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Critique (How to Critique a Photograph)
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Why should you critique? It not only helps your fellow photographer, but it also helps you become a better one. With increasing experience you will notice an improvement in your own images over a short period of time.
The following is a combination of my flickr experience combined with suggestions of others(see links posted after this post).
First , there is critique etiquette. You simply need to have manners and common sense. Dont be rude.
What are some of the features that could be addressed in a critique? Basically, any variable that went into making an image can be addressed. Some advocate looking at 12 elements Remember, the most important thing is to convey to the photographer whether you liked or disliked the image and give reason for this and suggestions for improvement. The following is a noninclusive list of some elements that can be commented upon:
1. Composition:
a. Verticle vs. Horizontal: Would the image be improved if it were a verticle? horizontal?
b. Rule of 1/3's: Did the photographer obey this rule? Should it be broken? How about the golden rule ?
c. Is there a strong enough subject?
d. Does the background distract. Would a shallower depth of field (dof) help the image? Is the background too light?
e. Leading lines: Did the photographer use leading lines? vanishing points?
short video tutorial
f. Horizon: Is it level? Did the photographer tilt the image on purpose?
h. Is the image too busy? ie are there unnecessary distracting elements in the photo?
i. Angle/vantage point: Did the photographer choose the right angle. Should he/she have gotten lower or higher.
Could the vantage point be changed?
j. Does the subject fill the frame? ie is it close enough? Or, is it too tight? (ie need more space)
k. texture: is there nice texture in the image?
L: Patterns: Did the photographer take advantage of patterns and textures?
2. Technical/Camera stuff:
a. Is it in focus? is it sharp? Could you recommend some sharpening? It is oversharpened (ie do you see halos?)
b. Exposure. Is it properly exposed? Are either the shadows or highlights clipped? Is the sky blown? Do you know how to use your
histogram
could the photo benefit from HDR?
c. Did the photographer choose the correct shutterpeed and aperture? Could the photo benefit from a longer shutterspeed (ie "fluffy water")
How is the depth of field. DOF
d. Is there too much noise
Perhaps recommend some anti-noise software. Did the photographer use a high ISO unnecessarily?
e. Are there dust spots on the sensor?
f. How is the lighting? Is it Flat? Could the image benefit from some fill flash? Could the portrait benefit from short lighting? loop lighting? reflector?
g. Tripod: Would the image benefit from a tripod?
Does the image suffer from camera shake? If so recommend a proper grip. Here is a video tutorial from Ziser describing his grip. Here are some steps you can take to reduce
camera shake
h. Filters : Would a polarizer or a neutral density filter improve the image?
I. Lens choice: Did the photographer choose the best possible lens? Would a telephoto lens improve the shot by compressing it? Would a wide angle lens be a better choice to emphasize depth. How about a "faster" lens. Fisheye? You get my point.
3. Post processing:
a. Do the colors look real? Are they oversaturated? undersaturated? color cast?
b. Do you notice some bad processing? bad cloning? bad selection techniques?
c. Black and white images: Is there enough contrast? Inquire about the method for conversion. Was it just desaturated? Is the color version better?
d. Could you recommend some cloning?
e. Color cast: is there a color cast? You should be familar with this topic and how to remove it. Every image captured by a digital camera has a color cast according to Vincent Versace.
f. Sharpness: Is it too soft? is it oversharpened (Do you see halos)
g: Tonal range: Could the image use some levels or curves adjustment. How about HDR(high dynamic range)
h. Contrast: is there enough contrast? Could you suggest shadow highlight filter? curves adjustment? a nik filter (such as procontrast or tonal contrast)? etc
I. Could you suggest a photoshop tutorial on the web
j. Is the background too bright and distracting? Could suggest darkening the background.
k. Are there any digital artifacts?
4. Impact:
What kind of impact does the image have on you? Does it illicit any emotions? Artistic qualities?
5. Commercial viability:
Could it be a good stock photo? Could it be used in advertising.
Is there ample space for text?
6. Other:
Perhaps you might want to make suggestions for printing. Suggest a certain type of paper. ? Mat vs luster etc.
May want to refer to the digital fine art printing group
My final suggestion is to study the people who do it well. Study the professional critiquers. Be positive. Start out your critique by mentioning something positive in the image. There are plenty of resources available on the web. Read as much as you can. So, as you can see, there is alot that you can talk about. If you are a newbe, just jump in and pick one issue and critique away.
