Learn the language of photography through critique by Eileen Rafferty (YouTube lecture)

My notes on the lecture.

Critiques are subject and go beyond whether we ‘like’ or ‘dislike’ an image. It is important to give constructive feedback and to address only the photograph in front of you.

Are there any statements, captions, titles to help build the story. Can we get the intention from the photograph alone? (Intention – context of the image).

Parts of a photograph – Subject(see), Form(feel) and Content(think).

Subject – what is the main subject? What is the picture of? The subject is he leading role.

Composition – support the subject
Technical decisions – Depth of field, shutter speed, aperture, focal length
Perspective – Lens choice (wide, shallow), framing, where is the photographer standing (above, level, above)
Post-processing – supporting the subject by minimising other elements, lighting, cropping.

Form – visual elements. Do they support the subject or communicate the idea?

Line
Shape
Texture
Colour – These are the building blocks of an image.

Form – Technical choices to help show mood, emotion and memory.

Aperture
Shutter speed
Focal
Exposure

Content – What is the story?

Is there applied meaning?
Is there a symbol or metaphor?
Is the meaning apparent or hidden?
Does it evoke a mood, momery or emotion?

How to critique

Describe
Analyse
Interpret
Evaluate

What do you see, feel, think?

See

Technical:
Exposure
Sharpness
White balance
Depth of field
Subject

Formal aspects:
Lines
Shapes
Textures
Colours

Additional important powerful tools:
Composition
Perspective
Presentation
Process

Feel

What do you feel?
Mood?
Emotion?
Any other senses – feel, smell, taste
Memory/reaction?

Think

Story
Message
Symbolism/metaphor

Is what you are seeing and feeling, helping to support the idea, story or message?

Did the visual/technical choices the photographer made help to support the subject and perhaps communicate an idea?

Why does it make you feel like that?

Also important to talk about light – Temp, direction, hard/soft, quality, shadows (lines, shapes and textures become a lot more prominent in B+W.

Is there an outstanding element of the photograph? Sometimes that’s where to begin.

Emotion – is it obvious?
Technique – does the technique add to the image or get in the way? Does it work?

Text in an image is very prominent – can’t ignore it and can change an images story.

Always begin with something positive or objective.

Always make it about the image and not yourself.

Give suggestions for how to improve.

End on a positive note.

Bibliography

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46KOBAs9oPE [Accessed 01/05/2020]