Most of us have received critics and comments of our work, whatever
it may be, at some point of our life. One of the most subjective
critics/comments are those directed at works of art. Photography is no
exception.
With a lot of people picking up photography as a hobby, it is no wonder that a lot of photography related forums, portal or facebook groups are created with the purpose of sharing. And one of the subject matter is C&C, where members get to give “constructive” comments with the “hope” that it would help the image maker. The reverse is also true where a photographer post his best shot and hope to get constructive and helpful C&C, with the hope to learn from the more experienced ones.
When I did a course (you can call it distant learning if you want…
) on image analysis with the Photographic Society of America (PSA),
when I first started photography, the most important aspect of giving
C&C is to put it forth as my own point of view.
Photography is so subjective that an image can gather equal amount of “likes” and “dislikes” at the same time. My tutor told me that it is so subjective to the point of being ridiculous. Each and every one of us perceives beauty in our own way. Not just beauty, but almost everything in life, right? Some of us like eating steak, while some would rather stay away from meat. Some of us like to remain single, while some would rather marry and have 10 children. Some of us chose PAP, while some would rather spoil their ballots… Get the drift? Hee….
That being said, the image maker too perceives beauty differently from the one giving critics. To the one posting the image, it might be his best shot and he thinks of it as being perfect. I’ve been here when I started photography. I thought what I’ve shot was very good. Boy was I wrong. If I were to look back at my very first batch of photographs, I would be appalled and would have given myself the harshest of critics. But hey, we were all once amateurs, right? And everyone is learning all the time and wants to improve. So the main thing is not to belittle anybody, cos we most likely was in their shoes at some point.
So, if we don’t have the “eyes” now to critic and comment on our current work, what better way than to ask those who have “been there done that”. A word of caution though. When you put your work out there in the open, be prepared and open minded to receive C&C from those who have NOT “been there done that”.
Sometimes, and I really mean it, you can get ideas spinning off from even those who are new in the art of photography. So chill…
Back to the subject of “own point of view”, it is most imperative that we start off our C&C with preambles. Not those legal mumbo-jumbo kinda preambles, but something as simple as “In my opinion…”. This is to tell the reader or even prepare him/her that whatever is gonna be said is purely MY OWN opinion. It’s nothing personal. And even if it is personal because you don’t like the photographer, it is still “own point of view”… Hur hur.
What I’ve learnt from PSA was to look at different aspects of photography when giving C&C. And also avoid hackneyed rules like “rule of thirds”. Stay away from these rules of photography when giving comments, because it is not a prerequisite when making a photo. Nothing is ever fixed in the world of arts. Why should they? We would live in a world of zero creativity if everything is so rigid. So stay away from giving comments like “it would be better if you had used the rule of thirds to compose this image”. Oh ya, and stay away from “it would be better…” …… and the super imposing “If I were you…” too.
What are the aspects to look for? Here are some…
Another note in “courteous” C&C would be to separate our good comments and suggestions. Try to put across all the good points first, then give your suggestions or critics. Do not say something like, “I personally feel that the image is well done, but…”.
Here’s the last but not least. Although sometimes it would be better to keep quite if what we are going to say could potentially offend someone, it is also important to note that by giving comments could teach us a thing or two about our own work. Most times by saying what we already know reinforces our knowledge and could open doors to new knowledge. Do it with tact and humility.
Someone once said that we don’t live long enough to be anything but amateurs.
So when putting across what you think, say it like you knew it, but make it sound like you knew nothing.
Good luck…
www.zeeandmarina.com | Portrait / Corporate | Food | Interior
With a lot of people picking up photography as a hobby, it is no wonder that a lot of photography related forums, portal or facebook groups are created with the purpose of sharing. And one of the subject matter is C&C, where members get to give “constructive” comments with the “hope” that it would help the image maker. The reverse is also true where a photographer post his best shot and hope to get constructive and helpful C&C, with the hope to learn from the more experienced ones.
When I did a course (you can call it distant learning if you want…
) on image analysis with the Photographic Society of America (PSA),
when I first started photography, the most important aspect of giving
C&C is to put it forth as my own point of view.Why is this “own point of view” so important?
