In general, photographers are very good at deciding how much they like someone else’s photo. It isn’t hard — your first reaction to a shot is either positive or negative, and it typically doesn’t change much after that. Things get more complicated, though, when you’re talking about your own work. For me, at least, I find it tough to judge the quality of some photos I’ve taken. Sure, I know when a photo is awful, but what about the other shots? This article covers some tips for looking at your work with a better critical eye.
1) Separating the Event from the Photo
Do you ever find yourself at an incredible location for sunset, camera in hand, after an incredibly difficult hike? Or, maybe you’re photographing a basketball game, and you captured the exact moment that the ball left a player’s hand to score the winning point.
In both of these cases, the situation surrounding the photo is incredibly powerful. In the first example, you feel like you have accomplished something — it took a lot of effort, but you made it to an incredible landscape in time for the best light. In the second example, you managed to capture the defining moment of a basketball game, timing the shot exactly right.
Unfortunately, neither of these cases actually means that you got a good photo.
Maybe, in the first example, your composition simply doesn’t do the scene justice. That’s certainly happened to me; even at a beautiful landscape under the right light, I don’t always come back with a good shot. Or, in the basketball case, there may be other distracting things happening in the photo that take away from the moment you captured.
In situations like these — where the experience of taking the photo is strong — it is very difficult to judge your images objectively. Perhaps you did capture everything that you wanted. But, sometimes, that won’t be true.
Quite often, I take a photo that requires a lot of effort to capture, and then I immediately think of it as my new best shot! That happened with the photo below. To get here, I spent a full day hiking up a mountain, then climbing on a glacier. The whole hike was beautiful and memorable, as well as exhausting — the perfect recipe for a photo that is difficult to judge accurately.
I don’t think this is necessarily a bad photo, and that’s the point. It isn’t awful, and it took a ton of effort to capture. That combination — hard to take, and not immediately worth deleting — made it very difficult for me to judge it accurately.
In hindsight, I can look back and tell that there are some problems with this photo. There isn’t a clear subject, for one, and the foreground is empty. These issues should have been obvious at first, but my memory of taking the shot was so strong that I overlooked them. (Obviously, this is all subjective — you may hate the photo or love it, and that’s fine. This is just my own perspective on the shot, which will be different from yours.)
A month or two later, of course, it became easier to critique this photo accurately. A lot of times, that’s how it happens — you need to wait a little while before you can see things with an unbiased eye. That’s also why I try to wait at least two weeks before posting a new photo on my website or on Facebook.
Sometimes, of course, the opposite is true: your opinion of a photo actually improves over time. Generally, this will happen when one of your quick snapshot photos turns out surprisingly well. Since you don’t have a clear memory of taking that photo, it may be a while before you can judge it accurately (a good reason to revisit your archives).
Again, the best way to solve problems like this is just to wait a bit. Over time, your memory of taking the photo won’t be as strong, and you’ll be better at judging a photo based on its internal qualities. I know of some photographers who, for this exact reason, actually refuse to look at their photos until a month after they’ve returned from a trip. Although I don’t have that much self-control, I certainly understand why they do it.
2) Dealing with Ambiguous Photos
Even if you wait a while, it still isn’t always possible to judge your photos accurately. This is especially true when a photo straddles the line between “decent” and “worth displaying.” One day, you may decide that the photo merits a spot on your website — the next, you might decide that it doesn’t quite make the cut.
Photos like this are always very difficult to judge, and there’s no easy way to tell how good they really are. Still, you have a few ways to try.
To start, as mentioned above, you can give yourself a better perspective if you wait a few weeks before critiquing the shot. If you’ve already waited, though, consider showing your photo to other people — your social media followers, or, ideally, a photographer whose work you respect.
If you decide to put an ambiguously-good photo on your Facebook page, see how many interactions it gets compared to your normal posts. More? Less? The same? This isn’t the best gauge for the actual quality of a photo, but it helps you judge how other people like it. If one of my photos gets half as many interactions as usual, it’s easy to tell that people don’t think it is as good as usual.
For a more accurate critique, though, it’s better to show your work to professional photographers. This could be online or in person, but the goal is to see how another photographer sees the photo. That said, you have to make sure that you talk to someone who isn’t afraid to tell you when you’ve taken a bad shot — although it can hurt at first, it ultimately helps to be as accurate as possible.
Another tip, one of my favorites, helps after you’ve been editing and looking at a particular photo for a long time. When an image is strongly ingrained in your head, flip the photo horizontally. You can see a mirrored version of the shot, and it tricks your brain into seeing the photo as if it is completely new. (Only do this for photos that you have looked at for a long time — otherwise, the effect doesn’t work.) I covered this tip in more detail in an earlier article.
