Anyone heard of The Ugly Hedgehog . . (2024)

. . . which is sooooo different from those sites (think DPR) which try and sell you stuff on every page?

Link: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/newsletter.jsp

Among the questions that will be answered "in great detail":

"Which camera brand (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus, etc.) has the best sensor . . . ?

Pardon me for guessing in advance which camera brand won't even get a mention . . grump.

I was put onto it a few years ago, and for a short time, posted photos there in the hope of getting useful and constructive feedback. unfortunately that didn't happen so I stopped participating.
Briefly, their photographic threads are no different from those found elsewhere: the usual mix of good and bad photographers posting the usual mix of good and bad work.
But if you really want to enter the Twilight Zone, go to their forum called The Attic. Its contents is beyond description and must be visited to be believed.
Robert

Originally Posted by RBSinTo

But if you really want to enter the Twilight Zone, go to their forum called The Attic. Its contents is beyond description and must be visited to be believed.
Robert

Went there for a look; just loved their caveat "Complaints and rants about topics moved to The Attic will also be moved to The Attic." I had a hard time understanding that but yes, the content was indeed quite outlandish . .

I took a look. Doesn't look different from many other sites. The second posting is someone complaining that the 6D II is terribly inadequate because, among other things, it has only 45 AF points. Yawn.

No I have not heard of it. Nor have I ever heard of a good looking hedgehog

Sound like a bad idea to go there...after reading the comments of others. I'll pass...

Stay away. There are a group of abusers and those who deliberately put up false information misguiding others. The abusers are terrible and the owner will do nothing about it (I wrote him about it when shortly after I joined and saw the terrible things others would say to others; the spineless wimps who got beat up as kids; now they have their way of abusing back without getting their heads beat in; they abuse others on the internet and this guy not only allows but seems to endorse it). Also, the owner throws tantrums at anyone who accidentally sends a used email to spam or if the your computer does it to you. He blocks you; he claims for 10 days. What he doesn't tell you is that you have to email him after 10 days. He responds several days later and says he turned you back on; now you need to go into your settings and reset them. Two weeks can go by or more. After a few times, he blocks, claiming he didn't. Then when you tell others what's going on, he throws you off the site. Yes, you got it right. It's OK on this forum to abuse; even harass and threaten others but post anything of a conservative nature (he removes the page and sends it to what he calls the attic) or inform others of his discriminatory actions and he throws you off the forum. In my book, this is a serious violation of freedom of speech and civil rights. This kind od abuse should not be tolerated by anyone.

I used to contribute to Ugly Hedgehog. My posts were in the form of illustrated tutorials, which were very well received and quite popular. When I started to receive abusive replies to some of my posts I complained to the"Admin." Here is a screenshot of the reply I received:
From: Admin (all from/all to)
Subject: Re: Report: JR1 -- content
GrahamS wrote:Kick all you like. I expected a modicum of understanding, but your attitude clearly illustrates the reason UHH is living up to it's name - UGLY!

My attitude?
LOL. Let's see.

Quote:Is it the policy of UHH to condone this?

So you craft a complaint in a form of a rhetorical question. Is it an attempt to insult me by presuming that I have seen that particular post and condone copyright violations? Or are you just an asshole? Cause only assholes try to phrase their rants in a way that begs the question.

Quote:...unless I see some evidence of a tough and unforgiving moderation policy in action I regret that I shall no longer contribute to this site

Well, let's see here. UHH is not a huge forum, but as of right now we have 1,874,745 posts.

You submitted 774 posts.

Now, let's imagine that you've never existed as an UHH user.
Our post count would now be 1,873,971 instead of 1,874,745.

Do you think anyone would notice? Do you think I would care?

What kind of reaction did you expect from me when you posted that? Do you think you are the backbone of this forum or something?

Do you realize how pathetic such ultimatums are? Do you realize how annoying it is to read crap like that?

Admin

I did not dignify this with a reply - I simply went elsewhere.

I still belong, still browse, and occasionally contribute, but like others, I've grown weary of the complete negativity that accompanies a lot of posts.

