Hi,
Asher has asked a very good question. Let me try to answer it from my perspective.
How do I seek out and react to criticism of my own photography?
The first order of business which needs clarification is why somebody posts here and asks for C&C. This is different for each poster and also for each photo by the same poster. Obviously, I can only speak for myself. I have
written last year that I had lost my faith in my photography and I was about to give it all up. Thanks to the extremely kind and thoughtful reactions I have received in response, I have reconsidered my position and started thinking consciously about why I post pictures. Another question which bugged me was why I took pictures to start with. In this post, I will try to put these thoughts into a logical structure and will hopefully provide an answer to Asher’s question while doing so.
Why do I take pictures?
Well, that one is in fact relatively easy to answer. I am not a professional photographer so taking pictures is what I do because I love taking pictures; it is akin to existentialism. As I write in
my website, my photographs are usually the result of an arc of intent and the careful preparation and execution that goes with it. This intent and/or idea can be a long term project (such as my
portals series) or it can come up spontaneously while I am on location. Does this mean that I don’t take any snapshots without intent? Of course I do. Sometimes I even get blessed by serendipity.
How do I take pictures?
Based on the idea I have in mind, I compose my photographs as carefully as possible in the viewfinder (or using the live view). This is an automated process, it is something I am “unconsciously competent” in. According to the
four stages of learning/competence, we all start with being unconsciously incompetent in something and then become conscious about our incompetence. We then learn and become competent while being conscious about it. The final stage is by doing it well and not being conscious about it, like driving your car to your work in the morning (unless you are a new driver). Making sure that the technical aspects are O.K. (such as setting the correct exposure, focusing, etc) and choosing the composition which reflects my mental image of how this photo should look like are all second nature to me. Seeking out (hunting) for a possible picture is a built in process. While doing so, I become aware of something which triggers some emotions and all of a sudden the whole process is set into motion and may result in a picture being captured. When I venture out into new (to me) areas of photography (such as using a tilt/shift lens for the first time), I become conscious again and the process is executed with more consideration than usual. The same goes for a new topic/project, which requires more conscious effort on my part to seek out the appropriate compositions at first.
I have a personal style which somewhat makes my pictures recognizable as belonging to me, or so I have been told by various people in the past. This style is not the result of an intentional effort on my part. Rather, it became apparent along the way since I take pictures the way I always take them. My personal style is a result of how I take photographs, not the other way around. Some people think about developing their own personal style as the first step. I don’t subscribe to this line of thinking, though I admit that is must be an iterative process. When anybody is busy developing a personal style, they are actually at the stage of being consciously incompetent about how they take photographs. Nothing wrong with it, but the goal should be to evolve quickly to the next stage in the development. And lastly, the formatting of the pictures and recognizable post processing techniques (such as using Orton effects) is not what a personal style is all about. In my opinion, it is the message of the picture and the compositional elements which together define the personal style; not how it is post processed.
I strive to achieve some common objectives in all my photographs, regardless of the topic. Here I should give the credit to
David Ward, the famous landscape photographer who has described the essential ingredients of his photographs as being: simplicity, a sense of mystery, a return to beauty and posing questions and not only providing answers. I too am looking forward to getting these ingredients into my own pictures and I was doing so even before I read David Ward’s
book, albeit I did not rationalize them in external thought processes. Now having done so eventually, I became aware of my own choices for taking certain pictures and the way I take them.
How do I post-process the pictures after capturing them?
My job is not finished when the picture is taken. I meticulously fine-tune the pictures in the post processing in order to achieve the best possible results either on print or on screen. You could say that I am a pixel peeper, albeit one who knows well that the content and the composition are what make or break a picture. No amount of fine-tuning in the post processing will make a bad picture look good although the other way around is more likely to happen. My technical skills in post processing are up there and I have all the right tools at my disposal. When you see a picture of mine, you can be rest assured that I have post processed it to my own satisfaction before posting it. Sometimes I do lack the time to do proper PP, so I end up posting a “quick and dirty version”. If so, I report that fact in my post.
Why do I share my pictures in OPF, what kind of C&C I am looking for and how do I deal with it?
