Here's another close up

You have made some very nice Brenizer Method images that are perfectly suited for and have been selected to this pool, so it should be clear why those work and others don't. Although a photo might technically fit all of the rules that are laid out in the description to this group, if there is no dramatic distinction between the foreground, middle ground and background, or if there is no emphasis on the out-of-focus areas (bokeh) or if there is a generic quality to the image, they won't be selected.

Bokeh panorama images can be a struggle to make and it can be frustrating to not have them highlighted in the group pool here. I had a dozen rejected before I started to figure out how to make an interesting one and even now, I don't submit ones that are borderline. Some borderline images can be selected or rejected at the whim of a moderator too. We're not perfect.

The standards are pretty high to get a photo selected because this should be a really exceptional place for people to come and view this technique. Images that just aren't quite right not only create an uneven experience to any viewer that might stumble upon this group but will also confuse those who are just starting out and attempting to understand what to do and not do.

That would be a very fine explanation had not some shots been selected that looks not much more than a portrait with a nice bokeh in the background. There are a few very close full figure portrait that doesn't even have a foreground, other than a few yards of gravel / pavement in front of the subject.

I was in the same position with entering some of my car photos - I think I re-submitted a few times because I didn't know why they weren't showing up. Finally one got let through....

Why bother? I deleted all of mine after a couple got rejected. One for not being blurry enough altough the group is full of photos less blurry than that one. So the rules are different for different people I guess, or different on different days depending n mood. The fact that someone can resubmit a rejected image and have it go through is evidence of that. But why would you want to?

Groups based on such specific criteria and not on quality content are not interesting to me. I actually deleted all of my photos from Flickr altogether. When you post your best images here they drown in a flood of images. it's just too much content on Flickr. And the idea of changing your work to please the admins of various groups is ludicrous. Looking for a better forum to post in.

And I'm no longer certain that there is any point to posting images online at all.

Here are three important points:

1. Although a photograph's artistic merit is considered when judging it for this group, 9 out of 10 photos that are not accepted are still exceptional images, they just don't qualify based on technical reasons. So, try not to confuse the two criteria.

2. Remember that part of the reason you became interested in this group to begin with is because you liked the way the pool was being curated. Changing the rules would only discourage new people from seeking us out.

3. Making the rules more lax would not only weaken the group's direction but it would make things much more confusing for new members about what is expected here. In addition, it would make it even more difficult than it is for moderators to determine what a Brenizer Method image actually is.

We volunteer our time here, don't forget. Grumbling in the discussion forums will not change how things are moderated. Please keep shooting and submitting. Thanks.

I don't think anyone becomes interested in a group because they like how it is curated. They become interested in a group because the images are of a certain kind. In this case it is a question of a certain look. A look that maybe half of the accepted images have and some of the rejected ones also have. Which seems like a waste.

But oh well. People who start and maintain a group can do what they want with it of course. That is fine. However I personally no longer feel the need to be curated.

stormhalvorsen:
I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish here.

Since you don't have any images on your photo stream, we can't allow this conversation to suddenly be usurped by you. It's common policy to remove a person from a group for simply trying to create trouble which is what it seems like you are doing.

Maybe you should be posting in some general flickr discussions instead of here since you seem to have so much to be upset about.

I reject stuff often. Often I'll accept stuff I fully know will be accepted, while leaving a few things I want someone else to look at. I fairly much always reject, "This is my first time!" photos unless they fit the group.

This is a highly technical process. Sometimes people can get lost in that. They'll create technical masterpieces, and then feel dejected when they're rejected. But, remember. The photographer wasn't rejected, their submission was. For the first time, and the second time, and the third time. And then after that the photographer is thumped on the head.

The images that we reject are often nice, and I even favorite a few. Sometimes I'll give pointers. But, yea. There's a bit of a look that's needed to get it. By 'look' I'm not saying that they need to look just like my images or the 'popular' look. They need to not have the "hi I just started doing this" look.

I accepted most of the images in the first two posts, and then the first one was removed. I was unsure about the first one, honestly. I remember it, and thought it was nifty. But it's sort of odd with the kids looking away from the camera. It's more like a snapshot.

stormhalvorsen:
You deleted all of your images because a few were rejected? That's silly.