Lets not forget that there are a few guidelines that the person asking for the critique should follow. First, it is helpful to create a unique title for your critique. Just saying "please critique" is redundant, not interesting, and may cause your image to get less critiques than others if the forum in inundated with posts. Also, when asking for a critique, it is also helpful to ask specific question (s) such as: How is the composition? How is the lighting? Is it sharp enough? Finally, it may be helpful to supply exif data (ie aperture, shutterspeed, type of camera, lens, strobist info etc). Although flickr provides most of this in the exif data, it just saves time when you list these details in the thread. It shows that you prepared well and deserve other peoples valuable time. it's too often that the photos do not have any metadata with them. Sometimes flickr doesnt show the metada. Ratatosk explains.."One of the reasons is if you save your photos in PS under the "Save for Web". This procedure strips an image of it's metadata. Save As... should be the method used, but then you need to change the resolution of the image yourself and change the color profile to sRGB"
This is a nice link provided by Jbones that describes the importance of commenting.
Recommended Book on critiquing (suggested by Neil MacG)
"Criticizing Photographs: An Introduction to Understanding Images" by Terry Barrett
Originally posted at 6:02AM, 18 October 2007 PDT
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garreyf edited this topic 13 months ago.
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How to critique a photograph;
news.deviantart.com/article/27970/
Posted 55 months ago.
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These helpful questions for everyone who critiques (and takes) photos were posted here by Best_Viewed_Large:
[...]
1. Questions about depth of field.
Is the photo in focus? Most photos will have at least some sections in focus.
Is the whole shot in focus, or just a small portion?
How might the photo be improved if more or less of the shot were in focus?
What is the photographer trying to say by blurring parts of an image or by keeping an entire image in focus?
What part of the image does the depth of field draw your attention to?
2. Questions about color/brightness/contrast.
Why has the photographer chosen to do a color or black and white shot?
How well do the colors blend?
Do the tones in the image run from pure white to pure black? (in general, they should)
Would the image look better darker or lighter?
Are the colors realistic?
Are they overly saturated, and if so, is it for effect, or is it contrived?
Do the colors pop out enough? If not, would a boost in contrast help the problem?
If the photo is a color photo, what would it look like in black and white? (sometimes a photo is too bland in color, but can become very interesting as an artistic black and white shot if the composition is good)
3. Questions about composition.
Does the photo feel balanced?
Is there too much empty space on any edge?
Is the composition complex, or simple?
Has the rule of thirds been used?
Are there distracting elements in the background that intersect with a foreground subject?
Are there parts of the subject obscured which shouldn't be?
Is the subject in focus?
Is the subject placed in a power point? (This has to do with the rule of thirds, but you'll have to google it if you aren't familiar with it. This is a rule that all photographers should familiarize themselves with. Even though it can be broken, it is very useful for creating aesthetic images.)
Would the subject be better off in a different part of the photo?
Can any problem with the composition be fixed with a crop?
How much can be cropped out to simplify the image while still maintaining the spirit of the image?
Is there camera blur and would it have been helped if a tripod had been used?
4. Questions about interest.
Does this shot hold my attention? If not, why?
Is the subject unique, or has it been shot in a creative way?
Is there a moment that has been captured?
Is the photo easy to identify with? If not, why?
Would the shot be more interesting if something were added or taken away?
[...]
Originally posted 55 months ago.
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summerspot edited this topic 55 months ago.
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A Grading system:
Taken from Katphotos discussion on PCA group:
Thanks Kat and thanks to the portfolio Pro flickr group:
This grading system is from the group below.
The Portfolio Pro:
www.flickr.com/groups/ngproinvitation/
How to Critique
Grading text
Cut and Paste the following text into the image's discussion when grading and fill in your critique.:
---------------------------
Technical: (Replace this text with your grade)
(Replace this text with your critique)
Composition: (Replace this text with your grade)
(Replace this text with your critique)
Impact: (Replace this text with your grade)
(Replace this text with your critique)
Commercial Viability: (Replace this text with your grade)
(Replace this text with your critique)
Grade (Replace this text with your final grade)/10 as seen in
Critique
---------------------------
When you are grading, your comment should look something like this example:
Technical: 5
The exposure is a little too hot, and is causing the highlights to drop all of their information, and the post process that's been done in post on the blacks have also flattened out any detail in the bottom end. I boosted my monitor up to 4, and that best displays the detail loss.
The DOF is well placed, but possibly a stop down w/ the exposure would have given you better depth, and more information in the highlights.
Composition: 5
The angle, on how this is shot, is too straight aligned, and doe snot have that much depth. Possibly a little lower would have broken up the composition a bit more. Also, possibly frame out that bottom drop with a glint, as it's pulling away from the power of the center.
Impact: 6
The vivid clarity of the drop is wonderful, however there's not much more to take in with the image, so your eye keeps going back to the drop for more feeling from the image when you look around it.
