srt101fan

A photographic image should be judged first on emotional and intellectual impact. Arbitrary measures such as sharpness, exposure, noise, white balance, composition, extent of manipulation, etc. should be second tier considerations.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Your personal preferences and opinions. You will find many here who think differently and will argue endlessly that they are right and you are wrong.

Some people don't understand the difference between "fact" and "opinion".

R.G. Loc: Scotland

That's why there's something to be said for finding a shooting technique where the camera is as undistracting as possible. Time spent thinking about settings is time that could have been spent thinking about the really important stuff like visual impact, composition, foreground effectiveness, storytelling and the like.

Sharpness, exposure, noise and white balance I would describe as technical considerations and as you suggest they should have secondary importance. I wouldn't classify composition the same way, though, and extent of manipulation will forever be a matter of taste and intent (provided the manipulation is as intended and doesn't deserve to be classified as a mistake).

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

You seem to have a bit of a language problem
Arbitrary means based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system. Arbitrary here would be "emotional and intellectual impact" while "sharpness, exposure, noise" are measurable and subject to assessment in reasoned and systematic ways. However, I do agree that they should be measured by the impact on the chosen audience (the audience intended by the artist.)

Bill_de Loc: US

I had to laugh when I read this. I started college the day after I got out of service. One of my first classes was English composition. I don't remember what I wrote about, but when I got the paper back the prof had crossed out, in red, where I wrote, "In my opinion".

He said it was obviously my opinion, otherwise I should have mentioned whose opinion I was discussing.

Go figure.

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Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Judged by whom, in what context? As I understand it, emotional impact already is one of the main considerations in a critique or contest. Technical flaws apply to the extent they "distract from the essence of the image." http://www.iconicphoto.com/pdf/how-judges-critique-photo-competitions.pdf

.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Some people are like that. I had one guy, not a full professor, who returned every paper covered in red marks, even "A" papers. He even marked places where the student used a form of cursive that was a bit different than his preferred cursive on the hand written class quizzes and papers.

srt101fan

Touche, Linda...I'm not really familiar with the formal aspects of judging and critiquing photographs (even though I remember Shapiro had some good comments on that subject!).

In generating my unfiltered brain release I was thinking of many comments I've seen where viewers seem to go straight to the technical assessment. Maybe because it's easier to address. All I'm suggesting is for folks to feel first and analyze later.

Maybe I need to rethink this whole thing....and according to dsmeltz I need remedial English lessons....😕

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

Unless the other measures like focus, exposure, composition are so poor the picture doesn't give an emotional response other than the photographer blew the shot and why did they bother posting it.

srt101fan

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Have you found the images that inspire you the most always come from some other brand?

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

I have occasionally posted discussion/share topics without giving a lot of thought to what I was saying, and how I was saying it

Regarding your suggestion that people feel first and analyze later, I believe that many on UHH already do that. The endless discussions on sharpness and noise are found mostly in main forum, and are of course written by photographers with high end gear. Non-photographers are not going to see the same things.

But I also agree about the "easier to address" elements when commenting. It can be extremely difficult (and therefore time consuming) to express how one is affected emotionally by an image.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Over the years, I've encountered some fuzzy, less than ideal exposed polaroids with washed out colors and relatively poor contrast that have had a great deal of emotional impact on me. I think some photographers, obsessed with sharpness, resolution, etc., forget what really matters. Images that actually say something. "Look at all the crisp detail!" communicates as much to the non-photographer as a picture of a plain brick wall would.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I look at an image and either it does something for me or it doesn't (in varying degrees).
Sometimes (rarely) I see that "I" may have done the composition differently, but that would have been according to "my" taste.

I made a print for a friend who said "This speaks to me.".
(I should have asked what it said..... I'll never know.)

artBob Loc: Near Chicago

I think I understand what you say. If by "first" you mean the most important consideration, you are right, and that's not an "opinion," but the standard of music, dance, art .........

However, there are some vague variables in all this. First, "emotional and[I would add "/or"] intellectual impact" for whom? Those who look at things just from their personal preferences would have a shallower view than professional critics or artists, for example. It is important for a professional to try to be objective, to understand the intent of, and tools used, by the photographer. For example, I don't like Diane Arbus, but must accept what she was trying to do, and then judge if it was strong and unique or cliché.

Which leads to the second problem. "[S]harpness, exposure, noise, white balance, composition, extent of manipulation, etc" are the elements of Form. Form is part of how a good photographer conceives of "emotional and intellectual impact." Thus, a good viewer or photographer must take these, as appropriate, into consideration to establish the intent. Form is essential to understand and create the meaning of the art.

These are great disciplines, to feel and think without pre-judging what an image "should" be like. Most people don't bother, but justify their opinion with rationalization. You will find followers of the most common landscape photos and followers of Diane Arbus. The truth of Content and Form, end and means, exists at many levels. It is most important, when learning, listening, or teaching yourself, to ask"What's the reason for this?"

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