The "experts" who chime in on nearly every subject often have what I would certainly define as minimal credentials. There was one "expert" who chimed in on an answer I'd provided concerning the apparent compression of telephoto images. When I took my first photography class in the 60's, my instructor used the terms compression and expansion distortion when referring to telephoto and wide angle lens effects. Other classes at the same university also used the terms, so it became part of my usage. This "genius" opined that those terms have never been used, despite the fact that I found them used in several texts on optics.

This is but one example of the haughtiness used by a lot of their experts.

I also grew tired of the constant arguments of Canon v. Nikon, et al; FX v. DX; prime v. zoom; ad nauseum.

I have had some interesting discussions about the origination of the electronic flash, lens evolution, among others, but those are few and far between.

I've also browsed the "Attic", and the amount of misinformation that's displayed there is legion.

Well, They do mention ugly.

Originally Posted by whitewolfowner

Stay away. There are a group of abusers and those who deliberately put up false information misguiding others. The abusers are terrible and the owner will do nothing about it (I wrote him about it when shortly after I joined and saw the terrible things others would say to others; the spineless wimps who got beat up as kids; now they have their way of abusing back without getting their heads beat in; they abuse others on the internet and this guy not only allows but seems to endorse it). Also, the owner throws tantrums at anyone who accidentally sends a used email to spam or if the your computer does it to you. He blocks you; he claims for 10 days. What he doesn't tell you is that you have to email him after 10 days. He responds several days later and says he turned you back on; now you need to go into your settings and reset them. Two weeks can go by or more. After a few times, he blocks, claiming he didn't. Then when you tell others what's going on, he throws you off the site. Yes, you got it right. It's OK on this forum to abuse; even harass and threaten others but post anything of a conservative nature (he removes the page and sends it to what he calls the attic) or inform others of his discriminatory actions and he throws you off the forum. In my book, this is a serious violation of freedom of speech and civil rights. This kind od abuse should not be tolerated by anyone.

The owner of Ugly Hedgehog also owns a site called One Political Plaza and it's much the same thing. A bunch of right-wingers heaving the most ridiculous claims and the few people that try to counter argue are immediately assaulted with vicious insults which the owner seems to allow until the an insult comes back the other way, then the person with the counter view is suspended or banned.

Who needs it?

I think it pays to vote with your mouse - click elsewhere! It's a great shame because there were some members of the forum who genuinely appreciated my tutorials and were making good progress in their photography.

Uglyhedge hog? AVOID like the plague. As a photography forum is totally useless. The place is full of people just wanting to receive positive reinforcement no matter the crap they post. No intention of wanting to learn anything. Among all those people you have a few snobs, most of these spew out a lot "knowledge" but have no decent work to back it up or have no work at all. All in all only a few decent folks, around 3 or 4.... Its a pathetic place.

I have been a member of UHH for a few years and probably log on most days. I like the fact that there is very little to no moderation, other than moving threads that become overly contentious or political to the Attic. Early on I stopped going to the Attic as it is filled with argumentative and insulting posters for sure, the same kind of thing you will see from your partisan friends on Facebook. I spend most of my time in the General Photography section, and less time on some of the specialty sections like astrophotography, macro, closeup and video.

Yes there are a lot of posts from people who don't know what they are talking about, lots of incorrect advice, lots of ignoring of correct advice, very little validation and praise, insulting comments, lots of newbie questions that can't be answered without more information (like "What's a good camera and good lens that I should buy?"). But there are a few highly talented photographers posting exceptional work alongside of all the so so snapshots, and people who are generous with their time in answering just about anything anyone will ask. The gamut runs from total newbies to talented professionals. It's up to the reader to separate the wheat from the chaff. I rarely ask for feedback on my posted pictures as I can pretty well judge my own work, will get very little feedback on most things I post, and will get as many hits as compliments, but at least people speak their minds, right or wrong.

I appreciate this type of free for all forum, especially compared to forums like City-Data where your post will be removed if it's off topic or insulting, or other forums I have been on where disagreement with the mods gets you permanently banned, or even photography forums where everyone is part of a mutual admiration society, complimenting everything posted by everyone.

