Response to The Purpose of Critiques

Re. Shawns remark "most of the time it's like nobody has anything good to say." I think this has to do with the mindset of the "critic". It is one thing to be thinking " How can I make this photographer feel good?", and a different thing to be thinking "How could this photo have been done better?" Certainly both questions CAN be kept in mind when commenting... but sometimes are NOT, when a "serious photographer" is applying hemself to "judging" a shot. If my (non-existent) Rolls-Royce is polished to a fare-thee-well, am I thinking how "great!" most of it looks? No..human nature being what it is, I'm thinking "DAMN THAT BIRD!" (who just left a deposit in the middle of the hood). My focus is on what is detracting from the ideal(subjective "ideal" of course)...what needs to be "changed", to make the "shot" more nearly "perfect". If the approach taken is "What's wrong here?", things that need changing will probably be found. And if the answer is "nothing", or "very little", the tension drops some, and the critic is "freed from responsibility" a little. He/she may even actually find himself thinking " this is really nice!".(..and, hopefuly, will remember to SAY SO!) If on the other hand the approach is "What's good here?", It is easier to get distracted, "lost" in the "warm-fuzzies".(What a PRETTY girl!...What a beautiful "soft" atmospheric effect...She looks really sweet!...Look at that gown..etc.) I think some subconsciously "guard against" loosing their "objectivity" to the extent that remembering the "feelings" of the exhibitor becomes a lesser (sometimes forgotten) issue. Shawn, there is an example (to MY eye,of course) of a "bird deposit" in your picture of the model w/pigtails. A generally high-key shot of a pretty (to be sure!) girl with very dark eyes.. The contrast between the light tone of the shot and those striking eyes really "grabs" me...my eyes are instantly drawn to hers (romantic, huh?) BUT WAIT!! Whats this equally-dark, but a little greater-in-size OTHER CONTRASTING "DARK" "thing" , down in the lower right-hand corner?.. probably nothing, I guess..back to the eyes...back to the "thing"..."Damn it! What IS that?..and "WHY is that?" I don't know. But I know it's sure as hell distracting me! Why didn't the photographer notice it? This "could have been" a really NICE shot. He's left a "deposit" on this nice hood! Grrrr! Now I'm almost "hostile". "Someone" is being careless about our common "goal" of the "ideal" photograph. NOT ACCEPTABLE! --- I hope there's enough humor in this scenario to make it a little funny...but I think there's an element of truth to the idea that these "reactions" are at work, in any "critic". Naturally the "better" ones are able to find a constructive balance between technical and "personal" considerations. Shawn, I'm confident that your intense desire and willingness to learn will take you where you want to go. But the journey will not be as short as your intensity-impatience would prefer (Hey!..It never is!). That's O.K. though...just remember to ENJOY the trip. I'd like to agree w/ several answers above..Loo at published pix in the publications you admire, Think about WHY these shots are good (someone at a professional level obviously thought so). And think about how your shots are similar, or different, then KEEP TRYIN'!

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