I’m a big proponent of image critiques
Especially self critiques
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Eastern Tiger Swallowtails & Thistle
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Two recent posts by the photographer Ming Thein
Were on the subject of image critiques.
- Critiques of the top 10 images in his July photo contest
- Self-critiques of his popular images
I encourage you to read them for some insight into image critiquing.
His critiques focus largely on
Craftsmanship (focus, exposure, lighting, color, etc.) and
Composition
While these two “C’s” are very important I urge you to consider also
Creativity and
Communication (“does it sing to me?”; emotion)
as well.
We can make well crafted & composed images which are
Well, boring, hum-drum – just like a ton of others we’ve seen
A good image depends on more than just Craftsmanship & Composition
IF – you want to stand out from the crowd
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Self assessment of my butterfly/thistle image
Craftsmanship – Wing tip at right edge needs more space (& could be sharper – but at the expense of bringing in possible background distractions. The question is – are the parts that need to be sharp, sharp? I think they are.)
Composition – Fills the space with center of interest off-centered; OK in my book
Creativity – Nothing special
Communication – Pretty scene but nothing special
Overall – not bad, but won’t be on my wall
Feel free to weigh-in using the post’s reply section.
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If you can’t tell what’s wrong when looking at a displayed image
How can you tell when looking through your viewfinder??
Do a self-critique when making the image; get everything right at capture.
This is one of the greatest benefits of a tripod – it forces you to SLOW DOWN
If something is wrong, after capture it’s too late to make it right!
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