Commercial Viability: 5
Possibly a backdrop for a magazine add.
Score 5.25/10 as seen in The Portfolio Pro Invitation.
What do the Scores mean?
1 = Dreadful
2 = Very poor
3 = Poor
4 = Below average
5 = Average (as in snap shot level)
6 = Above average
7 = Good
8 = Very Good
9 = Excellent
10 = Perfect
Still unsure how the grading works or what it should be based on? Check out the discussion here.
www.flickr.com/groups/ngproinvitation/discuss/72157594451...
Posted 53 months ago.
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Learn how to critique by listening and watching how Alain Briot critiques.
www.beautiful-landscape.com/Photography-Review-Home2.html
Free quicktime videos. I think they are worth the time imho.
Other links:
Miscellaneous:
Discussion thread on critique: flickr.com/groups/photographycritique/discuss/72157603244...
discussion thread on critique etiquette: flickr.com/groups/photographycritique/discuss/72157601791...
www.ehow.com/how_2030593_critique-a-photograph.html
another quick guide to critique:
digital-photography-school.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7319
Originally posted 50 months ago.
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garreyf edited this topic 47 months ago.
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John Paul Caponigro recommends the simple question...
Ask why?
www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/wordpress/?p=194
Posted 43 months ago.
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PortfolioPro group has just made their critique process a little easier and somewhat automated it.
Id like to design something like this as well.
ppro.ueuo.com/ppro-critique.html
Originally posted 42 months ago.
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garreyf edited this topic 37 months ago.
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I Love Flickr because it gives great opportunities to discuss about tha kind of useful issues. Commented by Canon T1i
Originally posted 42 months ago.
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maliorka_desmond1 edited this topic 38 months ago.
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This thread is possibly more important than a lot of folk realise. Understanding and recognising what is wrong and what is right about an image is obviously crucial to making better images. What’s more it is not a skill most of have when we start out, although there are some – often art trained – people who do have a natural eye for a picture. It’s a skill I lacked entirely when I decided to get serious about photography again, but fortunately you can learn it, and Garrey’s links are a wonderful resource.
My Camera Club has decided to make teaching self critique a number one priority for both new and old members this coming year. We have run various classes teaching folk about shutter speeds and apertures etc, but you can have all the technical skills in the world, and still take dreadful pictures. I am vice president of that club, and have had a good year in the competitions, but am fully aware at how weak I am regarding self critique, and will be trying as hard as anyone to get better.
It does not have the up-front interest of subjects like learning about flash and all those Photoshop filters, so it might take a bit of discipline and application, but if you ‘really’ want to improve, I urge you to make the effort.
Originally posted 42 months ago.
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Trevor Dennis edited this topic 42 months ago.
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Garrey, I am new to this site and I am glad that I joined. This is a very important idea and I think you have produced a very thorough and comprehensive and thoughtful guideline here, with good links. There are also great links provided by others.
I agree with Trevor that this is a very important area. Comprehensive review of your own photos can help you boot strap yourself. It is often easier to do this by conducting through review of other people's photos to learn the drill - and thus a great idea for a critique site. The added benefit is that others look at more impartially at your work and the others may give you a perspective which can be different than the one you thought of.
There are many "critique" sites on the web, but most offer very superficial reviews. I think that certain amount of structure helps reviewers in creating more thorough and comprehensive review, which is of greater benefit to themselves as reviewers and to those that created the image.
It would be nice, if you consider implementing something along the lines what Garrey describes (along the lines of G&C). This would make this site a fairly rare one. Pavel
Posted 42 months ago.
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Garrey, are you going to implement your plan or are you just seeking feedback at this time? It would be nice if your plan took off. Pavel
Posted 42 months ago.
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@ Pavel.
We have tried to implement it in our PCA group and it fizzled out.
I dont think people liked to be forced into doing a critique in such a structured way.
We talked about it in the critique group and nobody was in favor of that.
Id like to implement a more structured critique as discussed above. But, that would take approval by all the mods etc. I think I need to fine tune it a bit. We do link this "How to critique" in the photography critique group. But, I have yet to see any hard evidence that anyone read it :)
In sum the above are only suggestions.
Originally posted 42 months ago.
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garreyf edited this topic 42 months ago.
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...i agree with photophile2008, we will appreciate it to have cc's from proffesionals like you. Cheers!
Posted 40 months ago.
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Etopedia.com has an excellent article on how to critique a photograph www.etopedia.com/others/196-critiqueaphotograph.html
Posted 40 months ago.
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Garrey Much too early to say how my Camera Club will manage the Self Critique. We have only had one meeting so far this year, and most clubs have an extended Christmas break in NZ (our summer holidays).
