How to critique a photograph
1. Begin by looking at the overall composition of the photograph. Is it well balanced and does it convey the intended message?
- Is there something that is visually out of place or distracting? If so, what could be done to improve the balance?
- Is there anything about the image that is inaccurate or misleading?
- Does the subject matter make sense? If not, what changes would need to be made?
- What is the mood of the image?
- Does the lighting work well for the intended purpose?
- Does the image tell a story? If so, what is the story?
- Does the image convey information clearly?
2. Look at the details in the photograph. Are they well captured and do they add to the overall effect?
3. critique the lighting and shadows in the photograph.
Critique a photograph, or a painting, or a drawing, or a piece of writing. Ask yourself what you would change in it to improve its quality. Your goal is to find fault with it and make it better. This might be hard to do when looking at work that is already done and has been submitted for exhibition, but you can still learn a lot from studying it, and even from a bad drawing.
If you are asked to critique something that is being presented for the first time, it may seem easier to focus on what you don’t like about it, rather than trying to find faults with it. If you can, try to be objective about it.
For example, you might ask yourself if the subject looks good, whether the pose of the model is appropriate to the subject, or whether the lighting is working for the composition.
Ask other people to help.
Sometimes, you can’t see the problem with the photograph because no one else has pointed it out to you. Ask someone else to take a look at it and see if they think it needs improvement.
Use different methods.
As you get to know photography, you will come across lots of different types of photo. So you need to be prepared to experiment with different styles. For example, you might try making black and white or colour photos.
Try to understand the purpose of the picture.
A picture is worth a thousand words. So, if you are asked to critique a photograph, try to think about what message it is trying to convey.
Do think about the way it was taken.
When you take a photograph, it is like a snapshot. You capture a moment in time. Sometimes this is the most important thing about the photo. If it’s meant to be a portrait, it is usually of the person being photographed, or of someone important to the photographer. If it’s a picture of something interesting, then you may want to concentrate on that.
Take a step back.
When you are looking at a photograph, it is easy to become distracted by the way it was made, and by the beauty of the subject. You can sometimes lose sight of the fact that there is an underlying meaning to the picture. You may think it is good, but actually you should ask yourself what the photograph means.