Is this photo worth displaying on my website? It took me a long time to decide that it isn’t, but I went back and forth before making my final decision.
3) Conclusion
The best way to critique your photos is simply to look at them as objectively as possible. You should have extremely stringent standards — you don’t want to show anyone a bad photo that you took, unless you work for a photography website and are doing it to illustrate a point :)
Most of your photos will be pretty easy to critique, and you’ll generally have a good idea of a photo’s quality after you’ve taken it. However, there will be cases that are more difficult to judge. Typically, this happens because you have a strong emotional response or memory of a particular photo, making it tough to see the image for its actual quality.
When this happens, the best option is to try waiting a while. The longer you wait, the easier it is to separate your memories from the photo itself. If that still doesn’t work, try showing your image to other photographers or flipping it horizontally in post-processing.
Although it’s not easy to critique some photos, it’s always worth the effort. You shouldn’t show your audience mediocre photos, but you also want to display a good shot when you get one. Perhaps these tips can help you make the final decision.
Hopefully, you found this article useful, and you’ll be inspired to go out and critique your photos more accurately after reading it. Still, improving your critiques — as well as many other areas of creative photography — can be a very tricky process. There’s no perfect answer, and the best thing you can do is simply to keep practicing. But if you want to go more in-depth on some of these topics, I strongly recommend our eBook, “Creative Landscape Photography: Light, Vision, and Composition.” It is true that, in general, eBooks do not have the best of reputations, but my hope is that you’ll give this one a chance and see what it has to offer. All the information it contains is designed specifically to be as accurate and tangible as possible, in a field where accurate and tangible tips can be difficult to find.
“The best way to critique your photos is simply to look at them as objectively as possible.”
:) but first we have to understand what makes a good photo. Almost 70 years after my first visit to a darkroom, I’m still not sure what makes an image good.
That’s the trick, I guess :)
Sometimes we do have a strong emotional response to one of our photos and know that it’s really good. This only happens to me a handful of times every year. Usually, the critiquing process plays a big role.
I think of it like dreaming. When you’re dreaming, you sometimes “know” that you’re awake — but when you’re awake, you also know that you’re awake! The same goes for a photo. You can be certain that it’s good, yet be completely wrong. But, sometimes you’ll know that you’ve gotten a good one, and you’re correct.
I don’t know if that makes sense!
The snow photo – a crop so the small sole rock in the upper foreground dominates would probably help. And/or rotate 90 degrees.. It’s a document “this is how it was that moment”, not a fancy poster candidate.
I think there is enough material to crop some interesting things that just enters the picture..
Else – I totally agree, the better experience taking the pucture, the better it is ;-)
-J!
Thank you, Jorgen! Your suggestions are good. Luckily, I got another photo from the same hike that I also liked a lot, and this one really was a good shot!
That was my first thought too. Problem is I then wondered whether reducing the number of ‘layers’ of snow from 5 to 4 had an adverse effect …
How often do you try different formats? I often pop a landscape into 2:1.
As a member of a camera club, competitions are quite useful just to hear what the judge says about the entrants’ photos, and then you can exchange views with others when checking out the prints at closer quarters (doesn’t work for soft copy entrants!!).
Thanks again.
Yes critiquing your own photographs is a challenge if all you are using is your own photographs for comparison. And isn’t critiquing as much of a comparison as anything else? That comparison comes from skills, knowledge and abilities. Skills from experience and lots of it under all kinds of conditions with all sorts of tools. Knowledge comes from study of artists, colors, and of current and past photographers. I often venture onto 500px with is a world-wide accessible site where artists post there work. I gain much by looking at the work of others. I also gain inspiration and motivation which is essential to progress. Abilities is where you see the light are able to draw out from the mundane something exciting, compelling and revealing.
As for that photograph you are unsure of, I would not post. I think the waterfall is the subject of interest but the space you gave to the foreground rock overwhelms. There is a significant amount of shadows and lost detail in the background. Not sure of the focus point. I think it is lost and work simply appears busy.
Good points! I have found a lot of value in looking at the work of other photographers. As for your comments on the waterfall shot, thank you for the suggestions!
Although, referring to the last picture, it seems to me that the large amount of rock at left the diminishes the the subject, which is really the waterfall. Try cropping it to a square image, removing most of the left of the image, and a little on the right. This give the nice “S” shape of the waterfall more prominence, and it makes quite a nice shot. The 2:3 format doesn’t work well here.
On the broader topic, trying to evaluate your own photography is really hard. I usually get my wife to cast her eye over the images I can’t decide on, and realise later that she’s usually right with her comments.
Hi Spencer,
Thanks for the wisdom…again!
