18 Comments

1. 

   Bec Thomas on March 23, 2010 at 12:37 pm

   LIke the post, gives a pretty detailed concept of crits you don’t often see, if that makes sense…. For the fine art photogs out there keep an eye on gallarey schedules for many of the bigger gallies have crit session usually a couple times a year.

2. 

   Melissa on March 23, 2010 at 12:47 pm

   Good advice. Thanks!

3. 

   Matthew Dutile on March 23, 2010 at 1:00 pm

   Great post Don. I might add that joining a professional organization like ASMP or AzPPA is a great way to find knowledgeable critics and get critiques often. I just had a review from ASMP and it was immensely successful in targeting some of the areas I need help in and gave me some good goals to go after. Some were things I already knew but needed to hear reinforced and others were ideas I just hadn’t thought much about but made perfect sense. As you mentioned it’s also better to try and get a review from someone shooting in the same realm of what you’re trying to build a book into. The membership fees are well worth the knowledge and networking gained.

   • 

     wizwow on March 23, 2010 at 1:22 pm

     Great point Matt.

     ASMP, APPA, APA, local art directors clubs and similar are very good places to seek advice and critique.

4. 

   Steve Manhart on March 23, 2010 at 3:24 pm

   This is great advice. I personally would like to find a true mentor to help me grow and to continually work with me through my evolving work. All the while providing criticism that will make me grow.

   I joined PPA but need to join the Dallas PPA chapter to get more involved.

   BTW…Don, I can’t wait till your next lighting seminar in Dallas or Austin! I learned a ton in Houston!

   • 

     wizwow on March 23, 2010 at 3:31 pm

     Thanks Steve.

     The Houston Workshop was a blast. Thinking about an Austin or Dallas for second half of the year.

5. 

   Steve Gray on March 23, 2010 at 4:56 pm

   Good info, Don. I remember almost two years ago when some well-meaning knucklehead chimed in with some unsolicited (and incorrect) criticism of a shot I took at the LE workshop. I appreciated your input on it, and it really highlighted to me the difference between real critique and the run-of-the-mill flickr commentary.

   By the way, I think “nice composition” gets thrown around way too much. I’d venture to say that half of the people who say that have no idea what it means. Those who understand it might be well served to take the time to describe WHY it’s good composition.

6. 

   Martin on March 23, 2010 at 7:19 pm

   Nice writing and grammar, Don. You must have a great word-processor! :-))

   Seriously, your usual excellent advice hits the mark again.

7. 

   Gabriele Orlini on March 24, 2010 at 1:37 am

   Your post is very revealing.
   Thank a lot for share it 🙂

8. 

   Mark Coons on March 24, 2010 at 5:10 am

   Great advice, Don, thanks!

9. 

   Daron Shade on March 24, 2010 at 9:37 am

   Good article and nicely done update, Don. I actually returned to this post to add the unsolicited feedback feedback, but you’ve already added it.

   I find that in general, most photographers don’t do a great job of providing valuable critiques. Photographers that have done a stint as an art director or designer usually have a more rounded view, but most photographers are honing their own craft and may not see outside of their own tunnel vision….

   I’ve found that my best feedback for fine tuning my portfolio has always been watching the reviewers eyes when they’re looking at my book. Of course, if you’re too far off, you’ve blown your chance with that client….

10. 

    frank on March 27, 2010 at 2:04 pm

    you seem to suggest that criticism can be useful only if it comes from a person with a knowledge of the history of photography and of schools of photo art. but a photo is on its own once it leaves the photographers control and presumably is “addressed” to the world. is it not useful to discover that it is not communicating with some of the audience? if what you are trying to achieve is not apparent from the photo itself, may that not be a flaw in the photo?
    I can see that if you are aiming your photo at a specialist audience, an inner circle, that you may have no reason to want to know that those outside that circle think that what you see as an artistic photo is a badly taken photo. but even then it might be of value to know that you are not communicating with the great unwashed, whether or not you wished to do so.
    it may be that I am taking an extreme position – i suppose that it is not useful to know that a resident of the Amazon basin who has never before seen a photograph thinks that because your photo is two dimensional, it does not really work. but I sense some elitism in your view and not in a good sense.
    naked emperors sometimes can benefit from criticism of their wardrobe even by those with no fashion sense.

