What do you take away from critiques?

Since critiqueing and commenting seems to be a popular topic of late...how about taking a look at it from another direction. When you read critiques of your images... what do you get out of it? What was the 'best' critique you ever got? I know from my experience...yes the positive comments feel good but I know that my skills have improved from constructive criticsim. I can't remember a positive comment that has helped with my skills.(But it doesn't hurt to feel good )I can remember specific helpful suggestions that I continue to use....and I got some of them because I have posted the techs with the image so it enabled a more targeted suggestion(hint - post techs if you want 'better' feedback.) What do you take away from critiques of your images?

Bill

I learn a lot about exposure, processing and composition.

these are the main things I get out of critiques....I feel this forum has helped me greatly over the last year and really enjoy all the photos that are posted here....Great source of inspiration

Oh, I've been helped by positive comments. Every so often, a comment addresses directly the thing I worked so hard to achieve. When the critic says I evoked something I meant to evoke, I consider that success. I try to repeat it whenever possible. I've also been helped by negative comments. Much of the time, photographs that I find very moving fail to move the majority even to the point of commenting. That is a hard pill to swallow, but I do, and I hope I learn from it. I usually post technical details, but that is often not what I want feedback on. What I often do is ask a question in the post. People will answer specific questions more often than open ended one's like, "whatcha' think?"

Pete D., er, whatcha' think?

Mostly, NPN critiques don't help me. I don't mean this in any harsh way.

Unless I have a specific technical question to address (and then I always ask it in the post accompanying the image), I want to know what emotions my images evoke in normal people, so posting them for other photographers to look at has limited value. I think it's hard for a lot of critiquing photographers to take off the pro hat and put on the common man's hat. Eye-tracking studies show us that non-photographers look at (and probably appreciate) images in different ways than photographers.

That being said, it's all a learning experience, and though I rarely receive the type of feedback here I'm looking for (good or bad, doesn't matter), there still are things to learn from what I do get. I try to take something of value from each critique, even the nits.

And then when I'm out there in the field I forget it all, because an artist darn well better not have the din of critiques ringing in his ears when the light is right and the manna is flowing.

Each critique gives me something new to look for and keep in mind. I have learned that you have to strive for quality and perfection in every aspect of photography which includes, light, composition, what I want to say with the image and presentation. Presentation meaning how the image is displayed. I have also learned that a critiqued image, does not always suddenly become a poor image. Even so I have had a "falling out" with some of my photos as a result of critiques. Asking for critique is to ask for an objective viewing of the image. People normally look at a photograph subjectively. If the photo is sharp, with good exposure and presented in an attractive manner it will appeal to many viewers.

Will
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada

What I take away is to pay attention to things that the "ordinary" viewer - the one that my photography is aimed at eventually will notice but only in a subconcious way. It helps me to see more and more as a photographer and it helps me to pay attention to details that otherwise would be overlooked by me but would have a detrimental effect on the aesthetics and how the image is perceived by others. It also helps me to get better at postprocessing - I am not speaking of photoshop-tricks, more what areas have to be worked on - colour, saturation, dodging, burning these things.
I also like to see some photographs that I am personally proud of beeing viewed by a larger public. Most of my photo's are known only to my family and some friends, and since they all are biased they think they are great, nice, good, or hmm. But that does not help much to get better. So what I like is getting a detailed view and also it feels good to get some positive comments and critiques from rather experienced people. This enhances the value of a photo of mine even more. Knowing that even a crowd of trained eyes and minds find it appealing does mean something.The opposite is also true - if these people can't find anything that they like, then probably I only like it for some very personal reasons but it just might not have appeal.
The critique makes you more confident about your own work, and this positive energy is what leads to better photo's eventually.

I’m still learning the "nuts & bolts" basics so every critique has been welcome. The encouragement to switch to RAW has been especially rewarding.

When critiquing someone's work I definitely appreciate that they took the time to post their technical info. That info takes a little more effort to post which for me, is what the critiques are all about.

While the positive comments are great egos strokes, I learn a lot from the critiques. I have frequently gotten some good new direction on processing images, things I did not think of. After staring at an image on the screen while working it up, it is easy to lose perspective. The fresh views are extremely useful to me. Whether or not I agree with the comments, I find them all quite helpful.

Whether positive or negative, the process of being judged by peers inspires some humility, and humility is the key to learning. If nothing else, placing yourself outside your comfort zone and soliciting honest opinions in itself puts you in a more receptive state of mind. I learn a lot from both giving and receiving critique and find it invaluable in opening my eyes to new possibilities.

Guy

I fully agree with Guy about his above opinion. I am young of NP and I wih to share my first impressions about this very interesting discussion. When I look at the comments I take out three main things:
- At first, I breath the air for understanding between the lines if the comments come from the head or from the heart, kind interest or real enthusiasm. This is very important for me as I post a picture for understanding if I only like it or there is also someone else.
- I look for critiques and suggestions that I soon put into practise for seeing the results but I also pay great attention to the positive comments because I am eager to understand if the beauty and the appearence that touched me are gone in the picture or instead are remained in my eyes and heart only.
- Third, critiquing has given to me more assurence. In the field we run after the flashes of lights, the sighs of beauty, the clouds of colours so I often neglect the main rules of the photographic quality. Now I now that someone will remind them and correct my mistakes.
And I have to say that I most appreciate how the voices come for helping me: gentle, delicate, sensible whispers, almost begging my pardon.
Thanks to all for this.

The best critiques for me are the ones that point out to me how a photo could be improved in ways that I would otherwise have missed. I have posted pictures that I was unsure about but didn't know why, and have been greatly helped by people who could see a solution. I have also posted pictures that I thought were good and have received suggestions that ultimately improved them.

Generally by the time a photo reaches the point of being posted it's a done deal in terms of being able to re-shoot, and so, critiques that help to improve a picture at that stage are greatly appreciated. What I don't appreciate are the presumtions of people who weren't there; who offer criticism on things like different camera position or choice of focal length or lighting conditions. These are not constructive because they don't tell me how to improve a shot unless I can re-shoot (which I often cannot). If you weren't there and didn't see the clutter (or the cliff) I had to deal with in setting up my tripod don't offer me critique on what I can't change. Don't criticise the "Magenta" cast or the "Burned in corners", supposing it to be a post processing error unless you were there to see the prevailing light and conditions first hand. Don't presume that I've doctored a picture unless I say I have (or unless I've done an obviously bad job of doctoring).

I appreciate critiques that help me to improve THIS photo, not the one you think I should have taken.

Bob

Bob, I know it can be annoying to read comments like - you should have used another camera-position etc. But this is critique that I appreciate . Because this as well adds to the awareness when shooting. All the things you have mentioned affect the overall composition and this is something we want to get better at. Of course such suggestions do not help much to improve this one photo, but we want to impove our photography and the photos we take and make in the future. Next time we are in the field we have this in mind. We maybe wait for better light. Or if camera position cannot be altered to you liking because of that clutter of cliff, then maybe we should not take that photo because the composition cannot be framed properly.It is maybe better not to take a photo at all if we can avoid a mediocre photo. Or that mediocre photo should be taken, shown to the educated public(the forums) and a lesson is learned when we hear the critique. Sometimes we cannot re-shoot, but improved composition-skills, knowledge about special light and other things can be applied to new locations and shooting sessions. With the benefit of getting a better shot next time.