Critiquing
Photography
Critique using 3 values
+Emotional
+Artistic
+Technical
Emotional
This is when we
view an image
for the first time
and express our
reaction.
Note your
impression and
explain WHY
Emotional
If I like it,
why?
If not,
why not?
Does it evoke:
- an emotion
- a mood
- tell a story
- is it nostalgic
How do you
feel when
you look at
this photo?
What does
this photo
remind
you of?
What is the
mood of the
photo?
What did
you see that
made you
click the
shutter?
Things with
emotional impact
+babies
+puppies
+graveyards
+war photos
+old family photos
Artistic
Is the concept
unique,
creative?
Is the
composition
pleasing to
the eye?
Artistic
Is the subject
placement
pleasing to
the eye?
Artistic
Is the subject
of interest
obvious?
Artistic
Is there
anything in the
image that does
not add to its
impact?
Artistic
Does the
perspective
work?
Artistic
Does the
image need
cropping?
Artistic
Are lines aligned
or not aligned
creatively, or
are they mere
distractions?
Artistic
Things with artistic
impact have
+good composition
+interesting use of light
+good use of colour
+interesting perspective
+compelling subject
Technical
Is the photo in
focus or meant
to be blurry?
Does the
overall
exposure
work?
Technical
Is the white
balance
correct?
Technical
Is depth of field
used well?
Technical
Is there too
much lens
distortion?
Technical
Is Photoshop
overly used ?
Technical
Technical problems
+distract us
+lessen the impact
+people easily dismiss us
+not tolerated in
commercial work
A worthy critique
remains friendly,
thoughtful, positive,
considerate, and
always honest.
Practice Time
Critique the following photos for practice.
Then critique some of your own using
emotional, artistic and technical values.
Emotional+Artistic+Technical
Example
✦ I like the old brick on this building.
It’s nostalgic.
✦ The warm colour and the lighting
of the shot is nice too. It looks like
early morning or late day light.
✦ The office tower in the bottom
right corner is distracting and I
think it should be removed
Example
✦ The leading lines add nice visual
interest.
✦ I would have tried shooting it from
a slightly more frontal view, but
still keep the leading lines.
✦ The photo is cropped too tightly at
the top causing a tangent point at
the top of the frame.
Emotional+Artistic+Technical
Example
✦ The photo shows life coming out of
what looks like drought
✦ The cracks and grass shoots have
a lot of repetition
✦ This would be a good illustration
for a story on global warming or
farmland drought
Emotional+Artistic+Technical
Example
✦ The photo is shot on an overcast
day and resulted in very low
contrast lighting.
✦ The s-curve in the middle draws us
in and up into the subtle detail of
this photo.
✦ There isn’t a lot of colour
✦ Despite all this I find it interesting
to look at, and I’d like to see it big.
Emotional+Artistic+Technical
Example
✦ Seeing the Twin Towers in NYC has
a lot of emotional impact on me.
✦ The horizon is crooked in this shot
and there is a railing from the
bridge that’s a bit distracting.
✦ Using black and white gives it a
nostalgic and timeless quality.
Emotional+Artistic+Technical
Example
✦ This photo is a bit busy and I’m
having a hard time trying to figure
out what the main subject is.
✦ The shadows cause strong angles.
✦ The black and white adds some
extra grittiness to the shot.
Emotional+Artistic+Technical
Emotional+Artistic+Technical
Emotional+Artistic+Technical
Emotional+Artistic+Technical
Emotional+Artistic+Technical
Emotional+Artistic+Technical
Emotional+Artistic+Technical
Emotional+Artistic+Technical
Emotional+Artistic+Technical
Emotional+Artistic+Technical
Emotional+Artistic+Technical
+Emotional
+Artistic
+Technical
+Emotional
+Artistic
+Technical
+Emotional
+Artistic
+Technical
+Emotional
+Artistic
+Technical
+Emotional
+Artistic
+Technical
+Emotional
+Artistic
+Technical
+Emotional
+Artistic
+Technical
+Emotional
+Artistic
+Technical
Review
Emotional
This is when we view
an image for the first
time and express our
reaction.
Note your impression
and explain WHY
Artistic
Is the concept unique,
creative?
Is the composition and
subject placement
pleasing to the eye?
Is the subject of
interest obvious?
Artistic
Is there anything in the
image that does not
add to its impact?
Does the perspective
work?
Are lines aligned/not
aligned creatively or
are they mere
distractions?
Technical
Is the photo in focus
or meant to be blurry?
Does the overall
exposure work?
Is Photoshop
overly used?
A worthy critique remains
friendly, thoughtful,
positive, considerate,
and always honest.
When critiquing:
Offer some depth into the
why, along with added
suggestions or
recommendations.
Valuable critiquing utilizes
proper etiquette for the
purpose of enhancing
and expanding a
photographer’s skill from
an objective point of view.
How did that go?
✦ Self-critiquing is an important step in
your visual literacy.
✦ Despite how it sounds, critiquing builds
confidence.
✦ If you’ve got confidence in your work it
will be easier to sell it, and easier to talk
about it with others.
How did that go?
✦ When working with clients it’s even more
important to be able to look at your work
objectively, making sure that your
photos meet the highest standards,
especially the artistic and the technical.
✦ Clients hire you to give them something
more than what they can do themselves.
✦ Give them your best!
How did that go?
✦ If you are still having trouble seeing your
photos objectively, I can help.
✦ I will critique your photos using the same
values outlined in this presentation.
✦ I’m currently offering photo critiques
which provide you with an audio visual
critique of a group of your images
✦ The critique is delivered via video
For more information click here
www.imagemaven.com

How to critique your photos