    • 

      wizwow on March 27, 2010 at 10:17 pm

      Maybe.

      But I think you are confusing like with critique. A crit is designed to help you understand what you are doing and whether it is the best direction to be going. It isn’t simply a I like this” – or, “I don’t get this

      “…is it not useful to discover that it is not communicating with some of the audience? …”

      No, it isn’t. Some work – actually most work – isn’t created for everybody. It may not be useful at all to find out that someone who is not a target of the work doesn’t like or understand it. Add to that reality the fact that no art will please everybody… ever. And we wont even get into context, perspective, relativity and the clarity of time.

      You seem to have some sort of chip on your shoulder about “elitists” and “inner circles” and such. I can’t help that. I like to think of myself as not elitist at all. But if insisting that someone who wants to tell me about my work actually has something to base the critique on other than whether they like it or not.

      My point is still that simply offering an opinion is not the same thing as critically examining a piece of art. You may think that people in the Amazon can tell you about something that they think about the image, but that is sort of a “so what” moment – unless you are making images for them. And even then, would their comments be a critique or a struggle to understand? And what does that really mean to the artist in his goal of getting better?

      “…it may be that I am taking an extreme position –…”

      Yes, seems to me that you are. More like a strawman argument. You make a false accusation that I am being elitist and then shoot down that false assertion.

      There is really nothing elitist about my concerns. I am not casting dispersions on people from the Amazon who may not have any idea of what they are looking at and have comments on it.

      My feeling is the same as learning math from someone who understands math, learning music from a musician, learning how to write by someone who actually writes. If that genuinely seems elitist to you, I certainly wish you well in your endeavors. But if you insist that everyone has the same value of opinion that anyone else has, I will respectfully say that I have no idea why you would think that, but – OK.

11. 

    frank on March 28, 2010 at 7:16 am

    I do regret the use of “elite”. it was a poor choice of word being one that is sometimes used as a term of abuse.
    I don’t think I have a chip on my shoulder at all and if I have given that impression it only detracts attention from my primary point regarding a photo – that once published it is on its own, must contain its own explanations and must have its own ability to communicate.
    not all opinions are equally valuable – I agree. but neither are all artistic approaches. for example, blurring can be to achieve an effect but sometimes it does not rise above being misfocused no matter what the intent. but those who appreciate blurring to achieve an effect are the least likely to criticise misapplication of it. so outside voices can be useful – not necessarily correct but worth giving some thought to. you may value most those who are like minded but it is unwise to dismiss without consideration those who don’t share your vision.
    thanks for responding to me.

12. 

    Lou on March 30, 2010 at 7:16 am

    Excellent article and very well-timed. Thank you!

    @ljhphotography

13. 

    Bill on March 30, 2010 at 9:08 pm

    Rockin article dude! But I would have…….

    Sorry.

    Thanks Don

14. 

    Steven Goldstein on April 16, 2010 at 4:53 am

    Don,
    I have been wanting to find a way to have my images critiqued in an honest and useful way for some time.
    Having read your requirements I will be working on getting something together to send you very soon!
    Your comments on some of my images on Flickr have always been very kind, but I KNOW there are many things I need to work on so this post comes as a much needed inspiration to me!

    Thanks for all you have done/are doing/will do for the Photographic Community!

    ===Steven===>>

15. 

    Salwa on October 13, 2010 at 12:44 pm

    Really ,great article , i’ve studied it well ,it’s talking about what i need now , i’ was improving becaue of many courses and it seems to me i need another push ,another harsh push !!

    Well , i know the name of my mentor , he was my instructor for 2 courses when i was a very biggner photographer but ,unfortunately , he just gives 2 courses , no more ,i should contact him .
    For sure ,i’m going to see what do you do 🙂

    Thank you so much for this effective article .

    Salwa Afef