In the past there were sometimes small cliques that would gang up on people, but I haven't seen much of that in the past year or so. People feel free to back all sides of any controversy about photography. There are a couple of enemies who constantly swipe at each other, but you can ignore the silliness unless some of it is directed towards you, and then you have to fend for yourself and be prepared to give as good as you get.

Originally Posted by xpatUSA

. . . which is sooooo different from those sites (think DPR) which try and sell you stuff on every page?

Link: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/newsletter.jsp

Among the questions that will be answered "in great detail":

"Which camera brand (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus, etc.) has the best sensor . . . ?

Pardon me for guessing in advance which camera brand won't even get a mention . . grump.

Originally Posted by bobspez

I have been a member of UHH for a few years and probably log on most days. I like the fact that there is very little to no moderation, other than moving threads that become overly contentious or political to the Attic. Early on I stopped going to the Attic as it is filled with argumentative and insulting posters for sure, the same kind of thing you will see from your partisan friends on Facebook. I spend most of my time in the General Photography section, and less time on some of the specialty sections like astrophotography, macro, closeup and video.

Yes there are a lot of posts from people who don't know what they are talking about, lots of incorrect advice, lots of ignoring of correct advice, very little validation and praise, insulting comments, lots of newbie questions that can't be answered without more information (like "What's a good camera and good lens that I should buy?"). But there are a few highly talented photographers posting exceptional work alongside of all the so so snapshots, and people who are generous with their time in answering just about anything anyone will ask. The gamut runs from total newbies to talented professionals. It's up to the reader to separate the wheat from the chaff. I rarely ask for feedback on my posted pictures as I can pretty well judge my own work, will get very little feedback on most things I post, and will get as many hits as compliments, but at least people speak their minds, right or wrong.

I appreciate this type of free for all forum, especially compared to forums like City-Data where your post will be removed if it's off topic or insulting, or other forums I have been on where disagreement with the mods gets you permanently banned, or even photography forums where everyone is part of a mutual admiration society, complimenting everything posted by everyone.

In the past there were sometimes small cliques that would gang up on people, but I haven't seen much of that in the past year or so. People feel free to back all sides of any controversy about photography. There are a couple of enemies who constantly swipe at each other, but you can ignore the silliness unless some of it is directed towards you, and then you have to fend for yourself and be prepared to give as good as you get.

You are welcome to your opinion - personally I will never contribute to a forum where I am insulted with foul language and where the site owner condones this. UHH is such a site.

I had the same impression as RBSinTo
This is a site with a lot of interesting materials, if you know how to look for them.
Also I find many interesting sets and guides at http://fixthephoto.com/blog/
This will help you in the initial stage!

Yes I have Been a member for a while now. I found it amusing at first and after finding out who were the joker's and trolls of the group there is some good photographers and nice people on there and a lot of them post good information on there.

Originally Posted by GrahamS

I think it pays to vote with your mouse - click elsewhere! It's a great shame because there were some members of the forum who genuinely appreciated my tutorials and were making good progress in their photography.

I’m with Graham.... and the petty control freaks still run the place. It’s not unusual for a few thin-skinned of the passive agressive ilk to make snide comments and then block replies. Who needs it? Another refuge.

Right now, there's a real war going on about perspective. One of the members has argued in two separate threads, that perspective changes with lens changes. He's gone so far as to post line drawings to prove his "point". Never mind that every book I've read on photography, including Ansel Adams' "The Camera" has stated positively that perspective is a function of camera to subject, and nothing else. "Google" the term, and there are hundreds of articles to bolster and confirm the definition of perspective.

This person has banned any number of participants (including me) in the discussions, because he's so hide-bound in his ignorance of the subject. He insists that changing lenses without moving the camera changes perspective, and he completely ignores the distortion of lenses and light in his arguments.

Originally Posted by pendennis

This person has banned any number of participants (including me) in the discussions, because he's so hide-bound in his ignorance of the subject. He insists that changing lenses without moving the camera, does not change perspective, and he completely ignores the distortion of lenses and light in his arguments.

Out of interest, Dennis, how does that work? An ordinary member being able to ban people, unlike only a Mod. can do that here?