What makes you Advanced

[hanro]

Hi,

I have been part of this site for a few months now and have noticed inconsistencies with the skill levels. Is the skill level my decision and what I feel comfortable with.

Kind Regards,

Peter

[ricktas]

each member (including you) chooses your skill level on joining. So it is up to you to be honest first up.

Members can adjust their skill level upwards via the settings menu.

The mods team regularly upgrade members, based on photos on the forums, competitions, their websites and even if they have been inactive for years and re-activate.

We often have people join as beginners and then say 'I started photographer 10 years ago'. Or even "I am just starting out in photography", but then their website shows they shoot weddings etc. We will at times jump a person from beginner to advanced. we also see members who never post photos but talk about gear a fair bit. We will upgrade them if their comments suggest they know more than their level indicates.

[CathyC]

after joining quite a while ago and indicating I was an intermediate level, admin promoted me to 'advanced' Whilst in the beginning I was flattered, but now I am just discouraged I have been part of this forum for a while now participating in the forums when time permits and competing in the 'advanced' category. The images I see in the 'advanced' category are absolutely stunning and far superior than anything I would ever produce; the same goes for some images I see in the 'intermediate' category.

In each competition I have entered I am consistently in the bottom percentile, and have not yet had an image even close to qualifying let alone being selected for the final 4. Does this mean I am an inferior photographer, or just competing in the wrong class? Whilst this may spur some people on, unfortunately, it only discourages me from participating in the competitions, and yes it also discourages me from participating more in the forums.

These forums are a great place to get feedback and improve photography and to see some amazing work. I am constantly inspired by what I see here. I will most probably stick around LOL, but maybe I will stop entering competitions for a while until my confidence returns

[hanro]

Hi Cathy,

I understand your pain, I think the majority of members on this site go through similar issues at there various levels. I see many superb images on this site an hope to be able to produce that quality in the future. I have also had some lessons with a professional photographer which helped me a lot and hope to continue with as my skill grows.

Regards,

Peter

[ricktas]

after joining quite a while ago and indicating I was an intermediate level, admin promoted me to 'advanced' Whilst in the beginning I was flattered, but now I am just discouraged I have been part of this forum for a while now participating in the forums when time permits and competing in the 'advanced' category. The images I see in the 'advanced' category are absolutely stunning and far superior than anything I would ever produce; the same goes for some images I see in the 'intermediate' category.

In each competition I have entered I am consistently in the bottom percentile, and have not yet had an image even close to qualifying let alone being selected for the final 4. Does this mean I am an inferior photographer, or just competing in the wrong class? Whilst this may spur some people on, unfortunately, it only discourages me from participating in the competitions, and yes it also discourages me from participating more in the forums.

These forums are a great place to get feedback and improve photography and to see some amazing work. I am constantly inspired by what I see here. I will most probably stick around LOL, but maybe I will stop entering competitions for a while until my confidence returns

When we look through a member's photos and their online presence and find work like this in a few seconds, it shows us that you have more skill and potential than you feel you have.

When I Grow Up by Cathy Cates (aka CrafteeCC), on Flickr

[CathyC]

OK - I don't know what to say to that! other than you have managed to pick the shot I am most proud of getting LOL AND one I was going to enter into one of the upcoming competitions I guess I will keep plugging away in the hope of qualifying some day soon

[Mark L]

What makes me advanced?
Someone else told me I was.

[Kym]

Q: What makes you advanced?

A: A couple of mouse clicks

The levels have no bearing on anything other than grouping for comps. Your level + $3 gets you a cup of coffee

[Mark L]

The levels have no bearing on anything other than grouping for comps.

That's fair enough, but as Cathy has pointed out, she is a bit discouraged from playing in comps because she thinks she's been upgraded because of one photo.
I think her comp results confirm she is not advanced.

[ricktas]

That's fair enough, but as Cathy has pointed out, she is a bit discouraged from playing in comps because she thinks she's been upgraded because of one photo.
I think her comp results confirm she is not advanced.

Some people rise to the challenge. and we do not upgrade because of one photo. For example we consider how long a member has had a flickr (or other account). We look at threads on AP, if they have a website we check that out also. We look at how long people have been members of AP. We look at inactive members returning to the site. It is a range of factors that make us decide to upgrade someone.

[Phil Mac]

This happened to me, I was inactive for quite a while, and when I re-posted ricktas (I think) bumped me up to advanced. I've been a member for quite some years, but don't post alot. I've put a few photos on Flikr, I should start posting a few here too.
I like to read what others (more knowledgeable than me ) have to say and sometimes add my 2 cents worth.
If you don't enter you can't win, so you might as well keep trying. Having said that I haven't yet.

