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The Art of Comments

Photographers as a whole are used to viewing comments as this is our main source of dopamine when we aren’t in the field shooting. Nevertheless, I’m trying to wean myself from Facebook. I have a fear of commenting, missing posts, and missing comments and not knowing when to say “Happy Birthday!” The rules seem to be different for commenting by a “friend friend” on another friend, by a “friend friend” on a photographer, and by a “friend photographer” on another photographer (who often is more of a colleague friend).

Facebook Comments

Commenting on other Photographers’ Photos

In particular, I admit my comments on other photographers’ photos just haven’t been up to snuff. And by that, I don’t mean they aren’t adequate enough to express how impressed I am with your latest image, I just don’t think they are as well conceived as they should be. It really is an art to make it honest and to get it noticed. I owe it to myself and to you to have an imaginative enough comment that is worthy in its own right, sort of a complementary compliment. So I want to talk a bit about the fine art of the comments and specifically the limitations to being a Photoboomer instead of what my pops would have called a young whippersnapper.

The younger crowd has launched a series of buzz compliments over the past few years. I learned that “sick” didn’t always mean ill…it could mean fantastically good! Fortunately, I understand this word and its new flexibility, but its rightful use seems to exclude the Photoboomer. As much as I want to act young by saying, “you’re sick” (implying jealousy), “your work is sick” (an extreme compliment for an entire portfolio) and “you make me sick” (meaning I was right there, you got the shot and I choked), its taboo for this lifetime!

“Boom!” Is a word photographers use when another photographer captures amazing light. You would think a boomer could use “boom!”, but they can’t. “Boom!” always comes with an exclamation mark.  Apparently, that’s the only way it can be heard. “Boom!” quickly became overused and is fading without so much as an echo. That may because it only came with two “o’s”. Odd numbers of “o”s would work better for a photographer, which explains why “Booooom!” or “Boom! Boom! Boom” could still work. Although not very imaginative at least these show some knowledge of the art.

“Pow!”, “Wham!” and “Kaboom!” sound Marvelous but would encourage some lurker to say, “What comic idiot wrote that?”

“Epic” is one of those overused words that can be a little confusing. “Epic” most often refer to some amazing light on unbelievably contorted mountains. It really just means “I wish I were there to experience what you saw you lucky dog!”, but when you think about it, there really isn’t much thought put into this comment. Either“epiiiiic!” or “Epic, Epic, Epic” totally misses the mark.

“Woohoo!” was popular for a while. I think it can still be used acceptably when accompanied my an animated GIF but is better if you get creative with it. Perhaps separating the syllables more “Wooooo….Hooooo!” works best. It is more or less interchangeable with “Wahoo!” unless you are commenting on an ocean picture or referring to the photographer’s social skills. 

I don’t presume to know what is the latest buzzy comment is. I will know what it is sometime next year when my younger photographer friends each have used it a dozen times or so, but then it would be too late to describe it as the latest. Nevertheless, I am seeing “you crushed it” and its derivatives used a lot today. “Crushing unbelievable” and the nonsensical “Crushanimous” are just a couple. Again, I cannot use as it makes me sound like I am trying to be someone I’m not. 

“Amaze balls” is another one. I have a hard time just writing this one. Anyway, I would sound like a full blown knucklehead if I used it! There I go sounding my age again.

It’s challenging being yourself and writing creative comments. Using the “F” bomb isn’t creative by any stretch of the imagination and you either have to be under thirty or belong to whichever political party lost the most recent election to use it with sincerity. You just can’t fake “Effen’” This is one of those abilities of the the younger generation that can’t be replaced with a pill.

So what words do sound like me. I started on a list that could sound sincere. One should be oneself although I am also working on being the person I think I should be. That’s a problem already. Do I say them with my usual double entendre or do I finally change? I was thinking that I could just rotate through the list so my comments didn’t repeat often. I could command C and command V them (or control c and v for you Windows users) right off my notepad. 

I had to scratch some of the words right away because the seemed to dated even for me. 

