Life is a full time job, it should be experienced with a good attitude and an occasional beer to relieve constipation of the thought process, caused by pesky irritants, like: do you post photos that you like, or do you post photos that you think others would like. I believe that in order to advance in the art, you cannot be wishy-washy and try to do both. I think that in order to capture wonder and excitement you have to understand what your own likes are first. If Whistler did not like his mother, and Alberto Vargas did not like women some art would be boring. What do you post?

Moose, I think over my tenure here I have gone through phases of doing one or the other. And, not at the same time! I am currently only uploading what I like and allowing the posts to stand "naked" before the eyes and judgment of the world.

Revised

I'd have to say I do indeed post both.. to varying degrees. A lot of my work seems to have something less than "mass appeal", but I do post images for others. It's nice if something I post winds up on someone else's desktop. But right out of the box, I know that this won't always happen. So, I go for a couple of other targets as well. Will my work.. inspire? Will it.. stir up emotions, or even flare up a few neurons that had been double parked for a while?

If I can't respond to at least one of those questions with a "yes", it doesn't go up into my gallery. Hopefully, one more question will get a "yes", that being.. will they enjoy it? But if not, that's fine. I'd rather be deep in thought, and scowling, than smiling, and mentally vacant. Extreme examples, to be sure, but simply to make a point.

Thanks for starting this thread.

Mostly I photograph what I like, so that is what I post - I don't have enough time to go around photographing what I don't like or does not interest me - that would take all the enjoyment out of it and if it is not enjoyed it can not be done well.
Often even when it is enjoyed the result is not good.
It is a happy coincidence when I like it and others like it.

However you can't please all of the people all of the time. You can not even please yourself all of the time, and sometimes, yes, in that situation I have posted something I think others may like more than I do - sometimes they do and sometimes they don't.

Pleasing some of the people some of the time is good enough for me, to share what I see, where I live, and and on rare occassions to be able to say - Yes!! that is what I was trying to achieve when I lined up that shot, so therefore it means something to me.
I do not imagine that any of my work will make anyone sit up and think, but if it pleases the eye, creates an atmosphere and occassionally delivers a message it has done its job - to communicate.

I smile quite a lot but I don't think I am mentally vacant - though that is just my opinion and naturally, I am biased LOL

Moose - Did Whistler really like his mother? It is said he was a mamas boy and she was the only person he never fell out with. Perhaps he painted her to relieve the boredom caused by having to banish his mistress when his mother visited him in London, she looks a rather dour lady.
He called that painting 'Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1'
'Arrangement in Grey and Black No 2' was of Thomas Carlyle. They both look very gloomy people, and look as though they had been 'arranged' for the portraits.

LynEve, there is a bright light shining in your thought processing center. I like that. I really enjoy your comments, but I need to differ with your comment about Whistler, slightly, Yes! I think Whistler did like his Mother, but he did not take well the critics of his work. Whistler was perplexed and annoyed by the insistence of others upon viewing his work as a "portrait." He stated many times that he produced Art only for Arts sake, that is why he purposely gave his works such strange, long and uninspiring names. In his 1890 book, The GENTLE ART OF MAKING ENEMIES, he writes: "Take the picture of my mother, exhibited at the Royal Academy as an "Arrangement in Grey and Black." Now that is what it is. To me it is interesting as a picture of my mother; but what can or ought the public to care about the identity of the portrait?" The point I tried to make was that Whistler only posted Art that he liked. And I do agree that she does look a rather dour Lady, that is because of her deep and strict religious faith, she certainly does not give the impression of being a Happy Camper.

:) I guess I just don't know enough about Whistler to know what I am talking about lol
I am glad if he liked his mother - but I think his insistence that his works were not portraits (as such) is strange - the picture of his mother, even if all the rest is taken away - (the 'arrangement'that is)leaving just her face - that to me, is the portrait - and her face speaks volumes. Even if he had dressed her up in the bright oriental garb he seemed fond of (I doubt Mrs W would have agreed to that though) the face would still be the same, still what people remember.
I am not completely convinced he liked his mother - but I am convinced he liked his art - and that is what matters - he loved what he did with a passion and it showed. I dont really think it would have been necessary for him to like his mother to create what he did. It is her air of stillness and piety that creates a reaction in the viewer.When I think of that picture I think of the face and her hands, not the arrangment of curtain, footstool etc - not the grey and black. Or is it the arrangement that adds to that stillness?

I hope for her sake, that he did like her:)


Oh darn, I am beginning to get interested in this Whistler now - LOL

I think you have to be quite cynical to post only what you think others will like and not what interests you. I can imagine it if there was money involved, but since we essentially give away our art here the motive to post what others want with no personal feeling for the art would not make sense. I suppose some people might post to please the moderators and get into the permanent galleries, but I suspect everyone who posts here wants that, but more out of hope.

personally, I create pictures that I find esthetically appealing and post them. In the same way that Whistler painted his mother and de-personalised it by calling it an Arrangement in gray and black to put it on display so people saw it for the painting that it was and not as a portrait of his mother, I put forward my pictures to be judged as art and not as a faithful recording of an event or moment or as a personal memory.

