when I was learning photography, the teacher gave assignments. When we came in with our pix, he would show the pic, tell what was right with it, and then give the negative. He must have heard your story as he did the same exact thing as AA. he always had something positive to say about each pic. Made you feel good about your work.

NOW, I went to a local Photography club. They had people submit photos ( you have to submit a photo every month)
They never said anything good just all the things wrong with a pic. I hated it and after a few meetings I never returned. The oddest thing was the people critiquing the photos NEVER showed you any of their work.

Nice and a classic story about Ansel.

There is one important issue about providing good criticism in the arts, it is actually at the heart of good criticism. Never, ever under any circumstance should one ever foul a critique with the statement and even the notion of "I like, or I don't like" as a valued form of criticism. This appears odd on the surface yet it goes to the heart of the issue. By eliminating personal opinion you are showing service to the person and their body of work.

Many years ago I was asked by a close friend to give his work a real going over a true critique of his efforts. He was prolific and that made it quite easy. His area of interest was what he like to call 'figure in the landscape'. I knew what he wanted, he did not get any of that, what he got surprised him no end.

What I delivered to him was vary truthful and an accurate assessment of his body of work. The nude women in the images were of no real consequence, actual of little importance. He was a landscape photographer, pure and simple. That is what I told him. It was no surprise, as he was a relator as his chose work professions.

Real criticism helps one to understand what it is that we are doing with our life. A great critic is like a truly gifted diagnostician in medicine, they are able to get past symptoms and go straight to what is occurring so one can accomplish one back to good health. A good critic will help you see what it is that you are doing, where your love and your desires lay so you can focus more on what the world means to you. A good critique steps above the work, ferrets out and distils the essence of what the heart already knows, and helps the mind understand what that heart is seeing.

There was a recent post that garnered a number of responses. The post was in regard to posting critical comments in the Photo Gallery section of this site. You can find that article here: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-726989-1.html

First off, there is an art to offering critiques. One can simply do a website search for ' how to critique art '. There are many articles explaining this skill. I'm reminded of a story a friend of mine told me regarding critiques. It's a great lesson.

A friend of mine's father worked for Ansel Adams. As such, both my friend and his father attended a number of Ansel Adams receptions. On one such occasion, my friend was there and accompanied Ansel Adams as he walked down the hallway to the reception room. He was, of course, in a group of people who worked for the museum and were in charge of organizing the exhibit and reception.

As they walked down the hallway, this gentleman, carrying a portfolio, approached AA and, after greeting him, asked him if he'd mind looking at some photographs. Ansel stopped, looked around, and saw an empty bench nearby. He took the portfolio from the gentleman and indicated that they should sit on that bench together. Of course, this was to the dismay of the accompanying group. They both walked to the bench and sat down.

At this point, AA opened the portfolio and looked at each of the photographs in a rather studious manner. He then asked the gentleman if he just wanted him to appreciate them or critique them. The gentleman indicated that he's like him to tell him what was wrong with them. AA looked at the gentleman and stated, "Why don't we see what's right with them and where they could be improved."

While the assembled museum personnel kept tapping their watches indicating they needed to hurry, AA took time discussing the merits of each photograph and then where minor things could be done to improve each of them. He also included why each of those minor things would improve the photograph.

That's the kind of critique that gives one incentive to improve. It's a far better approach than expressing something along the lines of 'you wasted good photons and materials to produce that?' or 'I would have done it this way or that way.'

Anyway, it was quite interesting to see how an artist of some stature provided a critique.
--Bob

There is another side to a photo critique. The person receiving the critique needs to understand that even if they have a great photo there still may be problems and they shouldn't take it personally and leave with hurt feelings. Everyone has their own opinions about what makes a good photo and you should see a critique as a learning experience. If all you want are pats on the back and "nice photos" don't ask for comments and critiques because someone will not see what you see and you won't like what they have to say.

If I offer a photo for critique I want to know what's wrong so that the next time I know what to watch for or what to do differently. I also understand that not everyone is going to like my photo but I can learn what it is they don't like to see if it's something I need to improve upon or is it just a subject they don't care for no matter what.

A lot can be learned from letting others tear your photo apart; you just have to be ready to absorb the information and put it to use in improving your photography.

Dodie