Critique A little selection for critique

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Pete R

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Hi everyone, up until now I’ve had a pretty brief relationship with critiques, mainly down to them not being very helpful imo. I’m hoping that over the next few weeks and months I’ll be able to get some feedback to help me gain knowledge and to see how and where I can improve, as I recently watched a YouTube video on how getting input from other people is a great way to get better. So here are a few close up shots that I’ve taken over the last year.

This one is from earlier in the year in the garden, no idea what it is but I liked the fact that the centre of the flower looks like it’s opening up to reveal a secret treasure, the white and gold compliments each other, and the way I’ve edited it reminds me of something from that old Disney film Fantasia.

Untitled by Pete Russell, on Flickr
 
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my first observation is that you've posted three items of a diverse nature, and that you might actually be better served picking a single image, posting it on here instead.

Actually, as you say you've had a brief and unhlepful relationship with critique... how about I give you a quick rundown of what has worked for me in the past.

You see, if you're inviting proper considered and in-depth critique, you're asking someone to spend anything from 5 to 20 minutes per image observing, considering and putting into words what they think about the shot. That's actually quite a favour you're asking, which Is why I suggest a single image normally, unless of course, you're asking for critique on a entire "set" or "series" and how they "hang together" as such....

So, to help the people you're asking this favour of, perhaps consider what you can do to help them realise that you've already put some effort into the thought process.

What I normally do is this:

State what you were trying to do/say with the picture, what YOU feel are it's strengths, what YOU see as its possible weaknesses, and what YOU think might be the directions it needs improving.

If you're generally happy with the photograph, but it's just (say) the pp that's lacking, say so - or vice versa...

whatever happens, remember the people replying have taken time out of their day to do you a favour. Thank them. Think about what they've said - even - NO Especially if you don't agree with it. Try and consider what they're saying, and if needed ask for clarification, providing your own extra information if pertinent.

Always remember, you'll learn more from someone ripping the entire photo to bits than you'll ever learn from someone saying "it's perfect".


Critique is a wonderful thing, It also needs an investment of time and effort from both parties involved - and - often a thick skin from the person receiving the critique. Not Everyone will give the "good news, bad news, good news" approach (often called the "sh1t sandwich") - some people just don't work that way - I'll admit I don't - I was weaned on what may be best described as "Catterick Critique" - imagine a angry RSM telling you what he thinks of you... Frankly, I like the straightforward approach - it appeals to my straightforward northern nature. Just do me one favour, please, Don't spit your dummy out if someone doesn't blow smoke up your fundament - you're asking for critique, not fishing for compliments after all...
 
Fantastic reply! I’d never thought about it that way being totally honest and I shall modify my original post when I get back from work. The feedback I would get would be along the lines of ‘i don’t get it’ or ‘there’s no story’ or that it was ‘pointless’ but when asked for further clarification it was ignored.

I think more often than not at the moment I’m taking photos that don’t necessarily have a ‘story’, I see something pretty, the light seems right and I take the picture, it’s not as dramatic as waking up at 2am to drive to the Lake District and hiking up a range to find the perfect spot etc. Sometimes I do have a plan but more often than not those images end up being less pleasing to me than the ones that I just happen by and take.:LOL:

But I shall definitely take your advice on board and change it to the best of my ability to make sure it’s as easy to critique as possible. Thanks so much again.
 
Pete R said:
I think more often than not at the moment I’m taking photos that don’t necessarily have a ‘story’, I see something pretty, the light seems right and I take the picture, it’s not as dramatic as waking up at 2am to drive to the Lake District and hiking up a range to find the perfect spot etc
Click to expand...

Oh, I don't mean necessarily the story behind taking it, it could be for example with the first picture "The white petals just shone out to me in the dappled light, so I chose an angle to show off the contrasts in lighting, keeping the background dark to emphasise the delicate white of the petals."... A photograph is, as the old saying goes, worth a thousand words - and, if you chose to put words to it or not, the person viewing will definitely put their own narrative to it. Their own interpretation of the shot. This is one of the reasons why critique is important - the more exposure to what your photo's are saying to others, the more you'll think about what you want them to say... How often have you seen people said of a image "it's a good reference shot, but thats as far as it goes" - that's because there's been no thought of anything aside from the technical aspect of "is it in frame, is it in focus, and is it correctly exposed", where a change in angle, or viewpoint, or framing could have transformed the image into something far more than just a "record"...

I know, my discussion here is veering dangerously towards the (whispers) art of photography, rather than the craft of taking photographs, but to be honest, the shots that wow people in this section are generally the ones that combine the two aspects... Learning a little of the composition techniques used in still life work can often pay dividends... I'm not advocating wholesale gardening of a site to get the composition, but often observing the same scene from different angles / viewpoints works wonders for what appears in frame.
 
Hi Pete,

From what you were trying to achieve, I feel as though you're a bit too far away from the subject. The background is interfering and distracting me from getting that "secret treasure" vibe, mainly because those "golden nuggets" are tiny in the centre of the frame. Initially I thought that perhaps a narrower depth of field to isolate the flowers would work better, but really the subject is just too small in the frame for me.

If you do decide to retake this, consider coming at the flower from different angles too. I don't know what the scene was like but the choice of your angle of view gives a very clinical "this is how it looks" for a flower ID book or somesuch. How about trying from lower down, or even dropping a bit of black card behind the flower to really make it stand out?

Hope that helps!
 
That’s great advice, I wasn’t exactly prepared with anything to bring closer attention to the flower so that’s definitely worth taking into consideration. I did take another slightly closer one but I wasn’t happy with the greenery at 4 o’clock coming out of the side of it, felt it was a bit too distracting.



Untitled by Pete Russell, on Flickr
 
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Pete R said:
I wasn’t happy with the greenery at 4 o’clock coming out of the side of it, felt it was a bit too distracting.
Click to expand...

I agree. Same for greenery at 10 o'clock. Do you have LR? Working specifically on the greens to desaturate or pull the luminance down a bit might reduce the prominence. On a very subjective note, I think the crop is too close on the bottom or too wide on the top.

Have you considered rotating clockwise to make that distracting greenery a stalk?

Anyway, I'll shut up. You really need lots of opinions on it so that you can take what you like & leave the rest. My opinion isn't always going to be the right one :) At least that's what my wife tells me!
 
Show me photos not a link
 
Didn’t know taptalk was still a thing! What format would I use to make it visible as I just go through my phone browser.
 
Pete R said:
Didn’t know taptalk was still a thing! What format would I use to make it visible as I just go through my phone browser.
Click to expand...

don't know on the phone as I don't use flickr on my own phone, but i've amended the initial posts to a "proper" flickr embed that should work... - basically, use share via bbcode and just paste that into the post.
 
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Ah ok, so I need to go into Flickr on the browser instead of the app to get the code, not the url link. Noted, thanks!
 
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