What bemused you today?

[Markulous]

Driving into wigan at 6am this morning to see 2 lads barely able to stand up after drinking their way through the night, it bemused me a little as it wasn't me

Ah, we were in Wigan (well, Shevington) early evening before last - but helping look for 3 escapee dogs (broke out of the bathroom window!). Dogs found after a couple of hours and we now know the surrounding area pretty well!

[alan1572]

Shevy is close enough

[Oldboy]

Watch this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRAM8MpqIeA&feature=player_embedded   

[Hinfrance]

Our cat, who is a particularly intellectually challenged example of a particularly intellectually challenged species, has a new friend. A magpie. I mean, good grief. The bird sits right next to him giving the odd peck now and then. And he just laps it up.

[Beaux Reflets]

Our cat, who is a particularly intellectually challenged example of a particularly intellectually challenged species, has a new friend. A magpie. I mean, good grief. The bird sits right next to him giving the odd peck now and then. And he just laps it up.

The photographs must be quite amusing Howard

[Hinfrance]

Alas I haven't got a shot yet, and probably won't. Although the cat is placid, the magpie is easily spooked by humans.

[ABERS]

It's been some 12 weeks since the happy event that lead to me ignoring CC for a while. Perhaps ignoring is the wrong word as I've been looking in to see what's going on and if anything of interest popped up.

Like one or two others that now use the site sporadically, it's been easy to look at CC from the viewpoint of an enquiring visitor and there is very little to excite any passing trade. Nobody talks photography anymore and the main interest seems to be a continual stream of 'competitions' which are supported by just a few of the same people and voted on by a few more. Perhaps it should be called CCC as a new revanp.

It's difficult to put ones finger on what's made this happen, it's much the same on two other sites that I have a look at, so it's not just a problem for CC. Where there's a competition there's life I suppose, a bit like saying it's not quite dead, there is a faint pulse.

I know some time ago Mick and Beaux Reflets asked for ideas to stimulate some growth but that came to naught unfortunately, which is a great shame considering the work they put into CC.

Keep snapping and competing and most of all Keep Happy.

[Mick]

It's been some 12 weeks since the happy event that lead to me ignoring CC for a while. Perhaps ignoring is the wrong word as I've been looking in to see what's going on and if anything of interest popped up.

Like one or two others that now use the site sporadically, it's been easy to look at CC from the viewpoint of an enquiring visitor and there is very little to excite any passing trade. Nobody talks photography anymore and the main interest seems to be a continual stream of 'competitions' which are supported by just a few of the same people and voted on by a few more. Perhaps it should be called CCC as a new revanp.

It's difficult to put ones finger on what's made this happen, it's much the same on two other sites that I have a look at, so it's not just a problem for CC. Where there's a competition there's life I suppose, a bit like saying it's not quite dead, there is a faint pulse.

I know some time ago Mick and Beaux Reflets asked for ideas to stimulate some growth but that came to naught unfortunately, which is a great shame considering the work they put into CC.

Keep snapping and competing and most of all Keep Happy.

Great to hear from you Alan.  It's difficult to know what's happened tbh, I've tried and tried to build up the site over the years, but it's like peeing into the wind quite frankly.  Facebook and twitter and other social sites have taken over, or perhaps there's just too many forums out there to compete with. 

I'm also losing interest in running the site, not because I don't like running it, but because I don't know what direction to move it in.  My coding skills are limited, so there's only a certain amount of features I can add.  I try to give everyone what they want on the site, which is more than some sites do, it's just so frustrating.  We really need more ideas posted in the "Site feedback" board.

[SimonW]

Hi Mick, I can strongly sympathise with you. I'm having just the same problem with one of my sites. The number of onlookers has perhaps gone down slightly, but the number contributing articles and discussion has fallen to only one or two a week - and some of them are asking questions I've no idea how to answer. Is it possible that web sites have had their day? I blame that very antisocial site that's taking over the world.

But of course our hobby (or job) is photography itself rather than writing about it, and I'd really like to have more time for going to places and photographing things, and much less time in front of a PC. Maybe that goes for many of us.

