Critiquing research 2

Critiquing a Photo

By Simone Ekstroem

Critique SessionsAlso known as “crit”

A group of people carefully analyzing one’s photo and judging it together

The basic questions to be asked

What is good about it?

What is not good?

How could it be better?

Critiquing other’s work makes you a better photographer

Evaluating a Print First: move beyond your personal likes and dislikes and you will have an open mind

The essential distinction is between style and standard

Overtime, everyone acquires their own style which is consistent through each photo

Four basic factors determine a photo’s standards:

Value

Clarity

Composition

Presentasion

Value

Concerns the range of light in a photograph

The larger range of contrast (scale of white to black)

It is necessary to also have grays to define shapes and provide shading

Improving ValueThe most common area loss of incorrect exposure

Too little light will result in dark “muddy” areas

Too much light will cause “washed-out” or “burned out”

The developing of negatives and paper it is printed on also affects a photo’s values

ClarityThe primary key is whether or not the photo is focused

A focused photo is either soft or sharp

Sharp: all edges are clearly defined

Soft: the edges blur a bit

Clarity also depends on the shutter speed and degree of contrast

Improving ClarityThere are two ways to create better clarity

The shutter speed can be increased

The aperture can be increased so the depth of field decreases

When focused on a certain object, the goal is not to move forward or backward

Camera shake is a huge problem for many photographers. This can be prevented by keeping the camera completely still or balanced

Presentation How clean the photograph is when presented makes a huge difference for critiques

This includes

Fingerprints

Scratches

Dark circles caused by poor agitation

Cleanly trimmed edges and proper adhesion to the display makes a large difference regarding the way people view the photo

Composition

The four objectives of composition are

Point of Interest

Cropping

Lines

Aesthetics

Composition (Point of Interest)Is there a point of interest? Does this point stand out or is it lost in its surroundings?

Every photograph should have on clear and dominant element which attracts your eyes first

This element should be towards the center of the frame

Composition (Cropping)When looking at the photo, determine if the artist left empty and unnecessary space or if the photo was left to “tight”

Negative space with little action taking place can enhance the pictures impact but can also take away from it

What is the overall balance of the composition? Make sure the photo is not lopsided. It can be balanced in two ways

Static: weight the balance so the area with a lot of attention is equal to a side of none

Dynamic: weight the composition away from the center, towards sides or corners

Composition (Lines)The amount of straight lines and curved should be balanced

A single misplaced line can distract the viewer away from the focus point and lead their eye somewhere else

Lines can be used to open up an image to where its attention is bound to be

Composition (Aesthetics)Aesthetics or style can make the difference between a skillful photograph and an ordinary photo

All photographers strive to make their photo different and style is what makes it happen

A critique’s eye must be trained overtime to be able to pinpoint when there is style and when there is not

Sample CritThis photo’s contrast is well balanced and there is a clear divide between whites, blacks and grays

The photographer didn’t acknowledge the scratch across the boys pants. The artist should have used the stamp tool to remove it

The picture is well focused so the viewers eyes go to the boy’s body and ball instead of the back wall and plants

Sample Crit

This photo has a nice pallet of colors that are well contrasted

Although the bride and groom stand out, they could be more in focus

The picture has no obvious dust and scratches and has been very well editedPhotography came from the ppsnys website

Sample CritPersonally, had I edited and or taken this photo I would have put the entire diamond ring in focus to make the picture more appealing

I also would have left out the yellow in the corner because the color is distracting from the focus point which is the rings

Lastly, there is a mark on the picture that was not well edited

Cedits

• O'Brien, Michael, and Norman Sibley. The Photographic Eye: Learning to See with a Camera. Worcester, MA: Davis Publications, 1995. Print.

• "PPSNYS President." PPSNYS. PPA Affiliate, n.d. Web. 08 Jan. 2013.

•  "Weddings." South Street Studios Professional Photography and Video Freehold New Jersey. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.