[Leica] Criticism

[Bruce Feist <bfeist@flock.org>]

Hi, Carl and other Leicaphiles;

I mostly agree with your comments.  I don't judge photos, but I do judge beer
(really!), and the considerations are very similar.  (If my only comment is that your
beer has a nice color, you can be sure that there's something wrong with it!)
However, this approach is essentially a compromise between being informative and
being supportive; it's appropriate for people who are either beginners and therefore
easily discouraged (we don't want them to stop taking photos or making beer; we just
want them to to do a better job of it) or are very sensitive to criticism.

When dealing with one's peers in a field, on the other hand, I don't think that it's
as important to sugar-coat criticism.  You certainly don't want to be rude, but you
can and should be direct.  And, it's important to criticize constructively rather
than insult; the primary difference is that with constructive criticism, you make an
effort to at least identify specifics of what the problem is, and ideally suggest a
solution.  And, despite my earlier comment about sugar-coating, it's never a bad idea
to point out something that you like.

Here are some beer examples:

Bad:  Your beer sucks.
Not useful:  I don't care for this beer.
Good, but direct: Your beer has an unpleasant chemical-like flavor.
Good with sugar coating:  Great aroma!  The flavor is a bit chemical-like, though.
Better:  Your beer has an unpleasant chemical-like flavor.  Be very careful to
completely remove any sanitizers that you've used in your equipment before using it.

Bruce

> From: Carl Socolow <csocolow@microserve.net>
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Cool Leica Pictures
>
> When I judge for the local camera club a couple times a year I see
> brilliant images and those that need improvement. For the latter, I will
> not say they are inferior or do nothing for me. I will tell the
> submitter where I think it can be corrected whether framing,
> composition, exposure, conceptualization. But it's always positive and
> helps someone grow. If I don't like the image content but like the
> technique I would say that the subject matter is not what I would
> photograph. That doesn't make the photo invalid. And I will extol the
> technique and point out its strengths. Everyone wins.