There have been many topics discussing what we don't like about the site and its curation yet it's so easy to take for granted everything that we do like about it.

So what do you like about 1x?

 

I'll go first:

1. Structure.

People and especially photographers tend to differ vastly in terms of skill, goals, preferences and so on. Providing different sections for curated photography, member voting, critique and tutorials seems obvious yet no other site has done it so well.

//Well, the critique and tutorial sections are being revamped but I remember them working very well in the past and I'm sure they'll be great in the future.

2. Feedback matters.

I think 1x excels at evaluating user feedback and implementing improvements to the site. I've seen other sites fail because of the "it's our site, we know best" approach or alternatively because they try to cater to everyone's taste all at once.

3. Community is valued and encouraged.

This has a huge role in why 1x is a good place. Without a nice community it's only a matter of time before a a site with social functions is abandoned, no matter how nice the interface is. The owners seem to be very aware of this and do their best to reward people who are willing to maintain this community and/or share their knowledge.

I could go on, talking about the high level of most published photos, the excitement of getting published, the privilege of connecting with some of your favorite photographers and so on, but I'm sure someone else will get to that.

 

Excellent topic, thank you for presenting it. I am relatively new to 1x (about a month now), and I find that it’s one of the best sites around (at least for me).

 

1. I thoroughly enjoy the diversity. That 1x is an “international” site is a real plus in my book. To see, first hand, how different photographers from different countries approach their craft is a treat, and a learning experience for me. I also love the diversity of all the different genres represented. Some I like more than others, but each brings a different aspect or perspective of photography into clear focus.

 

2. The artistic genius of the members. I searched, for a long time, for a venue that showcased creative works from professional and advanced-amateur level photographers primarily. In this “digital age” everyone with a digital SLR, pocket camera or i.Phone “thinks” they’re a photographer. “Thinks” being the operative word here. Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and myriad other (amateur) sites are clogged with beginner snapshots and opinions. That’s all well and good, and is a boon to photography in general, but I was looking for a group of “serious photographers”. And I’ve found it.

 

3. The community is tremendous (with very few exceptions who piss & moan on the forums about silly and petty differences of opinion). It is inclusive and not exclusive as some would claim. I think the founders, curators and crew are to be commended on their fair treatment of all. I’m not sure we thank them as often as we should. I love that 1x is a curation site, because I so appreciate constructive feedback on my work, as opposed to the “feel good” feedback you normally receive . . . “Oh, I just love your work” is nice to hear from family and friends, but I appreciate so much more an honest appraisal. “I like this and that, but you might also want to try something more like this”. That kind of feedback is invaluable.

 

I’ve mentioned before on the forum, and in various comments, that I’m an old guy now. I’ve been snapping shutters for over 60 years. I started with film and shot Nikon, Leica and Rolleiflex with Tri-X 400 and Kodachrome 25. In 2008 I converted to digital and Canon (Canon EOS 5D Mark II with L-glass), and have never looked back. I turned professional in 2009 (you’re never too old) and I’m having a blast. Post processing has been a challenge, but after almost 5 years I’m getting better at it . . . what a treat, to have my own portable dark room that can travel anywhere. I now have 100% control over my creative works (unheard of only a few years ago). Looking at all of the images submitted provides daily incentive and inspiration to up my game.

 

To the founders, curators, crew and members: you have my heartfelt thanks and gratitude. I hope to be a contributing member to this site for many more years. You are a breath of fresh air, and the answer to my many years of searching.

 

Steve Dennstedt

I definitely agree with your 3 points Stephen. I would also add that it was very helpful when you could see what your favorite photographers had in their "favorites" list.

And yes the crew deserve a lot of recognition!

Bobby,

I think you read my mind! :) I had been thinking of starting such a thread myself.

So I am glad you have actually done it.

 

I am going to bump this to the top every so often, as I think any community without loving kindness is doomed.:)

 

Phyllis

 

:-))))))) indeed Phyllis

BUMP

I think this is a great topic!! Let me start by saying I am an amateur and my 3 reasons reflect this. This is my personal perspective of why I like 1x.....

 

1. 1X is full of images and photographers that I am in absolute awe of. Having access to this caliber of art in so many different styles while I go about my daily life helps me to grow and learn and is a source of inspiration to me.

