How to critique photographs- give and take

[Ed Shapiro]

THE SUBMITTERS- YOU are the folks who enter the competitions, go for the critiquing sessions and post their images here on the boards The question is, what motivates you to do so? If you are strictly looking for ribbons, prizes, accolades, pats on the back and validation, you are bound to be disappointed , disillusioned, hurt, disenchanted or just plain ticked off. If you want to get a good reading on you images, suggestions for improvement and the best stimulation for creativity you can get- you are in the right place. Sooner or later all the other good stuff will come. If your goal is to progress as a photography enthusiast, to become a professional, or improve your professional status- the critiquing is where you want to be. As I have stated before, competing and accepting criticism is a little bit like boxing- if you are afraid to take the occasional punch- don’t go there. Those punches are ok if they go to your work- not yourself. There is no valid reason why anyone should accept personal attacks or rude comments- you have to learn to let that stuff go in one ear and out of the other- only the constructive stuff need remain in your brain. Any judge or photographer who delivers nasty criticism is probably someone to be ignored anyway regardless of their so called stature or personal savvy with a camera . Folks who do that, do so out of intolerance , jealousy, fear of competition, narrow-mindedness and or just plain old stupidity- all bad motivations- all to be ignored. Nasty critiques are generally not accurate.

When you attend a seminar, you pay your fee to listen to someone that you want to learn from. If a critiquing session is held during the seminar you might tend to more easily accept the criticism as part of the learning process. The same sort of acceptance usually occurs when your prints are being judged by a selected judge or panel of respected photographers of masters status. You know that theses people, have themselves, been through the mill, so to speak, and the medicine they dish out is a little easier for you to swallow. But even the best of judges might base their criticism on subjective rather than objective reasons- we are all human and sometimes that happens. When you post on the forums, the “judges” are your fellow members and it is hard if not impossible to assess their level of expertise, talent, or experience unless they are known to you or are one of the founders or administrators who’s reputations precede them.

Sometimes you can tell by the way they deliver their critiques and sometimes it is difficult to tell. There are people who can absorb and later on can regurgitate lots of information and then deliver it with very little substance- lots of techno-babble. There are others who simply do not know what they are talking about but post comments just for the sake of participating- or worse yet, to start a fight. It is then up to you to TAKE THE CRITICISM FROM WHOM IT COMES AND DEAL WITH IT ACCORDINGLY. You must separate the wheat from the chaff using the good stuff and ignoring the bad.

“SHOW ME YOURS AND I’LL SHOW YOU MINE”. Some submitters, when posting their images, will take offence to a negative critique and “retaliate” by challenging the offending “judge” to show his own photography- this to earn the privilege of commenting on the work in question. I hate when that happens because that whole exercise will more often than not become kindling for a forest fire. When you post an image on a public forum, like this one, you are exposed to anyone who wants to comment on you work- again it is up to you to determine the validity of the various opinions. When I receive a comment with which I disagree, I might post a reply explaining my reasons for doing what I did, hoping to engage in some good technical repartee. If the response becomes intransigent, I simply agree to disagree and get on with other things. If I am in a slightly combative mood I might politely respond “I am beginning to understand your point of view, but for the purpose of clarification, could you kindly post a similar subject illustrating your preferred method of treatment for that particular type of subject”- then I let the feathers fly and land where they will! –it’s fun! That is about as far as I will go- I never suggest pouring gasoline on a fire! On the boards we can enjoy this kind of communication. When however, we send our prints to actual print shows and competitions- the decision of the judges are final and you have to accept whatever you get and hopefully use the information to your advantage.

YOUR DUTY AS A POSTER OR A COMPETITOR. Prepare you submission, send it or post it according to the rules. Take your results or score in stride and use whatever you have learned to your advantage. When you are on the boards, refrain from nasty or retaliatory comments. If you ignore bad comments, the absence of your angst will become apparent to others on the thread and you will gain respect.

ON BEING A GOOD JUDGE. When I started to sit on judging panels we used to have to take judging lessons. The lessons spelled out the rules and regulations and more importantly the criteria for actually analyzing and scoring prints. I am not suggesting that these rules be adopted officially but they can serve as good guidelines when you wish to give a critique or comment on photographs that have been posted on the site. Remember YOU ARE THE JUDGE and folks are depending upon you for fair and honest adjudication. Your job is to assign a score (say 0 to 100) to each print or body of work and or make a critique thereby sending an important, accurate message to the makers of those prints. The message has to contain an accurate assessment of the quality and craftsmanship in the piece, designed to set the maker in the right direction. If a critique is involved it should clearly and succinctly point out the areas that need improvement and if possible a remedy for the problem (s). When doing an informal critique, for the sake argument, you can set your own standards, Remember this is an exercise on the boards, not an official competition- have fun with this and consider it a learning experience for all concerned. My favourite method is to score on a percentile basis: 1-60= somewhat below professional or advanced amateur standards- needs a whole lot of re-thinking- would probably not hang in a professional level print show- one or two pointers would not fix things up. 61-74 Getting there but no cigar. 75-8O Professional level work. 81-85 Pretty Good Stuff . 86-90- Kick butt work and 91-100 Masterful exemplary photography. Criteria (what to look for)- here’s the list:

Visual impact.
Composition
Lighting
Posing (when applicable)
Treatment
Printing quality- contrast, density, colour balance etc.
Finishing- spotting and retouching (where applicable)
Surface finishing and cleanliness.
Presentation- mounting.

Just some final Dos and Don’ts-
DO
Always give an honest objective opinion.
Always suggest areas for improvement where required.
Always encourage the maker to continue posting or submitting work.
Be specific on all your points.

DON’T
Judge or criticize work based on the photographer’s approach or style. Things like “That is a PJ style of image- I would have like for you to have posed those subjects in a more formal manner”. This just does not communicate anything constructive and contributes nothing to the education or improvement of the maker.
By the same token don’t say “I love that print- do you have a web site”?- It’s better to say “I love the way you have captured the texture in the bride’s gown and managed to get a spontaneous expression all at the same time”.

PLEASE REMEMBER- being a “please everyone judge” is just as bad as being a “kill everyone judge”. Sending the wrong message to a contestant or poster is a gross disservice- they work hard to make their prints and deserve your honesty and professionalism.

Don’t post disclaimers like- “I don’t know what I am talking about but here’s my 2 cents”. Say what is on your mind and how the image has effected you. If it a boring flat image and does no send you a message- it is probably deficient in some technical or artistic way- so put you cards on the table and communicate.

I think that the critiquing that shows up on the boards should be fun, entertaining and educational. It gives us all a chance to be the contestant or the judge. It is healthy and can serve as an interesting exercise as long as humility, fairness, decorum and sportsmanship prevail. Except for these “rules” please do not take the rest of my suggestions that seriously- it’s up to you. If you intend to “enter the ring” as a contender or someday participate, as a judge in an official capacity- this is good practice. Remember- No pain-no gain! Whether or not you want to heed my advice is up to yourself because- YOU ARE THE FINAL JUDGE!

Ed

[Padre]

Thanks Again!!

[PetersenPhotography]

Thanks for the pep talk, Ed.

[Inked Photography]

Well said...

[Kosherpaparazzi]

Thanks for the info. Knowing how to give critique is essential.

[TheKO]

This should be mandatory reading for all who enter here.

Well done.