Once I get to the stage of taking and post processing the pictures, some of them become potential candidates for sharing with you. So why do I share? This is a most difficult question to answer and there are various possible answers depending on the context. The most common reasons are:
1) In order to discover whether the message I have intended the picture to communicate has been transmitted and received. Did the picture initiate certain thought processes in the lookers, did it evoke any emotional response (either love or hate), etc. This is an area where I would love to receive critique (and not criticism as Bart has pointed out earlier). I realize that I should ask specifically for critique as may not be obvious what I am looking for just by showing a picture. But sometimes I initially withhold the explanation of the context in order to discover whether the picture conveys any emotions and thus creates reactions from lookers as is. As we are dealing with emotions and personal interpretations in reading pictures, any critique offered will be neither right nor wrong, it will be the truth for the person offering it. So how do I deal with any critique offered regarding the message of my pictures? By being happy and by graciously accepting it and by being thankful that somebody took their precious time to reply. The process of receiving the critique, understanding and processing it, discussing it with the others and coming to terms is a great way to improve one’s competencies and to grow as an individual. This is one of the main reasons why I like OPF so much since there are many members who will take part in this process.
2) In order to receive critique on the various photographical aspects. How effective have I been in composing the picture, what would work better for the lookers, have I succeeded in creating a simple picture, is it beautiful, does it pose questions, have I captured the decisive moment, etc. Like in point 2 above, this is also a highly subjective topic and the critique may result in a debate. As I explained above in why and how paragraphs, most of the pictures I share with you will be the result of a conscious effort on my part. In other words, I don’t just post random snapshots here and ask a generic question such as “how does that work for you”. Normally, I will ask you a specific question regarding a specific aspect. If I don’t ask any specific questions, it can mean two things. Either I am waiting for a while before asking the questions eventually. Or it can mean that I am simply not seeking any specific critique in this area. Not seeking C&C specifically does not mean that I do not want to receive any C&C, on the contrary! I prefer any given C&C, however short or long, to not receiving any C&C at all. Again, by talking to each other, we are both learning and growing. So here is what do I do when I receive comments such as “crop it 1 inch from the bottom and it will look much better” or “it works better if you convert it to BW”. It is well meant advice and it is undoubtedly valuable at some level. The best I can make out of situations like this, where I “know” that the advice goes against my vision, is the following. Firstly, acknowledge it and evaluate it seriously even when I might think that it is ridiculous. Then, come to a decision (if possible rationally) whether or not to accept the advice offered. And lastly, let the other party know how I have evaluated the advice and why I have come to a certain decision. Don´t forget to thank them sincerely, of course.
3) In order to receive technical advice. Although I am quite proficient technically, I too have to learn, re-learn and keep on improving. So sometimes I might seek advice from specialists regarding certain technical aspects with which I am not familiar. Normally, this would be a question in a certain forum and not directly related to a picture I have shared. Because I try not to share pictures when I am not happy about the technical execution, among others.
4) In order to share my on-going efforts on a certain project. Many times, I post a picture in the appropriate fora when that picture is (about to become) a part of an on-going project of mine such as portals or urban exploration. Next to the various aspects highlighted before, this is also to validate the choice of the picture to take part in a project. Any additions should increase the synergy of the set and add value individually. Usually, the decision has already been taken on my part and I don´t pose the question explicitly. But it is always good to read comments from you stating that a picture of mine would be a good candidate for a certain project. Again, I will be very happy to receive any C&C in this area. Especially when the comments relate to the project; as to how I can improve and make the project even more effective.
5) For reasons of PJ or documentation (including travel pictures). It goes without saying that sometimes I show a set of pictures pertaining to an event or travel. Inherently, any picture in that set is open to the C&C as described above. If I have a specific C&C request for any of the pictures, I will state it explicitly or I might even post the picture in its own thread. Otherwise, I will deal with any C&C offered as usual. Mind you, in these situations I would be primarily looking for your comments and not only your critique. Such as when I show pictures of an event and I provide a (short) story about it, I will always appreciate it if I hear back from you. Did you find it interesting, was it entertaining, do you have any specific questions, etc. the images then become the vessel through which we increase our knowledge about the world we live in.
6) In order to justify the existence of the photo by sharing it. If I only took the pictures for myself and shared them with no one, I would be unhappy. The fact that a picture exists does not close the loop for me, my art is not for art’s sake only. Only when I have shown it to others, preferably to the members of the OPF community whom I might call my peers, I feel a degree of satisfaction or perhaps even closure. Regarding this aspect, I will not be expecting any specific C&C although receiving a note of acknowledgement from lookers will always be appreciated. It motivates me and keeps me enthusiastic. It gives me reason to keep on shooting and sharing more with you along the way. Hopefully, it also provides some pleasure to the lookers. As I also take pleasure from looking at the pictures shared by other posters, it enriches my photography experience.
Well, hopefully you have persevered and read this long-winded answer. I know that I should keep it much more concise but I am not good at that, lol.