 

2. 1X is a great wealth of knowledge and resources that I can learn from. I can see images submitted for curation and read comments, I can read and participate in the critique section, I can follow photographers whose works I admire, participate in the weekly themes, follow the works that are published and participate in the group forums.

 

3. The generosity and helpfulness of members is wonderful here. I have never been made to feel that my comments or input is not valuable because I am just an amateur. I think there are so so many wonderful people on this site and am grateful to them for their helpful feedback, information and encouragement .

 

To sum my opinion up; I was at a point in my life where I had a burning desire to learn all I can about photography. I had always loved taking pictures since childhood but never had the time or money to devote to really pursuing it as a hobby. This past December I decided (at the age of 54) that it was time to buy my first dslr, learn photoshop, and feed that creative side that had been dormant all these years. I am so happy to have found this site where I can soak up as much knowledge as I can handle!

 

I like 1X because it is

 

1. A melting pot/crucible with photographers from all over the world - so interesting to meet people from other cultures.

 

2. Social - people are involved with each others work and communicating

 

3. So many friendly people - interested in what others do and very generous with positive and friendly/constructive comments to others pictures and posts.

 

(I could easily have listed 10 more :-)

 

Greetings to you all

 

Mette

A wonderful thread for me to read, as it helps me to understand what keeps people coming back to 1x, and whhat helps to build a community within the Photography website. :)

Since the opening post started with three reasons, let's keep the "tradition":

 

1. It is liberal in spirit - It respects to all genres and approaches; it encourages all levels of participants; it cares about members' opinions.

 

2. It hosts many high-quality photographic works - We may not like all pieces, but the site does provide a great source of inspiration.

 

3. It goes beyond photography - a nice community in which people learn not only how to take better pictures but how to interact with other people.

-Community is friendly and helpful for the most part.

-Lots of talent from around the world.

-And my favorite reason - the site is not centered around playing voting games like other photo sharing sites.

A lot of points I agree with and the recurring ones seem to be community and photo quality, as well the amount of knowledge and the appreciation of all kinds of styles and cultures.

 

Agreed. I'm not entirely against this approach, as it's useful for beginners to get some attention and feedback for their work, even if slightly sugar coated. This said, having the "voting game" as a separate "weekly theme" is a great solution. I've been tired of playing that game for a while now and this meant a lot of my images went unnoticed on other sites while mediocre photos made by people who spammed comments got thousands of likes. Here, however, I am guaranteed at least 60 people will give their more or less honest opinion about my work, which is a rare opportunity these days.

from my personal point of view:

 

things i like:

 

1. The interface is well thought out and designed. Having a minimal look that makes photographs look beautiful. Light years ahead of any similar site.

 

2. Focusing on feedback instead of social media 'likes'. Gives the site a seriousness that i like.

 

3. The diversity of images presented - long may this continue.

 

in the spirit of balance a few things i'm not so keen on:

 

1. The eternal heated debates over processing and use of photoshop. This for me is the wrong debate too be having. Photography for me is about content, meaning and art. Regardless of what program has been used or how much an image has been edited.

 

2. Lack of context. The detailed critiquing of single images often focuses purely on aesthetic concerns over the content and meaning.

 

2. the commercial nature of the site.

 

Great to read what you like about 1x Nick :-)

 

I would however like to comment on your points about what you are not so keen on :

 

1. Isn't it positive and valuable that people can discuss what is important to them and express their opinion ?

 

2. The detailed critiquing of single image that focuses purely on aesthetic concerns, isn't that particulary valuable since aestetics is such a very important part of all art work?

 

3. The commercial nature of the site ? I see no advertising here. I would say it is not commercial in nature since any person can load up pictures here for free and participate. The front page is a commercial - showing selected photographs, but who doesn't like the front page ?

 

I post this Nick, not only as a response to your post, but also as a gesture to the crew here. They do a terrific job in managing this site. So I think they deserve just ONE thread with only the positive about the 1x-site - leaving the negative out - there is a lot of other threads that focus on the negative.

 

The crew also need positive feedback and respect. The quality of this site depend on the job the crew does, so we all benefit to treat them good... then they will do a better job.. :-)

 

So why not post only likes in this thread .. - for the crew too - give them something that motivates extra.... :-)

 

Best regards

 

Mette

 

1. The stunning images. When I visited this website for the first time and saw the stunning images it blew my mind. And now I am addicted to this website, in the morning I make coffee (addicted to coffee also) and then I'm going to watch those beautiful images for about half an hour, a perfect start of the day :) It's like meditation for me.

