Critique. Can You Understand Or Take Critique Of Your Own Images?

[Dusty]

I know some people have trouble taking critique of their pride and joy images but if you read this article below it may help you understand better why it might be good for you.

http://psychologyforphotographers.co...raphy-critique

[Polar01]

Nice little article worth a read.

Cheers

Allan

[Manfred M]

I've just skimmed the article and I wholeheartedly agree and disagree with it.

First of all, I do think we should listen the the critique of our work. The critique should cover what the reviewer believes to be the weaknesses as well as the strengths of the piece. Above all it must be subjective, and this is where things can come off the rails a bit.

The issue is often that we can accept the critique someone else, especially from "experts", but they can be blinded by fashion (and unfortunately any art form can be subject to the current fashion). Last year's trends can be so outdated and while you could be working using a technique whose time has not yet come (and perhaps will never come).

Personal taste is another factor. The person doing the critique does not like a particular technique that you are using or subject matter you have shot may not give a fair assessment, due to these extraneous prejudices. We all remember the school teacher or professor that gave better marks to the students that agreed with his or her viewpoint. This factor certainly seems to come into play with some of the critiques I have read.

Other extraneous factors can also influence the review. For instance they are viewing it online and their screen in not calibrated and profiled while yours is, they may view an image that is quite different that what you do.

On the other hand, if the reviewer looks at your work properly and is truly subjective, that is certainly worth listening to. You may not agree with the assessment; but a good reviewer should also let you know why they have said. In the end it is up to you to agree or disagree with what was said or written.

I was at an Ansel Adams exhibition this year and had a chance to look at a number of his pieces. Moonlight over Hernandez New Mexico is considered to be one of his best works. I personally don't like it as much as many of his other works. If we had come up with a similar shot, I think we would universally be criticized for including too much black sky. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonris...ez,_New_Mexico

I remember going through some of the works of the renowned portrait photographer, Yousef Karsh and was amazed at how he seemed to break the standard compostional rules very frequently; I can just hear the critics sounding off about how the nose expends past the cheek line and the back eye does not follow the standard portraiture rules. http://www.karsh.org/#/the_work/port...audrey_hepburn

So while I agree with the author of the article; what is written really needs to be taken with a large grain of salt.

[AB26]

I know some people have trouble taking critique

Hi Dave,

I skipped the link as I have a very personal opinion about critique. Can I take it, YES!

This forum is about learning and not to have my frail ego boosted by posting images with the expectation of getting ooo’s and aaa’s. It is very nice when people do like an image I post but telling me why they like it is worth more to me than just knowing it is liked.
Some people are very sensitive to critique. By being sensitive about critique is not going to help much in learning from others. I have adopted an attitude, I do not care what critique others have about any of my images, I am looking for the positive I can learn from the comments and critique.

Critique, yes I love it, it is good for me. It makes me determined to show you I can do better.

[nimitzbenedicto]

Nice read.

Agree with Manfred.

Just want to add, to make the review better, the reviewer should post pictures of what he's saying. It's easier to believe a reviewer who can show you with a photo showing his settings/etc.

[Donald]

Another series of papers on the subject that I'd heartily recommend are those by Alain Briot on the Nature Photographer's website. If you go here and then scroll down to April 2011, you find the first of these papers. The work up through May and June for papers 2 & 3.

[chauncey]

the reviewer should post pictures of what he's saying

I would not consider doing that...would appear to be akin to hijacking the thread.
Aside from that...with my not caring what an image "looked like" but rather what I want it to look like,
it tends to lose something in translation.

Donald, I'm a fan of Alain Briot...I like his work, plus...he has said ego boosting things about some of my stuff.

[Donald]

Donald, I'm a fan of Alain Briot...I like his work, plus...he has said ego boosting things about some of my stuff.

Now, that is the sort of constructive criticism that you want.

[Dusty]

Hi Dave,

I skipped the link as I have a very personal opinion about critique. Can I take it, YES!

This forum is about learning and not to have my frail ego boosted by posting images with the expectation of getting ooo’s and aaa’s. It is very nice when people do like an image I post but telling me why they like it is worth more to me than just knowing it is liked.
Some people are very sensitive to critique. By being sensitive about critique is not going to help much in learning from others. I have adopted an attitude, I do not care what critique others have about any of my images, I am looking for the positive I can learn from the comments and critique.

Critique, yes I love it, it is good for me. It makes me determined to show you I can do better.