Your suggestion of waiting for emotional attachment to wane is a good one whether it is an image, a piece of writing, a musical recording
or even re-arranging the furniture. It takes time. Don’t get me wrong, human emotion is wonderful. By all means, be passionate when creating,
but logical in judging.
I do have additional problems in special cases. Sometimes, when we love the subject a great deal, even time leaves us blind. For example, I love my dog, probably more than anyone should love a dog. And he is SO handsome, that he always looks good! When I take a series of shots of him, they all look good to me, provided they are in focus and with reasonably decent technique. What I do is flip from one to the other right down the line and back, many times, never stopping for even a second on any one. Soon one or maybe two of them clearly separate themselves from the rest, at least compositionally, and I can go forward with those finalists from there.
As to your suggestion of allowing others to color your own opinion, I have mixed feelings. Often, the viewer doesn’t care what I am trying to convey, or doesn’t understand what I’m trying to convey, or is simply distracted by louder and more interesting voices than my own. This doesn’t mean my shot is not a great shot. We are encouraged in every creative genre to be original, to find a POV that is different. “Different” though, is not comfortable for most viewers. The majority of people still hate modern art after 100 years…! A trusted professional can tell you if you have missed on technical merits, but I believe we should stick with what we are trying to say, trying to convey, because that is the soul of it. It may take 50 years for others hear your voice. And…maybe not…
I have probably gone on here much more than I should have, but you are such a clear thinking and feeling writer, I felt it was OK to get into things a bit…
Warm regards,
Duffy
Hey Spence: Though I don’t disagree with your comments, I tend to make images primarily for personal reasons. After more than 50 years, I still work to improve my craft and my results. In the end, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the principal in that process is oneself. Though I tend to post-process only what I consider the best of my work for prints and/or website, I have many photos that show a moment in time that brings a flood of memories. Terrabytes aren’t THAT expensive – and I’m sure I save more images than I’ll ever process. After all, nostalgia has it’s value. Be well! Ron
There are volumes of art history and criticism going back over centuries that assess images of all types. The result is a body of work referred to as the canon of art history and comprises a vast collection of objects (paintings, drawings, sculpture, prints, tapestries and, oh, photographs) that humanity has deemed as exceptional. They are there because people who have applied themselves to serious study, scholars, have determined them to have universal and axiomatic qualities setting them apart from all other objects of similar type. In truth, the canon of art history has seen objects come and go, so they are not necessarily permanently ensconced. And, there is considerable debate within art history and related disciplines about the stature of the canon and even the idea of having one in the first place. But, in practical terms it has been a way to present the artistic output of humans that one could wrap their minds around. Imagine trying to look at and study every existing painting ever made. So, humanity has decided that these are the objects of reverence and then tried to describe some set of attributes that gives them that status. Thus there is a set of terms that seeks to articulate those qualities in a way that is universally understood.
When one tries to make a critical judgement about their photographs, they will always make it based on their background. If you have zero experience in art history or related subjects, then your judgment will rely on something else. I’m not implying a value judgement here, simply pointing out that, if all you’ve ever done is look at photographs in your family scrapbook, you are judging your pictures in relation to those. If you’ve spent a lot of time looking at paintings and drawings from the 5th century to the present day and the catalog of photographs from the mid 19th century forward, then that becomes your reference point. And, of course, what you will have been viewing is what scholars have decided is worth looking at.
If your photographs look good to you but you aren’t getting the kind of positive reaction you seek from others, it probably means that your audience has a different set of experiences than you. If it’s critical acceptance that you want, one way to get it is to absorb yourself in the work of the art history canon, keep working hard and look critically at your photographs. Alternatively, if you really feel that your vision is unique and offers a breakthrough in visual culture, stick to your guns and just keeps sending out examples that will make their way in front of knowledgeable individuals and perhaps you get noticed along the way. That worked out well for a guy named Eggleston
Well said…
wow… well said. Ever do any writing? :)
critiquing your own work has some value…the problem for most people is that it is a trap that places them in stasis.
monetary success or critical success seem to most people’s only motivators driving creativity.
those criteria will hinder genuine growth as an artist.
this is where a flowchart would be nice.
look at your work…do you like it?
yes…good keep it up.
no…what will you do next time to make yourself like it?
art history and art appreciation always felt more like trade school courses
it doesn’t matter what others have done or will do.
it matters what you do.
it matters that you like your work.
no matter what you produce there will be consumers.
how many is up to them.
be as honest with yourself as you can, because the next part is difficult.
your decision becomes this; do you want to produce what they want to buy or do you want them to buy what you produce?
there can be several orders of magnitude in the quality of joy and satisfaction derived from your answer.
starving artists are a real thing.
artists with a “real job” are as well.