 

2. Learning. I really learn a lot here by watching images and reading comments in the Critique gallery and forums. I have also learned to be more confident about my own photographs. At first when I was editing a photo I was worried if others would like it, and how I should edit an image so others would like it most. I have learned not to bother about that anymore, I just have trust in my way of photography now and I think that's very important.

 

3. Seeing the world trough the eyes (and mind and heart) of people from all over the world.

 

best regards, Leonie.

Glad this topic was created - too much negativity in other threads.

 

My reasons:

 

1) Website interface is to designed to make the pictures the main focus with few other distracting elements of the page while looking at pictures in the gallery.

 

2) The curated images are inspiring and give you something to strive and set goals for.

 

3) Genuine opportunities to have images critiqued. You can get useful feedback in the curation or critique sections - well beyond the "great shot" comments you get on other sites.

 

1x is my favorite photography site and I hope for continued success of the founders Ralf and Jacob.

I reflect.

Time to share my 3 on a wonderful topic.

 

1) The main reason I joined 1x is still one of those still I hold high. There no superficial "I vote for you and you vote for me" top ranked images. Not to the extent seen in other websites.

 

2) The curated pictures. If going through the pictures through member's curation is a time consuming task it does have its subtle and wonderful educational aspect and gives this site it's uniqueness. Add to it that a handful of people go through those as official curators and you'd feel the task is quite monumental in choosing beautiful pictures.

 

3) The other two reasons have managed to keep the population of 1x to people interested in photography. If you are passionate about your photography, whether its your profession, stress reliever, pass time, hobby or whatever the reason, that passion would show in the interaction this group of people have with each other. Rubbing shoulders with high quality passionate and warm people who are also interested in photography is a win win situation.

Here's my three appreciations -

 

1x encourages you to slow down and be more deliberate in your actions which helps keep quality of interaction and content high. Some examples that come to mind are the full screen individual image curation, 3 second delay, requirement to copy link to group thread and not just dump files into gallery, restriction on number of posts per week, comment ratings etc.

 

Good interaction between members. Quality vs quantity. No massaging of egos or you scratch my back and I scratch yours. Also I like how there are a variety of ways to interact whether it be in critique, comments, weekly theme voting, curation voting, threads etc

 

High quality of work. Many talented artists pushing the envelop. Those on the learning curve can learn from and be challenged by a wide variety of styles and techniques. I'm frequently amazed at how the individual style of certain works shines through so obviously in curation that said individual can be identified with certainty even without seeing the name (granted for few cases the subject matter gives it away). This is especially a great lesson I've learned in my short time here - style and taste matters.

 

 

Hello Mette,

 

Just read your comments on my comments. Just too get back too you om a few things...

 

Yes, theres plenty about 1x that i enjoy. the crew do a great job and for the most part people converse in a very polite way. Like we're doing now. i've given some pretty positive feedback since i joined the site. But surely a site that sets itself up too critique and assess peoples photography (in a polite way) can take a little (polite) criticism itself. Seems only fair.

 

1. Isn't it positive and valuable that people can discuss what is important to them and express their opinion ?

 

Absolutely. I was discussing what's important to me.

 

2. The detailed critiquing of single image that focuses purely on aesthetic concerns, isn't that particularly valuable since aesthetics is such a very important part of all art work?

 

Yes. I have found it very valuable, particularly in the critique section. Aesthetics are of course very important. But what a photograph is trying too say can be as important as how it looks.

 

3. The commercial nature of the site ? I see no advertising here. I would say it is not commercial in nature since any person can load up pictures here for free and participate. The front page is a commercial - showing selected photographs, but who doesn't like the front page ?

 

No there are no ad's (thank goodness!). What i meant by commercial is that some images on here are for sale. So in that way the site has a commercial aim.

 

kind regards

 

Nick

 

 

kind regards

 

Nick

 

Kind regards back to you Nick. You are great !

 

I wasn't really expecting you to answer my comment on your comment but good you did. I think we understand each other well :-)

 

I see that likes keep coming in this post and logically it makes sense with a lot of likes posted. The reason why people stay members of 1x - is of course that they like the site much more than they don't like it ...

 

Mette