I am not sure that answers you question, but I certainly feel better.

a great thread! i am so guilty of prejudging my work as to what others will think. what a lame thing it is that i do. pathetic.

I don't think it is lame at all Jen - If no one had any concerns about how others would judge their work then nothing would get posted - or even shown to anyone else.
We create what we like - then share it with others - and in so doing share our world, whether it be the world within our heads, or the world around us as we perceive it.

I posted a picture recently with a pin-up girl in it. At first I was not going to post it, and I even thought of removing the girl, because I was afraid it might offend someone. But I liked it, so I altered her appearance so she looked out of proportion. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to receive the comments posted. I was thrilled, and am now working on another pinup. After experiencing this "I like, You like" battle, I wondered if others suffered equally. I am guilty of prejudging my work, will I do it again, well maybe not so much.

I gave this question more thought and came to the conclusion
Yes and No, I never post a photo just in hopes other people will like it but do try to pick ones others might enjoy. I try to show the best of places I love and want to share them with others. Sure many may flop but I enjoy sharing my pictures and the story that goes along them and hope others enjoy them....I am more of a traveler then a photographer and very fascinated in seeing other peoples photo's and reading their stories

Hm. I'm actually still considering my reasons. First if all I post because I think I have a fairly good image to start with and sometimes I post to inform, you know, little tidbits of things that I might have heard about or info about a plant or place that I want to share. I think this site is mostly about sharing, not just our pics, but our ideas, ourselves, our interests and our friendship. So I guess in writing this I find myself deducing my reasons as being both. I post to please myself first because if I don't like the image, I'm not going to post it obviously and I post to please others as well. Those reasons are not mutually exclusive. I 'try' to post what to me is representative of beauty and inspiration. I know I am not accomplished at that, but that's why I keep returning to see other folks' views of beauty and art.

I think that beauty is an absolute and derives from the Absolute and every heart sees it slightly differently, but all those views lead to the essential, which is Beauty itself.

I also think LynEve has really said it precisely in her first sentence above....."I post what I like" and later adds, "and then share it with others".

I'll add my 2¢ worth now that I just found this thread...
I figure people usually post something they like... the problem¿ being that everyone has different reasons at different times on different days during different seasons for liking an image. It could be the colour(s), the subject, the detail, the mix of textures, a learning situation and probably other 'things' that I can't think of right now. I know that I don't/won't even keep one of my shots if it doesn't please my eye... let alone post it! And I am very much aware of the fact that my preferences fluctuate... every once in awhile I download an image I wouldn't download in the past. Every once in awhile I delete an image I downloaded (and worked on to get it to fit my screen resolution.) If this query came about because of some negative comments re. a post... simply develop thicker skin. Become more confident in yourself. You will never please everyone! If it came about because of concern for trying to please all Caedesians... that will never happen! Don't worry about the comments... take 'em with a grain or two of salt!... whether they be contrary to your liking or in full agreement with your thoughts. Oops! Lucky you! Time for bed! :o)

I have such a critical eye of my own work, that I don't think I could ever post something I didn't personally like. And I do consider that before thinking about 'will others like it?'. The beauty of art is that its roots are bedded in controversy. The goal? To provoke thoughts, feelings, reactions, discussion.

Well, for me ... and given my own posting proclivities for the majority of the last while ... I get more enjoyment from having reworked/post processed another member's art/image/photographic works.

Then that of posting my own original works.

At their roots, all usually comes down to trying to disseminate/share some information, techniques and so forth ... that I have come across ... to the membership at large.


One of these days, I am going to post a 'personal' piece that has had the time and labour of love attached to it that I feel is a necessary component of 'great art'.

As I do feel/think that, without perhaps being conspicuously visible and tangible to the viewer on first glance ... somehow 'it' does tranlate/transcend the art/image being viewed and captures the viewer's attention and brings them in for a closer look.

That lil' 'something something extra', you know? That gets noticed from time to time and can and does indeed elevate one image above others.

I post what I like .... now. Yes, I do like it when others like my work but it's not as necessary to me as it once was, I admit. And I know when I've done better or worse, too. Do I post to share ? Yes, I do.

I post what I like at the time, but regard the images with fresh eyes as time goes by. If I create an image that I don't really like, it's often worth keeping rather than deleting... some months later it might look better than I thought, or I will have new ideas for improving it. A few times I started to post something on Caedes.net, had doubts, and cancelled at the last minute! "But I should re-render this fractal" or "I can do more with this... I'm not out of options yet." The result is that I have folders upon folders of pictures being considered or reworked... can be fun to look through on a dull day.