On 5/16/05, William Robb <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > There are many ways to word a critique. > The writer can ask why the person didn't choose a particular camera angle, > why they chose a particular film, suggest they alter the contrast range of > the paper (or file), suggest the dodge this element or burn that one in. > The helpful critique attempts to get the photographer to open his or her > eyes to other possibilities, to get them thinking of other ways to see. > > It doesn't matter how it's worded, any critique that suggests a change to > the image in any way is the person doing the critique telling the > photographer how he or she would have presented the subject differently. > > "Perhaps you could try burning that corner down a bit" is exactly the same > as "I would have burned that corner down a bit". The semantics differ, but > the concept is identical. > > At least that's how it is in my world. > It seems do be a different world to the east of me though.
Well, I didn't know that geography had anything to do with it <g>. I do however, think that the way that any thought or idea is presented can have a huge impact on the way it's received. I'm not just talking about "being nice" or being "politically correct". That's just a red herring. If you don't think that someone hearing "Do something about those fucking blown out highlights, asshole! You'll never be a good photographer until you learn how to print!" will react differently to "You know, I really like that photo, the composition and framing are good, I like the use of dof, but maybe you might want to try toning down those highlights, I think that would make a good photo even better," then you really do live in a different world than I do. I'm sure that someone hearing the latter may take the advice to heart, whereas one hearing the former is much more likely to discount it. (BTW, I'm in no way attributing any of the foregoing to you, or in any way suggesting that you'd say those things - they're just examples used for the purposes of illustration). cheers, frank -- "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept." -Henri Cartier-Bresson