“Fabulous” or “fab”, “bitchin’”, “glorious”, “splendid”, “boss”, “rad”, and “gnarly" are from decades if not centuries ago. Strangely, “cool”, as old as it is, is still okay even though it has two “o’s”.  I might even try it with five or seven sometime. “Coooool! sounds pretty cool. 

Some words just don’t sound masculine enough. I wouldn’t use “Dreamy”, “Ethereal”, or “Heavenly” except maybe for a Lizzy Gadd post, who by the way, I only would only call Lizzy instead of Elizabeth because I’d like her to think, “Do I know him?” But, then again, I wouldn’t even use those words because they are not me, even if the image is dreamy or ethereal. Perhaps I would use “Lovely” or “A real jambuster” just to relate to a Canadian. Words are different up there.

Rules are Different for Non-Photographers

Other words should be reserved for non-photographers use only: “beautiful” (it can be that simple to pump me up for a week!), “phenomenal”, “breathtaking”, “awe inspiring”, “heart stopping”, “majestic”, “divine” and “mesmerizing” are a few. “Wonderful” works universally. “Amazing” is another one for the layman, but photographers can use the version with three, five or seven “a’s”. “Well done” and “Impressive” sound a little bit like they should be reserved for a mentor to use for a student’s work. 

There are some short, simple words that can be pretty effective. My favorite is “Nice!”. This implies a very nice piece of work, one the artist should be proud of. It could even be a portfolio piece, just not the most impressive image ever seen from that artist. I’ve noticed other people use “Wow!” with the same meaning, although “Wow!” coming from a non-photographer is less a compliment than if it were from a well-known artist. At the same time, “Nice!” as a written comment from a non-photographer can be read with various inflections that mean anywhere from “just okay” to “this is the coolest piece of art you’ve ever produced.” 

“Wow” and “Nice” are really crossover words. They can be used by anyone… from those that don’t understand the intricacies of achieving perfect depth of field from three inches to three miles to pros whose best 100 images are better than any one of your own. There are other crossover words that have little thought or originality to them such as the non-creative yet sincere “Awesome”. 

“Impressive” is like “Nice”. You have to hear the inflection to get the warm fuzzies…otherwise “impressive” is less than. Still, I’m reminded of how I’m limited with so many words because of my years and what would sound like me. I can’t say, “This is some nice $h1t!”, because even if it is, it isn’t me and I still care what my mother in heaven would think. But it sure would get the point across.  

Other crossover words are:

  • Compelling
  • Gorgeous
  • Astounding
  • A beauty
  • Brilliant (always use this for the Brits)
  • Stunning

I celebrate any comment on any of my photos as if I’ve made it to the big time. I would like to think others would celebrate comments I make on theirs. Here is a list of words and combinations of words that could work, only almost all of them are best for the under 40 set.

You killed it (with or without “man” or “dude” or “girl” after it, but I’m not real sure if you can use those descriptors interchangeably between all the different sexes there are now)

  • Staggeringly good
  • Crazy good
  • Wicked good 
  • Insanely good
  • Damn You’re Good
  • I’m beyond words
  • Mind blowing
  • Bad assery
  • I’m stunned
  • Shocking unbelievable

“Heart stopping!” also sounds good, but I truly hope my photos don't do that for you or me.

The number of exclamation points you place after is always up to you, but fewer is better. 

Another tip to get your comment noticed is to place a few blank lines followed by a period. This negative space will draw attention to your flattery.

But if you want your comment to sound like you are as good at commenting as the photographer is at landscape photography, you might try something like these…

  • “I blew this stack up and combed it at 300%. Couldn’t find a hint of fuzziness. Amazing attention to detail!”
  • “Superb conceptualization, all the way from your complimentary tones to the subtle light bleeds.”
  • "The subtleties of repetitive shapes and the soft gradations through your mid-tones aren’t unnoticed. Superb!"
  • “Another masterful representation of harmony in nature and your harmony with the lens.” 

Now that I think of it, those latter ones sound a bit self-serving. I think I will stick to “I really like your photo”!!!

RS

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