IF YOU WANT TO GIVE A GOOD CRITIQUE, FOCUS ON SOMETHING YOU LIKE INSTEAD OF SOMETHING YOU KNOW YOU DON’T LIKE AT FIRST.
Negative critique can be helpful, if constructive. If you do not like someone’s photo, suggest how one should improve it. The focus of critiquing should be providing feedback that will help someone to improve. Part of a good eye is in knowing when to break the rules. Not every shot of a tree by the lake needs to conform to the rule of thirds, nor does every bird portrait need to be inclusive of the whole creature, or a head and shoulders looking at the camera.
Giving feedback is very easy but giving good feedback on a subjective matter-such as photography- is extremely difficult. A critique should be a positive and helpful experience for everyone. There is no excuse for bashing someone. Saying only negative things will create unnecessary conflict, and become less about art and more about people’s individual feelings. .
When posting critiques, explain as best you can what aspects of the image you like and don’t like. If you have nothing nice to say about the work, then don’t say anything at all
rbritt1 wrote:
IF YOU WANT TO GIVE A GOOD CRITIQUE, FOCUS ON SOMETHING YOU LIKE INSTEAD OF SOMETHING YOU KNOW YOU DON’T LIKE AT FIRST.
Negative critique can be helpful, if constructive. If you do not like someone’s photo, suggest how one should improve it. The focus of critiquing should be providing feedback that will help someone to improve. Part of a good eye is in knowing when to break the rules. Not every shot of a tree by the lake needs to conform to the rule of thirds, nor does every bird portrait need to be inclusive of the whole creature, or a head and shoulders looking at the camera.
Giving feedback is very easy but giving good feedback on a subjective matter-such as photography- is extremely difficult. A critique should be a positive and helpful experience for everyone. There is no excuse for bashing someone. Saying only negative things will create unnecessary conflict, and become less about art and more about people’s individual feelings. .
When posting critiques, explain as best you can what aspects of the image you like and don’t like. If you have nothing nice to say about the work, then don’t say anything at all ...Show more →
normsmith wrote:
I find it interesting that someone with 15 posts on FM is spouting off like this.
Why should that matter.....It is a FREE internet forum. Last time I checked it is called FREEDOM of speech. Posts like yours is why things like that need to be said. The problem around here is people think that since they have THOUSANDS of posts that gives them some sort of status into the "FM hierarchy"......As far as what he states, I think it holds a lot of water.
normsmith wrote:
I find it interesting that someone with 15 posts on FM is spouting off like this. looks like SOMEBODY got their feelings hurt here.... https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1175852 I had NOTHING nice to say and passed it by. Whew, yay me!
Trench, the guy makes a somewhat valid point in that post. One thing I am not a big fan of is armchair quarterbacks's....God know's there are plenty of those around here.
I've always heard that sandwiching critique between 2 positive points is a good/safe way to go, but I know not everyone has time for that nor is that everyone's posting style. I do try to point out something positive about an image before delivering critique because I know it comes across and is better received that way.
trenchmonkey wrote: looks like SOMEBODY got their feelings hurt here.... https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1175852 I had NOTHING nice to say and passed it by. Whew, yay me!
YOU MEAN ALL CAPS!!! I always forget that means someone is pissed off
Michaelparris wrote:
Why should that matter.....It is a FREE internet forum. Last time I checked it is called FREEDOM of speech. Posts like yours is why things like that need to be said. The problem around here is people think that since they have THOUSANDS of posts that gives them some sort of status into the "FM hierarchy"......As far as what he states, I think it holds a lot of water.
I would say that anyone willing to post thier pictures here must be willing to take some positive AND negative feedback.... sometimes your pictures may just be poor and if asked - you will receive the appropriate comments.
I am not referring to the OP's other post and the quality of the pictures posted but more about the reaction to some negative feedback received.
You can't expect to post pictures on the public forum and not have somebody say something negative.... if you disagree - you can ignore the comments.
If you want more input about why that person didn't like your pictures - ask him/her nicely to collaborate.
If you start your "rebuttal" with all Caps - you won't get any meaningful feedback afterwards for sure.
Michaelparris wrote:
Why should that matter.....It is a FREE internet forum. Last time I checked it is called FREEDOM of speech. Posts like yours is why things like that need to be said. The problem around here is people think that since they have THOUSANDS of posts that gives them some sort of status into the "FM hierarchy"......As far as what he states, I think it holds a lot of water.
That's exactly what this is about. I looked at the thread and I think the people in there were definitely trying to be helpful. Personally, I chose not to add my comments to that thread and now I'm glad I didn't.
Michael, some of our best members of this forum rarely post photos, including the first person that this guy stated appreciation for in the original thread. You don't have to post pictures here to be a valuable member of our community. The forum is about having an engaged conversation and discussion about our photos, and most of us like hearing from everyone, regardless of their background. But please, I'll feedback any day of the week from someone 50 years in the biz. Doesn't mean I'm going to like it, doesn't mean I'm going to apply it.
The thing about critiques is that you have understand that if you have your vision, someone else's critique is usually based on their own vision of how pictures should look. If the critique doesn't help you move forward in your own vision, so what. Let it go. The person was likely just trying to be helpful.
If you don't have a vision, then hearing someone else's perspective perhaps can motivate you to try something different, and you keep trying something different until you start honing in on your own vision.
But hey, this guy is a newbie and he really should be getting a feel for how we work before he gets up on the pulpit and preaches to us.
^^ Nicely put, Ron. Novel idea here...at least for the next week or so...let's ALL try and get along.
Not everyones studio shots end up on the cover of Vogue
looks like SOMEBODY got their feelings hurt here....
I had NOTHING nice to say and passed it by. Whew, yay me! 
