemably awful. There are hundreds, thousands of people out there who are genuinely trying to learn and improve.
I was delighted to find a couple of Wildlife pictures that actually said something to me about the natural world. I guess my real passion is for images that say something about the human world, the best Wildlife uploads made an interesting comparison. I also found some wonderful portfolios that I hadn't come across before.
OK, now for the but...
The vast majority of Gallery uploads come, so far as I can see, from UK members. Meanwhile a very high proportion of the genuinely interesting uploads come from outside the UK... Continental European members, and in particular those in Eastern Europe, seem to be able to connect digital to photography's roots. Their work has an elemental simplicity and a respect for available light. Maybe it's just that only the very best find their way here. British photography seems to manage a good to high to occasionally outstanding level of technical proficiency. But for me a lot of it is stuck in a few formulaic, repetitive ruts. Not all, but a lot. There's an obsession with maximum information, and sharpness as a virtue in its own right. I wish we had a greater sense of freedom, and of mystery. NB - I don't want to start an argument that will go round and round in circles, just to record my personal observation.
The positive side though is the work of Juniors, many of whom are really seeing things with fresh eyes. I hope that they can keep that freshness.
I have not been aware of any negative feedback this time, people have been positive and appreciative. I really would recommend anyone who hasn't put their name forward for a week as GE to think about it. It will open your eyes to how many good people there are here. But be prepared to devote a lot of time to it. It perhaps isn't ideal for a week when you are supporting a friend suffering from cancer, as I have been...
And now it's over to Jonathan.
Regards to all, over and out,
Moira

Helpful Post!