This is one of those photos where my own opinion was undermined by peer pressure. Of course I have a preference for my own photos – they are my “creations” and I take pride in them. But sometimes I take a photo of which I am really proud, yet no one notices and I begin to question myself.
This particular image got almost no notice on flickr, and no comments. It still hasn’t been viewed by many people (26 as of this writing) and I lost confidence in it.
Well, the fact is that I’m very proud of this photo. The shallow depth of field isolates the foreground reeds (are they reeds? no idea. the are long tall bits of “nature”). The colors reflected on the pond are really what I wanted, from the blues to the greens and the cloud. And the background, with the “land” appearing again, really works, I think.
This is another image taken while hiking – this time in Colera County Park. This pond is right at the entrance and is great for photos, in black and white, too.
I like the color AND the shallow DOF. And I see that a few people have now commented on Flickr. But why would your opinion of your photo change if few view it and no one comments? If you like it, you like it even if no one else does, right? Other people’s opinions of your photos really don’t matter!
Well, I think it’s just one’s natural need to receive some kind of validation from others. Other opinions don’t matter, on a fundamental level, because I do still derive satisfaction from the photo (I really do). I have it hanging here in my office, in fact, so that when I am typing I just look slightly above my monitor and it’s right there. Prime real estate, if you will. But when no one notices I have to admit that part of me wonders why not.