Top 10 Most Annoying Photo Critiques

[jowensphoto]

Top 10 Most Annoying Photo Critique Comments » JMG-Galleries – Jim M. Goldstein Photography

Feel free to add yours!

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

The most annoying critiques I see is "try a different angle" or "try a better composition".
This is so easy to suggest, yet if it is not followed up with an example of a better angle, or composition, and why it is better, the comment is useless!

This goes for any suggestion not followed by example and reasoning.

 

[JoshuaSimPhotography]

Yes, I hate it when I just see short-one word posts, I like to elaborate my reasons for complementing or critiquing the pic

 

[jowensphoto]

The comments I find to be most annoying are the "wrong" ones. When the suggestion is just flat out wrong. Yes, art is subjective, but it drives me nuts when someone still learning auto (lol) throws around bad advice.

Actually, what is more annoying is when they get offended what said bad advice is pointed out/corrected.

 

[Kerbouchard]

I don't have a problem with the critiques mentioned...especially the different angle one. Yes, there are times when moving to a different angle are impossible. There are also times you should just put the camera away and enjoy the moment for what it is.

Sometimes a shot just won't work. Knowing that is a key step to becoming a photographer vs just taking pictures.

 

[amolitor]

I try not to be annoyed by any criticism. I'm not 100 percent, but I try.

Ultimately, a piece is intended to be viewed, and is intended to move the viewers. It's not fair to discount any viewer's take on your work, if you're being honest. If the take is 'it sucks' or 'you should have stood 10 feet left' well, that's how my photograph took one viewer, that's information about how my work is succeeding or failing to connect with that viewer. If all 20 viewers all have opinions that I should have stood there, or zoomed in, or out, then the damn thing is probably framed wrong. If one viewer tells you the white balance is off, and 100 tell you the picture made them cry, well then you've maybe you've succeeded. That doesn't mean that one guy is a weenie or wrong, it just means you didn't connect properly. Maybe next time you should get the white balance right, and see if you can make 101 viewers cry, instead of 100. Maybe not, it's your choice.

The point is, if the work isn't for viewers, who's it for? If the viewers will take the time to say something, anything, be happy, meditate a little on what they said.

 

[Designer]

Yes, I hate it when I just see short-one word posts, ...

meh

 

[KenC]

The most annoying is no comment at all, which happens very often posting on here.

The next most annoying is rote repetition of some "rule" of photography. Some examples: I've heard people say that there should never be any text in an image because it will draw too much attention (what if that's the point?), I've had some complain they can't read partial text in an image of a defaced sign (it's an abstract, it's not supposed to be read as text), and I've had comments that something wasn't on a ROT point (there are other powerful positions that work). Camera club judges are terrible when it comes to the "rules"

 

[jowensphoto]

The most annoying is no comment at all, which happens very often posting on here.

^This! I always make a point to comment on the "5000 views, 0 replies" threads. I've had a few lately myself; I must say, it's a bit disheartening.

 

[fjrabon]

really no criticism really bothers me, other than non-considered criticism. Really two types come to mind 1) when you state that you were working on a certain technique and that you know X is a little off, but could you critique Y and the person just says "X is messed up!" Really just shows that they're going for ultimate posting volume and not actually reading the things they are replying to. and 2) when they make a comment that clearly shows they didn't even really look at the photo, and certainly didn't look at the EXIF data. Like you shot at f/22, your subject is 15 ft away and they say "DOF is too shallow!" Oh, and sort of related, when you ask somebody for clarification on their critique and they immediately jump to being defensive about it. The original criticism might have been fine, but you wanted to ask them a follow up, and they go nuts on you defending their comment, when you weren't attacking it at all.

That doesn't mean I agree with all other criticism, but to me there's a difference between disagreeing with something and being annoyed by it.

 

[Robin Usagani]

I hate a CC that has nothing to do with the photography.. like how skinny the person is.

 

[Robin Usagani]

I do that a lot though.. saying about boobies

 

[imagemaker46]

It is difficult to make comments about some pictures without knowing what situation the photographer was working in. It's easy for someone to to say, "I would have shot it this way" or "that's not a keeper" that comment makes no sence at all without knowing why the photo was shot in the first place. Some people really just don't understand but feel they have to say something, most times it just proves ignorance.

 

[fjrabon]

It is difficult to make comments about some pictures without knowing what situation the photographer was working in. It's easy for someone to to say, "I would have shot it this way" or "that's not a keeper" that comment makes no sence at all without knowing why the photo was shot in the first place. Some people really just don't understand but feel they have to say something, most times it just proves ignorance.

Even those I don't mind. Yeah, it might not have been relevant to that shot, and I might have even thought about it at the time, but I always wonder how much a viewer will think and see those issues, and having people mention things like that gives me a better idea of how much certain things matter to viewers.

Edit: and a lot of times if they don't know how the picture was shot, that is the OP's fault anyway. If the OP wanted those conditions considered, they should have been mentioned in the first place.

 

[tirediron]

First of all, unless the critique is offered by another photographer, it's not really critique, more just a comment, since the person making the statement probably doesn't have the knowlege to understand what or why something was done. That said, what I find most annoying are critiques made without a suggestion on how to improve the image. "The exposure is wrong" is utterly useless, whereas, "The image is under-exposed. If you'd opened your aperture by one more stop and used a fill-flash..." not only tells the person just what is perceived as being wrong, but how to fix it.