Where can I acquire photography mentors who will critique my work?

[fwefwefwsd]

I'm a self-taught amateur photographer, seeking to improve. I'm at a bit of a plateau -- not in the realm of creativity, but in the realm of technique. I read articles and practice on my own, and analyze my work, but at the end of the day, I still need an outsider's point of view.

I've tried posting critique requests to photo.net (and contributing critiques for others), but the responses I get are not very helpful. Same with flickr. Either I get nothing, or I get praise.

I've tried taking two college classes at two separate schools, and I quite honestly didn't learn a thing either time. They were too basic, and were focused more on encouraging creativity and composition than they were about techniques. One of them was for film photography, of which I have no interest. All critiques were performed by my classmates, who just blindly praised my work. I don't think I received one helpful suggestion all semester.

I feel like I need a mentor or two of some sort, just as I had in my dance and music lessons. I know photography is subjective, but there is still technique.

Where can I go to find this? A camera club? A website of some sort? Any suggestions?

 

[casperskitty]

You should try dpreview and camelphoto. Both have challenges. And you can post images on a forum at dpreview for constructive criticism. The challenges at camelphoto are great for getting feedback to improve technique.