Warts and all?

Maybe they dont wish to get involved in discussions Edward  

The lack of interest in this topic makes me think that the vast majority of photographers on PoE are quite happy with the jpg images produced by their cameras, This is a shame since the raw data from the sensor contains much more information than the jpg. Most of the time this doesn't matter, but in difficult scenes e.g. revealing the delicate texture of a swan's feathers, showing the details of an all-white bridal outfit, or lifting detail out of shadows, a photo-editing programme can give a much better result than the in-camera processing. Modern DSLRs will export Raw images with 14 or 16 bit resolution, compared with the 8-bit resolution of a jpg, it's a shame not to make use of it. 

Edward, you are, like me, in the minority of those on POE who apparently contribute images converted from RAW files. I rather enjoy creating quality images, and even more, showing only those that I think deserve attention. My views on this have been well and truly aired. The new pictures on POE do not reflect much in the way of what you and I would be happy with, which is a shame. I wish the site well, but no longer feel inclined to submit images whilst the standards of acceptance remain as they are. I have great affection for Pictures of England however, and look forward to a resumption of quality so clearly lacking right now. I am not a photographer with any great skill, but I am able to reject my own images that do not pass muster and genuinely respect anybody who views my efforts. 

James, it is so sad that so few respond to the photographic threads here, but maybe my feelings have some relevance. My comments are genuine and reflect the reasons for my lack of involvement these days. Sorry.

We are all prone to warts, but I choose to get rid of and hide mine.  

Although I usually work with RAW files out of personal preference, the jpg files straight out of the camera are perfectly adequate in most cases. The advantage of working with RAW is that much more information is preserved, and as Rod says at the beginning of this thread, this gives the opportunity to 'develop' the image to one's personal taste, or to recover detail which might not show up in the jpg.

On the wider issue of minimising warts on the image, a lot can be done at the taking stage, both from the compositional and technical view points. I don't claim to be a good photographer, but I can quickly spot a duff image (particularly if it is one of my own). As someone who grew up using film, I still like to get it right at the time of taking the picture. Many times I delete images almost immediately from the camera's memory card. Modern cameras have very good auto-exposure and auto-focus systems, but it is still desirable to have the skill to know when to over-ride the auto settings. One of the most useful features on a digital camera is the over exposure alert (usually indicated by flashing highlights).  I often adjust the exposure setting after I see flashing highlights, but I suspect many people don't make use of it.

As to the general quality of the images submitted to PoE, this is certainly variable, but technical quality is not everything, and there are some shots which may lack quality but are still interesting in other ways. It is clear that PoE is not primarily a photo expert site, nor should it be, since there are plenty of other forums for these discussions.  I am surprised though, along with Rod and James, that there is barely a scintilla of interest in the photo threads, considering how many people submit pictures.

PS to Rod, I hope you don't give up on PoE just yet, I am always impressed by your contributions and amused by your comments. 

POE needs your pictures and your comments too, but like any decent website POE has to find it's own level or we would all be running around like headless chickens.

C&S put in a lot of effort to keep POE going so if you can find 5 minutes per day to post an image, or comment in the forum it would be greatly appreciated.

Photography is a great medium to communicate with, as is the written word. Pictures of England does suggest more than a link with photography, and discussion should surely naturally follow. The forums are here. Righ now I am pointing the trusty Nikon at all sorts of wonderful things here in New England, but pretty soon images of the clouds of Merseyside will once again be passing through my peepers and I will try to take something suitable for POE. 

Sorry to have drifted off topic.