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You are not worthy!
If you ask for a critique, or are given a critique, and you look at the port of the person who critiqued you, and their work is not "fantastic", or even downright bad, do you take their critique with any less grace? Do you consider what they said, and trust their opinion? Or do you figure they do not know what they are talking about?? Jun 26 06 09:11 pm Link it could go both ways...most likely they do not know how to critique other though, I really do not know "whats good" I just look at someone's port and if its cool or whatever I'll leave them some nice comments  Jun 26 06 09:14 pm Link Always consider the source. Praise and criticism alike. Jun 26 06 09:15 pm Link an opinion is an opinion we still need to know what john q. public thinks because in the end they are the ones who the image is displayed to so i say just because they might not be the best photographers that doesnt deter them from knowing the difference between a good image and crap. Jun 26 06 09:17 pm Link Lexi Evans wrote: Most art directors and photo editors at magazines are not photographers. Are their opinions of a photographer's work invalid because they don't know how to take a picture? Jun 26 06 09:27 pm Link DarioImpiniPhotography wrote: Well said. Jun 26 06 09:30 pm Link TXPhotog wrote: No, not at all. In fact, sometimes I think someone who isn't a photographer will view a photograph with very different eyes, and that might not be bad. I just sometimes wonder whether or not to waste my time giving my opinions. Though, after seeing, countless times, you giving great advice and it being ignored, maybe it doesnt matter either way. Jun 26 06 09:32 pm Link Thank you. My take is that "consider the source" is wise advice, but it requires more investigation than seeing if a person can take good pictures. The other side of that is that I agree with you. With some exceptions (which we hope makes it all worthwhile), people tend to take the advice they wanted to get, and ignore advice that isn't comfortable or flattering, regardless of the source. Jun 26 06 09:40 pm Link Lexi Evans wrote: If you are trying to communicate something, and their critique contributes to your understanding of your own work and your ability to communicate through it, you've been touched by grace. Jun 26 06 09:41 pm Link I listen to their criticisms and make mental notes about their valid points. However, I was recently ripped to shreds by someone on MM. I saved the critique as a Word document for future reference. ...And then I e-mailed a non-MM photographer I know to ask for his opinion. This guy has 30 years experience as a full-time, very successful studio guy; he's a contributing editor at a very well-known national photo magazine, past PPA president, has won every award in the pro-photo industry, etc. I've known him since I was in on the college yearbook staff and he was our advisor. He made a few suggestions for improvements after looking at my website but was largely positive. And yes, I asked him to rip me to shreds if he needed to. After that experience, I'll stick to non-MM photographers for advice. Not because I don't want criticisms but because I want said criticism to come from someone I know to be experienced and respected and whose work I admire so that his/her negative comments and suggestions reflect the changes that I really want to incorporate into my work. Not what someone on MM (whom I've never met and know nothing about) thinks I should change. Jun 26 06 09:41 pm Link Lexi Evans wrote: It really doesn't matter either way... Jun 26 06 09:43 pm Link PS: Len, I just realized that I've posted directly after you the last three posts I've made. See Loverboy, I really AM stalking you!! Jun 26 06 09:44 pm Link TXPhotog wrote: Interesting anecdote about this. I was on a paid portfolio site and got some negative criticism on some work, one which I considered one of my best photos. I finally got fed up and told them to close down my account altogether. Some time later I reviewed my "best shot" and noted that the criticism was actually correct. Jun 26 06 09:55 pm Link I remember seeing a little human interest story on TV years back about a professional football team's place kicking coach. The guy was in a wheelchair. Couldn't walk, much less kick, but he could watch and observe and knew a good kick when he saw one and MOST IMORTANTLY could articulate to the kickers how they could improve. I can't paint but I have strong opinions about what makes a bad vs good vs great painting. I don't think that the typical art historian or art critic or art collector can produce the art they comment on. Conversely, I would not necessarily pay a lot of attention to practitioners. Some practitioners might know what they are talking about but some not. I have often heard musicians talk about music in a totally incomprehensible way, but some seem able to play music AND talk about music. I do not seek out the opinions of photographers on my work. I would be much more interested in the opinion of a painter or sketch artist. Or a "layman" with a thoughtful aesthetic. Jun 26 06 10:51 pm Link Lexi Evans wrote: I usually pay attention to how they describe their appreciation (or un) of my work. (Which of course is inexistent as of now).. regardless of whether I think they have quality work (to my taste) on their port or not. Jun 26 06 10:58 pm Link ALL CRITISM IS BASED OFF OF SOMTHING, Consider the sourse, consider the motive and intent. after all it is only another opinion any way. Jun 26 06 10:59 pm Link Dark Star Photography wrote: You've got me breathing faster, DS. (And walking a little slower!) Jun 26 06 11:04 pm Link There are people out there who never even touched a camera, yet know how to disect an image, and notice things even a trained eye could miss.....if the critique makes sense it should be valid, even if they can't produce a better image. Jun 26 06 11:07 pm Link If the critique is comming from sombody who has a slamming port, I tend to give it more weight.. and I tend to ignore advice from people who have very little technical skill displayed in their ports.. I tend to listen to critiques about technical aspects.. "you blew the exposure on this one.. "sorry, it's rule of thirds not 16ths" ... "what body part is THAT, anyway". I tend to blow off critiques about style and choice of models.. (I love black and white or totally saturated colors... and I like my models like I like my hotdogs.. plump and juicy with soft buns!) Jun 27 06 12:06 am Link I like the # of views most...tells how interesting the thumbnail is so people actually click and it doesnt matter who Jun 27 06 12:15 am Link personally, although i'll occasionally leave a brief comment to an image, even a short tag on someone's page, i generally won't respond to any invitation for critiques. simply a choice. otherwise, where those have offered a critique of my work, i welcome the comments & read them with interest, just don't solicit them. for no particular reason. again, simply a choice. FML Jun 27 06 12:18 am Link TXPhotog wrote: It's not the art directors job to "know".....it's their job to see if the work submitted is suitable for their publication..... Jun 27 06 06:31 am Link I try to listen openly, no matter what. If it makes sense as I look at the image, I consider it. If it doesn't, I can disagree but thank them for their time. Sometimes I may not agree totally with their comment, but it can help me think of a variation, deviation, or spark another direction for the image to take, even meet them halfway. Jun 27 06 08:45 am Link Jhett Thompson wrote: Agreed. Jun 27 06 08:47 am Link Those who give compliments to our flawed work "have great taste and trained eyes" Those who criticize our images "don't know what they're talking about" Jun 27 06 08:57 am Link DarioImpiniPhotography wrote: This seems more on target for praise than criticism. To me, it boils down to whether I found the criticism useful or not. If I learned from it or gained an additional viewpoint (again, that was useful for me) then I don't care who gave it to me. Of course the probability is better that more useful feedback will come from someone with more talent than me. But this is another issue that is confounded with the first. Jun 27 06 09:54 am Link Eric S. wrote: Ahhh... amen! Jun 27 06 01:05 pm Link Eric S. wrote: I know everything Jun 27 06 04:46 pm Link I am not sure i have ever had anyone really critique my work on MM. Not for lack of trying. Jun 27 06 04:50 pm Link |
