Writing a meaningful critique...

Writing a meaningful critique...�
by Stuart Elflett

I know a lot of people who hesitate to critique (or even comment on) images - the common explanation is that they don't know how to critique a photograph...

I just saw an interesting critique... the reviewer obviously had a 'cut and paste' template where he had spacing to rate, from 1-10, Artistic impression, Technique, Composition, Originality & General impression - he also had spaces for what he liked in particular about the shot, what he disliked, and suggestions for improvement...

Whilst the ratings from one to 10 seemed to me a little clinical (you should be able to cover that in words), I thought the template was a good way to make sure you actually critique an image... if you filled all that in, nobody could complain about your critiques, other than they may disagree with your opinion...

I guess, what I'm trying to say is that here's an easy formula for making a good critique of an image, tell the creator what you liked, especially what drew you to the image in the first place (even if it's just the red boot caught your eye...), what you didn't like (if it's not one of the BEST images you ever saw, there must be something in there you didn't appreciate, right??) and suggestions for improvement, if there are any you can make... put that down, and you're writing a good critique, even if you don't know WHY you found the red boot made you look, or why your eyes keep wandering about the picture aimlessly, unable to find a focal point to the image...

If you want to learn more about strengths and weaknesses in images, I thoroughly recommend "How to make the most of your pictures" by Roger Darker... it's quite an old book, but it gives a lot of reasons on why particular shots have won competitions, what makes a strong image, etc - way beyond the rule of thirds, this covers how lines interact, strengths and weaknesses in images, framing and composition, format, layout, diagonals, etc... there are lots of examples, things like Hogarths rule of elongated S curves for figures, 24 rules for attracting the eye with intersecting lines and contrast points, simple reasons why one shot works and another fails... and suggestions on improving those 'failures' - all in all a good read, and it really helps you realize what makes a picture work... well worth reading if you want to critique well, or simply to apply to your own shots... it's out of print, but it seems to be available from libraries, and can often be found in secondhand bookshops, etc... an excellent book that you can grow with, that will help most people understand why they like a picture...

You never know - if a few of us consistently write meaningful critiques and comments, more may follow - and we could have a really useful learning resource!! As our site doesn't depend on points, it makes it all much friendlier, and easier to keep ego's from coming into play...