Our next meeting will feature an extended session on the subject, but I think it will be several months before I can give meaningful feedback. Meanwhile we have started an anonymous critique procedure where members who don’t want to enter competitions can attach a small (5” x 7”) print to a form which has room for other members to comment.
Unfortunately these things can get ugly. Folk who should know better sometimes forget their opinions are only that – ‘subjective’ opinions. The same people sometimes think that no one else is qualified to have an opinion. But that’s camera clubs for you.
Posted 40 months ago.
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Thanks for the feedback Trevor. I look forward to some follow-up :)
We have a print group at our club and it meets approx. once a month.
People can bring in their prints for critique. Our critiques are not anonymous but they are great. No jerks at all.
I just noticed that Our print group chairman just joined our group. He is new to flickr.
I am still looking at this critique process. One of the groups that Im relatively active in is the pca (photography critique assignment ) group. There is always a delicate balance of how much critique structure is needed in the group. I just got word that some think the critiques are too "soft". So, in the next couple of weeks i have to think about a plan for the group and get the groups input once again.
Wow...you guys need to meet more often.
I am lucky. I am told that I belong to one of the best camera clubs in the US. Its a very active club. We meet at least once a week and sometimes more. We also just held an international photo competition this weekend. Over one thousand people entered with over 4000 images. I watched a little bit of the judging.
Originally posted 40 months ago.
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garreyf edited this topic 40 months ago.
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Canon T1i [deleted] says:
Garreyf,
I enjoyed reading your article on how to critique a photograph! Great points! :)
- Moose
Editor of the Canon T1i Blog
Posted 37 months ago.
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HI,
This has been great to read. I have completed a judges course with my local Camera club (I'm the President) and off to judge at another club for the second time. This discussion has a lot of great information which I am sure many people will use when looking at their images.
Plus I have been asked to judge a Portrait competition for another club.
I found critiquing my own images harder than others images. But all of this has helped
Thanks
Posted 37 months ago.
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www.flickr.com/groups/ngproinvitation/discuss/72157622838...
John Acurso's approach to critique.
Originally posted 30 months ago.
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garreyf edited this topic 30 months ago.
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Possible things to critique: (thats why Im posting this here)
Avoid these thing and make your images stronger.
From John Paul Caponigros Blog
www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/?p=3907&utm_source=fee...
____________________________________________________
Lack of Focus (Not Deliberate)
Limited Depth of Field (Not Deliberate)
Motion Blur (Not Deliberate)
Chromatic Aberation
Noise (Not Deliberate)
Posterization (Not Deliberate)
Lack of Shadow and/or Highlight Detail (Not Deliberate)
Color Contrast Between Elements Not Strong Enough
Low Contrast Light
Cropping Seems Accidental Rather Than Deliberate
Distracting Elements on the Frame
Almost Centered (Neither Centered Nor Significantly Off Center)
Too Many Competing Lines
Shapes Merge Becoming Unclear
Shapes Rendered Without Volume (Not Deliberate)
Too Busy (Complexity Lacks Structure)
Simple Subjects With No Counterpoint
Secondary Elements Distract From Primary Elements
Image Enhancements Call Attention To Themselves
Text Competing for Attention
Text Creates Unintended Commentary
Graphics (Text/Images) Not Integrated Into Image
Cliches
Insincerity
_______________________________________________
Things that make images stronger:
Form
Simplicity
Structured Complexity
Gesture
Leading Lines
Interesting Shape
Clean Shape
Deliberately Incomplete Shape
Clear Figure Ground Relationships
Overlapping Planes
Strong Recession (leading lines, overlapping planes, figure ground, color)
Texture
Pattern
Structured Fields
Minimalist Fields
Selective Focus
Archetypal or Evocative Proportion
Contrast
Clean Frame
Spaciously Placed from Frame
Touching the Frame
Cropped by Frame
Palette
Color Interest
Light
Luminosity Contrast
Hue Contrast
Saturation Contrast
Content
Significant Detail
Shows Subject’s Process
Shows Media Process
Clear Stage, Actor, Secondary Character
Action
Decisive Moment
Story
Unresolved Tension
Mystery Left to Be Solved
Emotion
Emotion of Subject
Personal Emotion
Emotional Interaction
Color Mood
Atmospheric Mood
Originally posted 22 months ago.
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garreyf edited this topic 22 months ago.
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Another article on the Critique process.
www.naturescapes.net/docs/index.php/index.php/articles/451
(link provided by Fastball95)
www.naturescapes.net/docs/index.php/category-personal-per...
Originally posted 14 months ago.
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garreyf edited this topic 12 months ago.
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