Andre that is a great attitude to have in relation to critique. If it's constructive and it tells you how to improve your image it must help you in striving, like all of us, to get our images to a better standard.
Dave.

[dje]

To quote from the article,

"It’s all attitude and gratitude, baby."

This makes all the difference I think. ie being polite !

Dave

[Manfred M]

Another series of papers on the subject that I'd heartily recommend are those by Alain Briot on the Nature Photographer's website. If you go here and then scroll down to April 2011, you find the first of these papers. The work up through May and June for papers 2 & 3.

A good read Donald, thanks for the link. Alain writes about criticism, which is not quite the same thing as a critique (although some of them seem to be just that), but his points I agree with.

[nimitzbenedicto]

A good read Donald, thanks for the link. Alain writes about criticism, which is not quite the same thing as a critique (although some of them seem to be just that), but his points I agree with.

Hi Donald, definitely a good article. I thoroughly agree with Manfred.

TY

[FootLoose]

I know some people have trouble taking critique of their pride and joy images but if you read this article below it may help you understand better why it might be good for you.

http://psychologyforphotographers.co...raphy-critique

Thanks for posting that link, Dave. A short companion piece the same site about how to offer constructive criticism without offending is also worth reading. http://psychologyforphotographers.co...ctive-critique

[HaseebM]

If no one wants criticism, best place to post your pictures is on FB, even dull one's get some 'likes'. :grin:

[William W]

Nice piece.

But . . “5 Things You Should Know About Receiving Photography Critique”

is surely a poor selection for the title of a piece directed at the layperson and written by an author who has an M.A. in Clinical Psychology?


WW

[drjuice]

Thanks, Donald, for the pointer to NaturePhotographers.net; it looks like a prime resource for me.

One other comment I have is about "expert" judges, I entered a picture that was essentially mirrored top to bottom into a contest. I intended it to be that way. The sole comment from the "expert" judge was to move the horizon either up or down without his understanding that he should have at least looked at the title, Lake Crescent Mirrored in My Mind's Eye, which he clearly didn't. Every time I've ever looked at the Lake or a portion of it, the fact that the water is so still that it's hard to tell whether to tell the top or the bottom is the "real" rather than the "mirrored" part of the image has always struck me as a fundamental part of any picture of that particular lake.

I'm jes' sayin'....

v

[CBImages]

I think there is more to critiquing (is it a real word ) than just whether we accept it or not, for us as photographers it is better to know the standard of work produced by the person offering the advice. Yes everyone has an opinion and their opinion is as valid as everyone else's but if we want to improve then surely the advice we take most notice of should be that from photographers who's work we admire and respect?

Then there is the 'style' of our photography - do we want out images to appeal to 'club judges'?
If so then they must confirm to certain 'formula,s' i.e. the rule of 1/3's etc

Should we wish our images to do well in Salon's then they must have more of a storytelling style.

Images that we wish to sell to magazines and advertising agencies are different again in style.
and so I could go on and on.

I would suggest IF you like an image and it provokes an emotion inside you, it is a good image despite what anyone else tells you.

If you want to improve - then tell the reviewer what style of photography you want to improve in and seek out knowledgable people with that field.

[chauncey]

In my mind, there are but two reasons to post an image for legitimate C&C...a true desire to learn your craft and, pure ego gratification. To both of those reasons, in the advancing of this hobby, I plead guilty. One must be reminded that you learn more from failure than you do from successes.

I have figured out a way to bypass the C&C aspect when trying to determine if a photograph "works"...assuming that your past the fundamentals like exposure and whatnot...post that image on your desktop. If it grows on you after looking at it day after day...you got a keeper which is worthy of printing.

[William W]

My observations and experience regarding Competitions, is that they tend to fall into two broad categories: one group has few the Judging Criteria the other has strict Judging Criteria.

Competitions with few (or no) Judging Criteria will often provide “expert” Judges, who often like to give “critique” as part of the Judging Process – often this is not within a bull’s roar of proper critique, at all.

Competitions with strict Judging Criteria usually do usually have Experienced Judges, sometimes these Judges are paid: these Judges most often provide COMMENT (NOT Critique) and the comments are predicted and address each one of the Judging Criterion and often the Judges provide individual scores against each of the criterion, as well.

WW

[nimitzbenedicto]

......................it is better to know the standard of work produced by the person offering the advice.
..................... if we want to improve then surely the advice we take most notice of should be that from photographers who's work we admire and respect?

If you want to improve - then tell the reviewer what style of photography you want to improve in and seek out knowledgable people with that field.

Thanks Chris.