I enjoy looking at the discussions and the shots my virtual friends here have posted. I often find useful advice, and I know that if I ask for help I'll get some useful replies. So I do appreciate the time and effort you put into this site. Thank you very much for running it so well.

[anglefire]

Mick, this forum is positively a hive of activity compared to the Digital Photo Group website - its been going downhill for sometime - it does have a sister facebook site, which is fairly active - though anything posted on FB and the like, disappears after a few days, so I really don't know how it can be better.

[Alfonso_Frisk]

Looking at some other forums recently and they seem to have lots of "new" users of Digital Cameras.
This generates loads of "what is, what does" type of discussions and involves a lot of "I know best" types answering said questions.
We don't have this "new" user visitor/membership.
We also do not have the gallery formats of flickr etc where 360 degree comments is encouraged and expected.
A lot of people will use the forum/site where they get the most comments and slaps on the back ignoring the fact that their photography will go nowhere without some form of critique.
Ive said before Mick, you do a great job here and I have scratched me head many a time trying to get ideas how to improve involvement here.
If its giving you headaches and taking up too much time then chuck the towel in mate. Its up to you at the end of the day and I will support and understand your decision.
RR
Alf

[Cabbyjohn]

Hi Mick, I'm afraid that I am one of the guilty parties who doesn't contribute a great deal to this forum, other than to post the odd pic on here from time to time. The reason for that if I am honest is because I am an ancient snapper rather than a keen and able photographer. My technical skills are not brilliant when I compare my pics to some of the excellent pics other members post. That doesn't mean I don't get a lot out of this site, I do. I regularly pop in to look at the latest postings to see what I can learn from the shots. For instance Abers brilliant black and white postings have inspired me to try to take many more photographs in black and white. I look at what others have posted and I then go out and try to emulate them. I also find the kind critique reassuring when I do post a pic. I also tried out another forum and noticed that a few of the criticisms went beyond fair, and were positively savage, which put me off a little bit.


I may not have much to say because quite honestly I sometimes feel a fraud. I have a Panasonic FZ150 camera which doesn't have the whistles and bells of the more expensive DSLRs However I am reasonably happy with a lot of the shots I take, even though I owe a lot of it to post editing out of the camera. Therefore I can't convince myself that I am any good. I don't have "The Eye".


What I am trying to say in a long drawn out way, is that I enjoy and feel comfortable with this forum, and I would hate to see it go .

[jinky]

I must admit I am in here and on flickr less than I ever used to be. For me Facebook has taken over a bit - even though I always thought I`d hate it. I guess it is because I can do the social and photography stuff in one place and interact with family and non-photography friends there. That said CC is better than most forums and whilst I`ve tended to stick  to the comps out of habit and sometimes drop in  a less than good effort just to keep up the involvement it is not enough.

One suggestion I`d make and have made before but didn`t act o it when encouraged was to do a critique of comp entries to bring about more discussion of content. If people agree I`m happy to do this from this weeks comp after the results are known. Being me it would be part critique / part humour I`d guess but if welcomed others could add comments or we could have the winner each week given the task of critiquing their also rans. 

I must admit the other really useful thing on here is the wealth of knowledge others have which I have utilised in dealing with PC problems and purchases.

You do a great job Mick - it`s the rest of us who let you down by being too sedentary

[Beaux Reflets]

I have been a bit quiet lately due to health challenges and a vehicle that constantly requires attention as the deisel system went haywire!! but keep looking in.

I may get an entry uploaded in time for this weeks comp but need to get them off the camera if time allows.

Would love to see more crtique on here as that is the only way I seem to improve my own work.

Happy days - so don't throw in the towel yet Mick 

[Hinfrance]

I've been a bit out of it for a while really. The weather has been pants and I am putting a fair amount of effort into trying to play guitar a whole lot better than I can at the moment. So that means lots of sore fingers and tinnitus (the ever present reminder of too many years in a rock band) but also a lack of enthusiasm in the photographic department a lot of the time.

As for jinky's idea about the critiques, bring it on - always educational to see through the eyes of others and the occasional joke doesn't do any harm in my book.