So I've been actively spotting with a DSLR for about 7 months now. I'd like to think that I progress at my own rate. This time last year I simply aimed a point-and-shoot at a car and took my picture without even thinking about any creative angles or rule-of-thirds and then proceeded to edit view a phone editing app. Now I try to make every spot different and spend about 30 minutes to an hour processing a shot from scratch in Lightroom. I don't like to think of myself as anywhere near "the best" because I'm not, I like to think that I do me and I get better over time. But for me, the car photography thing has always been to capture the cars as I see them. Sure I like to do some unique touchups but I'm just not into changing it up so much.

Well apparently that's not enough for some people. And some people don't realize that people do have their own styles and preferences. Somebody I regularly chat with on IG who always has something to negative to say about my shots, even if I'm just posting it to show him what I saw, goes ahead and says on my latest M3/M4 trio shot "shot is overedited af, chill out on the contrast and the highlights are blown" I wasn't even looking for advice. Now, I do accept it but really only if it's constructive. Further into this conversation that clearly wasn't it. Going on to say that it looks like a phone shot or a cheap edit or an Instagram filter. Gee thanks, it took me 45 minutes to do this shot I'm glad it looks only as good as a slap on filter. Definitely encourages me to do better. /s I also felt like he was exaggerating. The clarity was just a little too high. And then when I try to tell him who my main inspirations were on IG photography wise, he tells me that I'm heading in the wrong direction and taking lessons from the wrong people and that those guys suck. At this point I just stopped listening to him but it did irritate me to be honest...

...Has anybody else ever dealt with this and doesn't it just get tiring? In the end I do this because I like cars and taking pictures of them. I'm not desperately trying to be better than anyone else, get a thousand likes on Instagram or any of that cr*p. It seems every month that goes by I'm growing tired of the entire car community in general. Almost feels like I'm just gonna drop everything and ditch it and just work towards my dream car and that's that. Just everywhere you look drama. Drama talking about cars, drama spotting cars, drama about how to take pictures of cars and who's better than who. It just gets old.

If the guy you said you regularly chat to is not being nice to you, ditch him and find someone who is nice.

I agree. Also, I think your shots are amazing so don't listen to his criticisms.