How to critique work?

Good morning everyone.

Today I am going to cover some additional points about how to critique work that you see as well as the work from your classmates and peers.

As you all know we have the August Photo Month challenge. It is the month of giving back and we will all be contributing to volunteering our services to the community.

If you have not done so this month or would like to know more about this event then please have a look at all our previous posts. We have some great information about what to do, how to contribute and what to expect when you go out to photograph your event.

We would like everyone to contribute and will be supplying information shortly about how you can submit your photographs to this beautiful event.

So what do you have to do when you critique someones photograph. Well, it is simple really, you appreciate the photograph for what you see. You normally get an immediate reaction to seeing a photograph. You may not know why at first, but that is what we are going to show you.

You either like it or you don't like it. There is no right or wrong answer here. That is the beauty of photography. There are so many different things to admire and dislike that we really just have to be honest to ourselves and move on. However, if you like something or even if you do not then you have to be able to say what it is that you like or do not like.

Be comfortable in the knowledge that you have!

© Micah Jones 500px

This photograph by Micah Jones is interesting because it caught my eye. What is it that makes it a great photograph? Are you drawn to the highlights? The shadows? The lines? Pattern? Texture?

The list is endless and as a student you need to be able to identify these areas and comment on them to critique correctly.

As a student who has spent hours looking at photographs, researching and commenting on classmates photographs I hate these comments the most.

THAT IS A BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPH. 

WELL DONE ON A GREAT SHOT. 

WOW. 

NICE ONE. 

WHO ARE YOUR MODELS?

These photographs don't say much more than they appreciate the photograph. Give some additional detail.

This list is extensive and can be so frustrating for any photographer except boost the ego. Do not, I beg you, fall into this group of people. Please give substantive feedback and critiques. So how do you critique?

Well, firstly appreciate the photograph for what it is. If you like the photograph then please let the photographer know that you really like the photograph, and give them a single reason why. If you do not like it, then appreciate the attempt and maybe you could suggest and reason they could actually make it professionally submission worthy. This is what I would normally say.

"Hello Denzil, that looks like a great attempt and finding the lines in a photograph. I think it may be even stronger if I may suggest, shooting like this."

You can then go one to describing what it is that you think they should do to make the photograph stronger. Now, from what I mentioned here you can see that you have to know what elements to look for in a photograph.

© Copyright Amelie Satzger 500px

That is what you need to critique about. You have to give substantive feedback to the photographer so that they can see that you know what you are talking about and where they might improve if that is your intention. Negativity is never appreciated. Nobody likes that, but we can give feedback based on the information that we have learned. 

They may be trying to communicate some symbolism that we are not aware of. They mat be attempting some fine art. The are so many factors that we are not aware of and by starting this communication we are able to take our understanding of photography to the next level.

So going into the next month we are going to be seeing so many different styles and topics for our Month of August Photo submission event that we will be needing your input when it comes to peer review. 

You have learnt much over the last few years, and if you are just starting then you may already have learnt a few new interesting things about photography.

Discussion points to discuss could be, texture, color, highlights, shadows, DOF (depth of field), rule of thirds, shape, form, posing, composition and background. There are so many more discussion points and to be able to critique you have to know what to discuss.

PLEASE, give more feedback than those one-liners. We want to know what we did right and more importantly we want to know where we can improve, even if we don't want to hear it. The flip side is that you also become more proficient critiquing. 

Here is a great article over Digital Photography School and you can also find more information at Luminous Landscapes

By giving great critique we as photographers receive valuable input into our shooting abilities but it is also about you bringing additional and valuable insight to the critique table. We can immediately see that you know what you are talking about and we appreciate that in itself. If you do not know what you are talking about, then more than likely we are are just going to ignore your comments and do the same things over and over again. We would all like to be better photographers, but we cannot do it on our own.

We need your feedback and critiques. So stay away from the one line feedback emporium and give some substantial feedback based on the knowledge you have acquired. We will definitely appreciate the effort. That I can guarantee. (Well, I am speaking for myself here.)

So, I look forward to your comments and critiques. However more importantly I look forward to seeing all your submissions for this coming month. We will be sending out submission instructions in the not to distant future.

Happy shooting. 

Denzil

© Copyright Djian Duminuco 500px