I decided at ten or eleven that would not be a copyist.
at the same time I decided to do what I wanted.
surprisingly only a couple of instructors balked at that level if independence.
unsurprisingly several “clients” seem genuinely put out by that attitude.
fifty plus years later I’ve made a few bucks and had a remarkably good time.
I criticize my work simply…do I like it?…that’s good enough.
by the way…I like your work.
Good article – I find it very difficult to assess my photos especially if I receive an opinion the polar opposite of my own.
I know what you mean about your waterfall shot – I really like it but it just falls short on something I just cannot quantify. I’m not knocking it – it’s still a lovely photo.
Many photographers are instructed to have other photographers critique their photos. Great idea. But where can I go to get these honest critiques? My photos have never been viewed by another photographer. I would welcome the opportunity. Thank you -30-
Hey Michael may I volunteer. If you take me up on it do send 5 of your photos (small size of course) with the usual copy right precautions etc. (in case I am tempted to pass them as my own), and I promise to give my honest opinion about them.
Similarly, I will be privileged if you would do the same for me.
My email address: [email protected]
There’s a photo critique section here in the forums for this purpose :)
Hi Spencer. nice article like always. The trick to flip a photograph is a good one! I am a professional visual artist and I always teach my students to watch their clay sculptures in a mirror because you get used to the thing you create. It is funny I never thought about this trick in my photography. Thanks for “reminding” me. Maybe an other trick: I tell always to watch every sculpture from time to time from a big distance to forget the details. This is the equivalent of watching thumbnails in a computer: you see very quick which photo is “catchy”. Especially for photo’s that are watched only quickly (like in Facebook) this works.
Yes! This is something that I often have to explain to people who ask me why I tend to ‘sit’ on my work. I can also relate to going back over my photos and realizing a shot was much stronger than I initially assessed. One of my very first successful shots that caused me to fall in love with landscape photography was shot on the humble D3200 and a 50mm 1.8 lens. As I learn more and improve, I go back to that picture and realize that I was lucky in getting it ‘right’ in terms of composition, technical aspects, conveying a feeling, etc… I won’t claim it’s a masterpiece, but i would consider it a success as I go back over it year after year.
I would also add that one pitfall in the quest for accurately critiquing your photos is to ask your spouse/significant other and/or family members. Unless maybe they all hate you, then if they all like your photo – you know it must be good!
“on the humble D3200 and a 50mm 1.8 lens” Don’t underestimate that combo :)
In my opinion, family and friends are simply not reliable when it comes to photo critique. They are biased, don’t have eye for compositional nuances, and are too easy to please. Example: I posted a portrait recently – my first time taking a shot of a professional model, I was very impressed with his skills and did my best in my first attempt of editing the portrait. Being a model, he had a very photogenic face and bright blue eyes, so the shot turned out OK, as expected. General reception? “Wow what a hottie” -.- Can’t argue with that, obviously, but that’s so not the point… So, long story short, I always try to seek a photographer friend’s opinion when I want “expert” comments on my work. :)
Hi Spencer. Thoughtful article. I struggle with critiques. I shoot for my own enjoyment and for family. I post many photos but sell none and tend not to enter photo contests.
Many of my best shots are “best” to me because they captured a place, time or something else that was special to me. When I look at the shot, that moment comes back to me and I feel it again. Someone else might look at the shot and say it is nothing special but they weren’t there with me at that moment with the people I was with so they are not seeing/feeling what I saw/felt when the shutter snapped. The photo evokes a moment or a memory that is special to me. Unless you know my purpose, you cannot critique whether I achieved it.
Now, if I am offering my work for contest or sale, then critique is necessary to hit what others will appreciate and buy. When in a class seeking to improve your skills, the instructor’s critique helps you learn which is what you paid your hard earned money for.
I guess what I am saying is that the value of critique is situational.
Hey Spencer, you have touched upon an engaging topic. Here is method which I employ and so far it has always worked.
I make a print (decent size of course but the choice is up to you) of the photo in question and stick it on a board over-looking my work-space. It could be any place where you won’t and can’t miss seeing it. (The idea is to see it as often as possible during your waking hours.) If it still remains there after the third or the fourth day (again you can choose your own time-frame) i.e. you have not removed it, then it has passed muster.
Again, as you have said, it is subjective but so far it has worked well for me.
I really appreciated this post, found it very helpful and would like to see more on this topic. Thank you Spencer. After a person nails the technical stuff (not perfection but progression) I think critiquing, pricing and marketing become the biggest obstacles to moving ahead.
Good tip about mirroring the photo, I’ll have to try that.
I have enjoyed your blog posts for 1 year and recently i decided to create my own website and publish my own blog post in Persian language and my blog is www.phelamingo.com. I studied engineering but two years ago i bought a Nikon DSLR and my photography journey begun. Thanks for your wonderful blog posts and everything i learnt from your website.