Evaluating a PhotoHow to critique a PhotoBy Ethan Bolson

Style and Standards Every Photographer has their own style,

but the style should be consistent Skill is the key ingredient to standards Standards is not an opinion, but facts

about the photo This is a good place to start your

critique

Value Value refers to range of light in the photo

from black to white and gray to white Important to distinguish which is a good

gray and a bad gray of a photo, should be consistent and clear, you do not want a muddy gray

Should have contrast, creates a better visual impact, only exception is if the photo has a good color of gray

Clarity Primary key is the focus, should be sharp

or soft Primary part of picture should be focused Some blurs are done on purpose The background and the subject should be

similar unless both dark Photo should provide a context for the face Blurs are biggest part of clarity, should be

focused

Presentation Care and skill put into photograph Should be clean, no scratches, anything

messy or bad that should not be there Watch for fingerprints Looked for neatly trimmed edges Photos should be dust free

Composition Hard to define, very close to style Find point of interest, there should be

one How well they cropped the photo Look for balance in the photo Lines and curves have a tremendous

effect

Aesthetics The difference between a skillful

photograph and a piece of art A photo can have the right elements

and still not work It could have all the right elements join

together to create a great photograph

The style seems to be consistent on this photo, a picture of a boy smiling outside. There is good light but I think it should be darker, because it is bright from the sunlight. The photo has very good contrast as it has a large visual impact. Seems like a soft focus. The trees in the background are blurred but done on purpose. Has a definite subject as the boy and the subject and the background match. The photo provides context for the face. Large scratch from the lip down to the jacket that takes focus from the boy. When I first saw the picture, the scratch is the first thing I saw. The ends of the photograph are white and of the boys arms which means the photo can go on for more. They may have cropped a little too much but the point of interest is the boys face. Has a very good balance and a very good point of interest.

There is a consistent style in the photo. Seems to be a lot of skill put in. A picture of a vey colorful flower on a bright day. The picture is bright but I believe that it has the right range of light for it’s kind f photo. There is no gray but has a lot of contrast. The photo has a large visual impact. The photo has a sharp focus and has good focus. The blur in the background was done on purpose except for the back of the flower which was caught in the blur. The background and the flower’s colors are very similar, which is good

CitationsBoenigk, Frank. "Big Beauty with Small Leaves." <http://www.photoschau.de/?p=763>.O’Brien, Michael and Norman Sibley. The Photographic Eye : Copyright 1995 Davis Publications, Inc. Worcester, Massachusetts U.S.A.