Nature Light Photo

Critique Can Hurt and Help – Pt. 2

Wow..if these are the good photos, I’d hate to see the bad ones. I’ve read some of your blog from time to time and it seems that you talk a good game but cannot produce a decent photograph. Just because you have some fairly decent equipment (not the best) for the amateur, you still have to know how to use it.
In this blog entry you state about your lens only being sharp only on certain conditions..DUH!!
same thing with the importance in lighting..DUH!!
The 2 photos of Julia above only prove my case. the left one would make a decent 8X10 at best, if you would have moved the leaves out of her head for better framing.
The photo on the right has too many things bad with it to list. But I will say it is a good shot of the railing..very sharp and clear, while Julia’s face looks out of focus. That photo should be your next topic of cropping and composition…what is all that crap on the right side of the photo.
You’re like the old saying…those who can DO, those who can’t TEACH.
Stick to teaching

I got this comment on a post recently and wrote about it and how it affected me. I think there is another, more important lesson to be learned from “Jordan” and that is that criticism is an important part of the growing process as a photographer, but I think there is a proper way to do it.

I like criticism. I have offered my portfolio many times to several people whose opinion I consider valuable and listened to what they had to say. Honestly, it wasn’t always easy. I don’t think it is easy for anyone who is passionate about what they do to listen to criticism. We have our heart and soul vested in our work and we think it is good or we would not have put it out to be reviewed.

A negative comment is like someone saying “your work sucks and therefore you suck too”, but not if the comment is well phrased. “Jordan” was mean and spiteful. He made it personal and that is why it hurt.

A positive criticism would be something phrased like “I like the lighting, but I don’t think you need all of the material on the right side of the picture. Maybe a different crop would help it.”or “I like the pose, but I think you need to work on your focus. It seems that her face was not as sharp as it could be. You might want to check to see where the focus point is located when you take the shot or work on your technique.”

Those comments point out the positive and also explains the negative and offers a way to fix it. That is what criticism should do. It should let you know what you have done right and discuss areas that need improvement and offer a way to work on those areas. When you have been critiqued like that you usually feel like you have been energized

When you get constructive criticism, you should be willing to listen and learn from it. The person is trying to be helpful and offer advice, based on their experience, about how to improve your photography. If you ignore them or tell yourself that they are wrong because they told you that they found something they didn’t like in your image you are doing yourself and them a disservice. You are wasting their time and you are fooling yourself.

Hopefully the person giving the critique is being honest. Listen to them. They are probably not the only person who that particular thought about your image. If the purpose of you seeking critique is to improve, you need to be willing to be honest about your work also. They are seeing the image without the passion and emotional attachment that you have about the effort went into it.

They are telling you about the finished product. They don’t know the effort that it took to capture the moment. They don’t have the memories that are attached to the image. They are telling you about what they see and how it makes them feel.

And that is what photography is about.

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Tags: comments, Critique, Education