How to Rate Photos
Most photo sites offer their participants to rate images, and some people find it difficult to evaluate the merit of a photograph because of lack of experience or knowledge. However, your experience and knowledge don’t matter. If you have your eyes, you can see which photo is good and which is bad.
When you rate an image, it is a good idea to explain your high or low marks by adding a comment or critique. And when you critique a photo, you express your opinion, which can be boring, violent and irritating. But at the same time it can be useful and helpful to the author. With a critique, your may draw author’s attention to the weak or strong sides of their work. And no matter whether your feedback is positive or negative, it should be helpful. Critiques are meant to become good advice and encourage people in their further work. There come some general tips for writing effective feedbacks.
First ask what the photographer was trying to do?
- Study the image carefully and decide if the photographer made full use of the facilities at their disposal, or they could have put more effort into their work.
- Then, pay attention to the color choice. There are images that look better in black & white, others v.v. require natural colors, or a monochrome scheme.
- Composition is another important factor that influences your perception of the image. Most photographers know that there exist lots of rules of composition, but you’d better not get too hung up on them.
- When you look at the photo, it’s important what you see first. The subject should stand out, so that you can find it immediately without wandering around aimlessly.
- Then, draw your attention to the background of an image. It shouldn’t clutter the scene or define it. Remember, there should not be too much or too little background, but it is always better to get rid of things that may distract the attention from the subject.
Another question you are to ask yourself when critiquing is how well the photo is done from the technical poing of view.
- Is the photo properly focused? Successful photos contain the whole subject within the depth of field, lack distracting elements in the background or have them blurred. However there are no fixed rules about focusing, everything depends on the composition.
- Next thing to evaluate is exposure. Improper color, washed out colors, and low contrast can all point to poor exposures. But remember, that these all may contribute to artistic effect as well.
- Then try to decide if the focal length is appropriate for the scene. Sometimes, an alternate choice of focal length can make a photo look much better.
And the last, think if the photo should have been done at all? When we share our images, we want to tell a story, evoke emotions in other people. So express your feelings, share your thoughts about the photo, and that makes your critiques particularly valuable.
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