Introduction to an old, shy Enthusiast who wants to improve his skills

[Gene S]

I’m a New Yorker easing into semi-retirement.  While I hope to keep some of my IT skills relevant and get a gig or two to earn some extra cash every now and then, I want to dedicate much more of my time to improving all facets of my photography and create portfolios for the different genres that interest me (landscape, architecture, street, events, abstract) and those I should be more adept at (portraiture, nature).
I’ve just started to get the lay of the land on this site.  It’s not yet clear to me how to submit photos for critiques, enter contests (are there any?), etc. so I’d appreciate any guidance as to how to maximize my enjoyment and utilization of this resource.  Thanks in advance for any tips, especially about how to be ruthless when evaluating one’s work (I have a hard time narrowing down hundreds of keepers from an outing to the few or just the one worth editing)!
-Gene (started with 35mm film, evolved to digital with some point-n-shoots and DX format DSLR, currently shooting in MFT format, moving up to FF mirrorless soon so I can use great lenses I have from the ’80s)

[JasenkaG]

Hello Gene,

Welcome to Light Stalking!

When it comes to critiques and contests, you can submit your photos to our Shark Tank forum or Weekly Challenges. Shark Tank is a great place to get feedback on your images, while Weekly Challenges have a specific theme (currently it’s wide-angle landscapes). Check it out and let us know if you need any help.

[Patrick]

HI Gene and welcome to Ls , you definitely picked a great community to join and grow your photography with  , great having you here and looking forward to seeing some of your work when your ready in the meantime enjoy your time here everyone is very friendly 🙂

[Dahlia Ambrose]

@gene-s  Hi Gene, welcome to the forums and good to have you here. Look forward to seeing some of your works here 🙂

[Rob Wood (Admin)]

Good to have you on board @gene-s

From your avatar looks like you’re a little early for retirement. 😉

[Author]

Posts