Anyway...

I hope all of you are not only learning how to critique through this tutorial. Just as important is that you are getting an idea how to look at a photo, see what worked and what didn’t, and use that information for the next time you get out doing photography. Not only can you learn from your mistakes and accomplishments, but from those of others too.


Here is one final photo:



Chinook Creek, Gifford Pinchot National Forest


Photo by Vaccinium. f/11, 1 sec., ISO 100, Color temperature: 7500, Sigma 12-24 mm lens at 19 mm on Canon 10D camera body, from tripod under tree canopy and overcast skies, optimized sharpness, color, and contrast using Adobe Photoshop CS2


Anything that stands out to you as being particularly good or particularly distracting? less

Anyway...

I hope all of you are not only learning how to critique through this tutorial. Just as important is that you are getting an idea how to look at a photo, see what worked and what didn’t, and use that information for the next time you get out doing photography. Not only can you learn from your mistakes and accomplishments, but from those of others too.


Here is one final photo:



Chinook Creek, Gifford Pinchot National Forest


Photo by Vaccinium. f/11, 1 sec., ISO 100, Color temperature: 7500, Sigma 12-24 mm lens at 19 mm on Canon 10D camera body, from tripod under tree canopy and overcast skies, optimized sharpness, color, and contrast using Adobe Photoshop CS2


Anything that stands out to you as being particularly good or particularly distracting? less

Anyway...

I hope all of you are not only learning how to critique through this tutorial. Just as important is that you are getting an idea how to look at a photo, see what worked and what didn’t, and use that information for the next time you get out doing photography. Not only can you learn from your mistakes and accomplishments, but from those of others too.


Here is one final photo:



Chinook Creek, Gifford Pinchot National Forest


Photo by Vaccinium. f/11, 1 sec., ISO 100, Color temperature: 7500, Sigma 12-24 mm lens at 19 mm on Canon 10D camera body, from tripod under tree canopy and overcast skies, optimized sharpness, color, and contrast using Adobe Photoshop CS2


Anything that stands out to you as being particularly good or particularly distracting? less

Anyway...

I hope all of you are not only learning how to critique through this tutorial. Just as important is that you are getting an idea how to look at a photo, see what worked and what didn’t, and use that information for the next time you get out doing photography. Not only can you learn from your mistakes and accomplishments, but from those of others too.


Here is one final photo:



Chinook Creek, Gifford Pinchot National Forest


Photo by Vaccinium. f/11, 1 sec., ISO 100, Color temperature: 7500, Sigma 12-24 mm lens at 19 mm on Canon 10D camera body, from tripod under tree canopy and overcast skies, optimized sharpness, color, and contrast using Adobe Photoshop CS2


Anything that stands out to you as being particularly good or particularly distracting? less

Since y'all are distracted and I got myself distracted before, here is my repost of the critique for this photo.

This photo really irritates me, frankly. It had the potential to be wonderful with a few minor changes. I can recreate it any autumn day I want, but I haven’t yet. Anyway, here is my critique:


There is a lot of potential with this shot, but three elements are particularly distracting. For one thing, the yellow of the maple tree overhanging the stream is blown out and looks as much white as it does yellow. A slightly lower exposure would have allowed the tree to be a warm yellow while not detracting from the rest of the image. Another other issue with the photo is the significant dead, negative space in the stream at the lower right of the photo. Perhaps shifting the camera position to the that moss-covered rock so that it takes up more of the bottom portion of the image would help in this regard. The final issue, albeit minor, is with the placement of the yellow of the vine maple. I’d like to see it raised a tad higher. A lower camera angle, cropping, or an increased zoom might accomplish that.


That said, the image is set up nicely, with the stream, moss-covered rocks, autumnal trees, and background evergreens filling the space nicely and evoke the gloomy, yet colorful autumn days of the Pacific Northwest. The long exposure also added a luxurious feel to the tumbling water, yet none of the foliage seems blurred. Depth of field is very good, as everything from the foreground to the farthest evergreens is acceptably in focus. Obvious use of a circular polarizer really helped the image a lot, as there are is no distracting glare off the water surface.


Keep in mind that, as I mentioned in that critique, sometimes the emotion, theme, or sensation that an image suggests is just as important as the compositional elements and technique. Photos are art, and art is supposed to draw you in and make you feel something. Not all photos need to do this with great intent or success, but some are clearly designed to do so, so make sure to mention it if it affects you.] less

Since y'all are distracted and I got myself distracted before, here is my repost of the critique for this photo.

This photo really irritates me, frankly. It had the potential to be wonderful with a few minor changes. I can recreate it any autumn day I want, but I haven’t yet. Anyway, here is my critique:


There is a lot of potential with this shot, but three elements are particularly distracting. For one thing, the yellow of the maple tree overhanging the stream is blown out and looks as much white as it does yellow. A slightly lower exposure would have allowed the tree to be a warm yellow while not detracting from the rest of the image. Another other issue with the photo is the significant dead, negative space in the stream at the lower right of the photo. Perhaps shifting the camera position to the that moss-covered rock so that it takes up more of the bottom portion of the image would help in this regard. The final issue, albeit minor, is with the placement of the yellow of the vine maple. I’d like to see it raised a tad higher. A lower camera angle, cropping, or an increased zoom might accomplish that.


That said, the image is set up nicely, with the stream, moss-covered rocks, autumnal trees, and background evergreens filling the space nicely and evoke the gloomy, yet colorful autumn days of the Pacific Northwest. The long exposure also added a luxurious feel to the tumbling water, yet none of the foliage seems blurred. Depth of field is very good, as everything from the foreground to the farthest evergreens is acceptably in focus. Obvious use of a circular polarizer really helped the image a lot, as there are is no distracting glare off the water surface.


Keep in mind that, as I mentioned in that critique, sometimes the emotion, theme, or sensation that an image suggests is just as important as the compositional elements and technique. Photos are art, and art is supposed to draw you in and make you feel something. Not all photos need to do this with great intent or success, but some are clearly designed to do so, so make sure to mention it if it affects you.] less

I like the way the images in the photo lead your eye in a sort of zig zag across the picture. From the bottom right, to about 2/3 down on the left, to about 1/3 down on the right, then up to the left hand corner.

However, I would have cropped the top of the photo down into the top of the yellow leaves (?). Also the yellow whatevers were a distracting color. Is there anyway their color could have been muted to blend better with the greens and browns? less

That’s it for the discussion on critiquing. Any critique of a photograph can help you as well as the photographer. If you notice just one thing that you can take away from it, then you’ve learned something useful. I didn’t start to become good at photography until I learned what it is about a photo that I liked and didn’t like, and I then used that information to change things about the way I photographed and to give me ideas about new things I could try.


When I started photography, I couldn’t have come up with a critique anything even remotely like what I showed in the examples above, so there’s no reason to be concerned that you can’t do what I just did. And you know what? There are plenty of photographers out there who would have done a more inclusive critique than what I just did. It’s a learning process, and I truly and seriously want to help any of you who want to improve yourselves by learning any of this. I just wanted for you to see some of the things I see so maybe you can start to look at photos from a new perspective.


If you have any other questions, now is definitely the time to ask them. Anybody? less