PhilMac

[Mary Anne]

OK - I don't know what to say to that! other than you have managed to pick the shot I am most proud of getting LOL AND one I was going to enter into one of the upcoming competitions I guess I will keep plugging away in the hope of qualifying some day soon

Yes keep at it Cathy its the only way you will win, and you will

This happened to me, I was inactive for quite a while, and when I re-posted ricktas (I think) bumped me up to advanced. I've been a member for quite some years, but don't post alot. I've put a few photos on Flikr, I should start posting a few here too.
I like to read what others (more knowledgeable than me ) have to say and sometimes add my 2 cents worth.
If you don't enter you can't win, so you might as well keep trying. Having said that I haven't yet.

PhilMac

Phil I have been a Member almost as long as you have, 7 years in December and I have learnt a lot in that time, so most Members would assume you would to.
I was in my 6th year before I won a Comp winning two last year, and another two in the last four weeks, and that was a shock !!
And if you are not in it you wont win it, so get cracking and enter all of them. Just make sure it fits the Theme though and best of luck with that
And keep adding your 2cents worth on the Forums as that is what makes Forums work

[hanro]

Competition is a good process to advance your knowledge and Technics. I have done this for years in my other hobby, Bonsai. When I loose, I revise the competition and see where I can improve.
Like Bonsai ,Photography is an art form and can take a long time to be good at, and many of us will only be that. In Bonsai I am considered at the higher end of artistry due to the fact that I work outside the standard parameters but I still consider myself a student and always will be.

Kind Regards,

Peter

[danny]

after joining quite a while ago and indicating I was an intermediate level, admin promoted me to 'advanced' Whilst in the beginning I was flattered, but now I am just discouraged I have been part of this forum for a while now participating in the forums when time permits and competing in the 'advanced' category. The images I see in the 'advanced' category are absolutely stunning and far superior than anything I would ever produce; the same goes for some images I see in the 'intermediate' category.

In each competition I have entered I am consistently in the bottom percentile, and have not yet had an image even close to qualifying let alone being selected for the final 4. Does this mean I am an inferior photographer, or just competing in the wrong class? Whilst this may spur some people on, unfortunately, it only discourages me from participating in the competitions, and yes it also discourages me from participating more in the forums.

These forums are a great place to get feedback and improve photography and to see some amazing work. I am constantly inspired by what I see here. I will most probably stick around LOL, but maybe I will stop entering competitions for a while until my confidence returns

I must say that this is almost exactly what I have thought and/or gone through recently. However, I concluded... "what is in a name?".
If the mods wish to list me as advanced, that is the way it is as they are the ones that run AP and set rules and regulations. I felt like an imposter sometimes as an intermediate member, now as an advanced... . But, this is just another way that this site can provide motivation and challenge you to learn and become better.

Cheers

[Lance B]

What makes me advanced?

An over-inflated belief in my ability.

[arthurking83]

......

The levels have no bearing on anything other than grouping for comps. Your level + $3 gets you a cup of coffee

What makes me advanced?

I'm paying wayyy too much for my coffee(s)!

[Glenda]

Well I started as a beginner and gradually became upgraded to advanced. Am I better than when I joined the forum? I think so, and in no small way because of the advice of many members of this forum. Am I as good as many of the other advanced members? Hell no, still have a long way to go and may never get there - but I keep trying to improve. As Kym said the gradings have no bearing except in comps.

[piczzilla]

I signed up as Intermediate but was soon listed by the mods as advanced.

Does my level reflect my confidence? No. There are some fellow advanced members on here that are wayyy out of my reach. And to be completely honest, I think some intermediate members take better photos than I do

Do I want to stay as Advanced? Well not at first, but now I do. I had my confidence broken like Cathy at one stage, but now I just get fired up I believe competing with these amazing artists is exactly what I need to fuel my drive and push my limits. It's amazing how much my relationship with photography has changed since I joined this site a month ago. I stopped procrastinating, I no longer make excuses for myself, I step out of my conform zone and learn new techniques, my photo ideas didn't get stuck as ideas and actually became photos.

I still have a long way to go, but I hope oneday I can make my fellow advanced members proud

[Mark L]

As Kym said the gradings have no bearing except in comps.

But the gradings do have a bearing elsewhere. I make dumb CC in a genre I know nothing about and others try to figure why I said it? (but I'm advanced)
I actually think that skill level shouldn't be displayed generally out there at the right, so that it doesn't influence what members say or think about what I say. I'm supposed to be advance and I know much less than plenty of intermediate members. Why should advance be displayed when it only really influences what comps I can play in?
Skill levels for comps is okay but I've always been uncomfortable with skill levels being publicly displayed.
Other than birds I'm not advanced and it just shouldn’t matter.

[Kym]

The comp levels are a simple software hack on my part.

They are not about sheep stations, your next job, your spouse, eternity or anything of great significance.
They are not even collected on the census!

Their intent has been to split comps and encourage less experienced members to join in comps; nothing more.