I'm going to step way out on a limb here, but I think the quality of photos being posted lately needs a lot of improvement. So, I decided to post some random advice on creating exciting and interesting images. Much of this advice I picked up from a National Geographic photographer (Joel Sartore).

1. If it's boring, don't shoot it.  Most of the time the answer is no (a Joel-ism).
   
2. Compose your picture from the background forward (Joel-ism).
   
3. Expose for the brightest part of the frame that you want to see detail on.  For example, many times the sky is the brightest part of the frame for a landscape. Expose for the sky (not the sun).  As Joel says, the sky is the boss.  Conversely, if your frame includes a reflection of the sun, don't expose for that as it won't matter how much you stop down, it will still be burned out.  This piece of advice made a huge difference in my own images.
   
4. Focus on your subject.  This may seem like a no-brainer, but I'm seeing lots of shots where the subject is out of focus.
   
5. Don't have out of focus distractions in the foreground.  That is unless the out-of-focus items in the foreground are an essential part of your composition.  I remember one neat image lately where out-of-focus tallgrass blowing in the wind created a veil-like curtain in front of the subject.  In most cases though, either get it in focus or get it out of the frame.
   
6. Use near/far perspective on landscapes to give perspective, just make sure the near objects are in focus.
   
7. Edit ruthlessly.  If you post 20 pictures don't be surprised if people get scared away.  Sift them down to the ones you think are best and then be open to feedback.  You'll get more worthwhile feedback and you'll create goodwill with your mates.
   
8. Good light is good and bad light is bad (Joel-ism). Meaning? The good light with lots of warmth is early in the day and late in the day.  Also, cloudy days can give nice, even lighting.  If you're tempted to shoot in bad light, don't.  Come back later in good light or create good light by somehow diffusing the harsh light.
   
9. Compose, compose and compose.  Don't just assume you're going to be able to crop later in PS.  Take your time and compose in the viewfinder.  If what you're seeing isn't working, either make it work or don't shoot the picture.  Again, most of the times the answer is no.
   
10. Know what your subject is.  Again, another no-brainer, but there are a lot of images being posted where it's not clear.
    
11. Give people paths to wander in your image.  By that I mean be conscious of layers and the path the viewers' eyes may follow through your image.
    
12. Make your image something interesting.  That includes picking a subject matter that is not the same as what everybody else is doing.  It feels as if Photographica is becoming the flower picture site of the Web.  If it's an incredibly beautiful flower shot then great, post away.  But if it's a garden variety flower shot (pardon the play on words) why not leave the posting space for someone else with something different to show.

I know I'm opening myself up to tons of criticism with this posting.  But, I felt that rather than find myself drifting away from Photographica I ought to at least take a shot at offering some constructive feedback in the interest of making it better.

I'll be the first one to admit that I'm not a great photographer.  I'm sure you'll be able to look at my images and find a number of them where I've violated the advice I posted above.  But, I hope that doesn't cause you to dismiss it.  After all, it's not my original thinking but rather advice that I've soaked up from some really great photographers.

Also, I've tried to stay away from rules, like the rule of thirds.  We know the saying about rules and I don't hold to them that strongly.  Finally, this is not meant to be an exhaustive list of advice on taking interesting images.  It's just the random thoughts that have popped into my head as I've been composing this posting.  I'm sure that the moment I hit the Submit button I'll think of something else.  You'll probably want to add your own items as well.

Anyway, please don't anyone take this as a slight.  I truly love this site and want to see it get better.  I'm just a bit distraught that we're not posting as high a level of images here lately.  When I see the numbers online seeming to drop I worry that the quality of images might be part of the reason.

Let's all do our part to make this the best site possible.  There are a lot of great photographers here who could add lots of items to this list.

Okay, fire at will!