Photography is so subjective that an image can gather equal amount of “likes” and “dislikes” at the same time. My tutor told me that it is so subjective to the point of being ridiculous. Each and every one of us perceives beauty in our own way. Not just beauty, but almost everything in life, right? Some of us like eating steak, while some would rather stay away from meat. Some of us like to remain single, while some would rather marry and have 10 children. Some of us chose PAP, while some would rather spoil their ballots… Get the drift? Hee….
That being said, the image maker too perceives beauty differently from the one giving critics. To the one posting the image, it might be his best shot and he thinks of it as being perfect. I’ve been here when I started photography. I thought what I’ve shot was very good. Boy was I wrong. If I were to look back at my very first batch of photographs, I would be appalled and would have given myself the harshest of critics. But hey, we were all once amateurs, right? And everyone is learning all the time and wants to improve. So the main thing is not to belittle anybody, cos we most likely was in their shoes at some point.
So, if we don’t have the “eyes” now to critic and comment on our current work, what better way than to ask those who have “been there done that”. A word of caution though. When you put your work out there in the open, be prepared and open minded to receive C&C from those who have NOT “been there done that”.
Sometimes, and I really mean it, you can get ideas spinning off from even those who are new in the art of photography. So chill…
Back to the subject of “own point of view”, it is most imperative that we start off our C&C with preambles. Not those legal mumbo-jumbo kinda preambles, but something as simple as “In my opinion…”. This is to tell the reader or even prepare him/her that whatever is gonna be said is purely MY OWN opinion. It’s nothing personal. And even if it is personal because you don’t like the photographer, it is still “own point of view”… Hur hur.
What I’ve learnt from PSA was to look at different aspects of photography when giving C&C. And also avoid hackneyed rules like “rule of thirds”. Stay away from these rules of photography when giving comments, because it is not a prerequisite when making a photo. Nothing is ever fixed in the world of arts. Why should they? We would live in a world of zero creativity if everything is so rigid. So stay away from giving comments like “it would be better if you had used the rule of thirds to compose this image”. Oh ya, and stay away from “it would be better…” …… and the super imposing “If I were you…” too.
What are the aspects to look for? Here are some…
- Creativity and Originality
- Noise and/or Grain
- Composition, line, eye movement
- Lighting
- Focus, depth of field
- Exposure
- Dimension/Perspective Tonal range
- Color, if any
- Impact
- Image balance
- Do the elements within the frame feel comfortable
During the course, I was asked to comment on one of Henri
Cartier-Bresson’s most revered image. I didn’t know this person or his
image at that time. So I just gave my comments. Luckily for me, I
started off the so called C&C with “I think…”, “In my opinion…”, and
“To me…”. Only when my tutor told me that prints of the image are being
sold at galleries for $10,000 each, and that it is okay to comment as
long as it is our opinion, that I began to reflect upon the fact that
art is so subjective. In essence, write your comments with the preamble,
be nice with your words, and never be a jerk… On the right is the image I’m talking about.
On the right is the image I’m talking about.
Another note in “courteous” C&C would be to separate our good comments and suggestions. Try to put across all the good points first, then give your suggestions or critics. Do not say something like, “I personally feel that the image is well done, but…”.
It’s the BUT that is the pain in the BUTT.
Say your suggestions separately, so that the image maker can keep all the positive comments and then learn from the critic. I am still learning, even though I am considered a professional and earning a living from photography. My food photography and interior photography works can be seen at my website.Here’s the last but not least. Although sometimes it would be better to keep quite if what we are going to say could potentially offend someone, it is also important to note that by giving comments could teach us a thing or two about our own work. Most times by saying what we already know reinforces our knowledge and could open doors to new knowledge. Do it with tact and humility.
Someone once said that we don’t live long enough to be anything but amateurs.
So when putting across what you think, say it like you knew it, but make it sound like you knew nothing.
Good luck…
www.zeeandmarina.com | Portrait / Corporate | Food | Interior
