Photo criticism is the process of evaluating and interpreting the elements of a photo to determine its meaning and effectiveness. If you need to write a photo critique for work, for school, for a photo club or for your personal interest, it is important to know how to write a meticulous and useful one. Follow these steps to learn how.
Steps
Step 1. Examine the photo
Collect your first impressions as you look at the photo as a whole, then study all the details, making sure you look at each component alone and in relation to the composition as a whole.
Step 2. Find out what you like and don't like about the photo
A photo critique generally begins with basic impressions of where you feel the photo works and where it doesn't. It is not necessary to share these perceptions, they are more than anything else starting points for further analysis.
Step 3. Describe the photograph in terms of general emotions and impressions
This is a subjective part of photographic criticism, and it is necessary to convey the aesthetic impact of the photo to the photographer. For example, an essential black and white close-up might suggest such a description: "This portrait evokes a raw and intimate feeling, and renders the subject's sense of humility and strength."
Step 4. Identify the technical components
Try to be as objective as possible when considering the technical elements of the photo.
- Focus. Determine if the photo is in sharp focus, or if it is inadvertently out of focus due to a technical error. Common examples of inadvertent lack of focus to cite in your critique are: focusing on the wrong element of the composition; wrong focus due to movement; wrong focus due to zoom.
- Dust and other technical distractions. If the photographer unintentionally photographed dust and reflections in the photo, you should highlight this in photo criticism.
- Color. Not all photos should represent colors as they appear to the naked eye, but the use of colors in the photograph should be intentional and relevant to the photo. Faded, dull, or reddish colors could be the result of technical errors.
- Light. Too much or too little lighting can cause many technical errors in photographs.
- Exposure. This component refers to the time it took the camera to take the image and affects light and contrast. A high exposure lets in more light, and can cause too white highlights, while a lower exposure can create too dark photos with fuzzy lines of contrast.
Step 5. Evaluate the artistic elements of the photo
Take each of the following into consideration in your photo critique.
- The subject. Pay attention to the photograph chosen by the photographer, and determine if it has meaning or is random. For example, a photo of a crowded marketplace is more artistically interesting when it represents a single vendor bargaining with customers, rather than the less interesting composition of a busy street without a definite focal point.
- Color. In addition to the technical execution of the color, a photo critic should consider the artistic effect of the color scheme chosen by the photographer. Determine if colors add or take away from the emotions of the photo, or whether a black and white treatment is more or less effective.
- Composition. Pay attention to the content and shape of the photo with respect to subject position, symmetry, grouping, scattering and cutting. Also determine if the photograph best highlights the subject, emotion and desired message.
Step 6. Explain what you like about the photo and why
A photo critique should highlight the strengths of a photo, as well as the technical and artistic aspects that contribute to its strength, so you need to be specific. For example, saying "I like the light" is not as useful as saying "I like the use of light from above because it accentuates the shadows of the subject's face, leading to a feeling of intimacy".
Step 7. Suggest elements of the photograph that could be improved
Your goal is to give the photographer a meticulous and accurate analysis of the effectiveness of photography. Be specific, as in the example: "Changing the exposure time would sharpen the contrasts, which would add strength to the photo."
Step 8. Summarize your overall impressions of the photo
Rather than repeating what you have already said in photo criticism, give a brief description of the general emotions about photography, after taking into account its technical and artistic aspects, strengths and weaknesses.
