by André Hermann | Oct 23, 2013 | Andre H, Featured Articles
Photo Credit: Rob McGuinness
The Art of Critique (Part 2) by Andre H, Part 1
The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism. ~Wole Soyinka
Critiques can be a little scary. We are essentially asking someone to purposely look at our work and tell us what we’re doing right, and wrong. But how often have you countered your critic with the question, “how do I fix what’s not working? How do I make my work stronger?” The critique is a conversation, a two-way road. A critique isn’t just someone looking at your work and sharing their thoughts. It is an opportunity to pick their brain, learn as much as much as possible. Ask questions. Engage the person. Have those questions answered. Leave so inspired that you want to immediately dive into improving your work. This is why it is so important to carefully choose who reviews your work, making sure you choose photographers who’s work you admire.
We don’t like being told we’re wrong, or that we failed. Yet, we all want to grow and have our decisions reinforced with the positive. Critiques are a necessary pill that must be taken in order to improve our work. It’s up to you to decide just how easy that pill will be to swallow. The sooner you learn how to take and interpret a critique the quicker you will begin to see your work develop, while making some new friends along the way. Keep in mind that giving a critique can be as difficult as receiving one. If you’re asking someone to give their time to critique your work, and they agree to take a look, its safe to say they genuinely want to help you, not hurt you. So keep an open mind.
Photo Credit: Jonas Karlson
The critique is like photography itself, subjective. And should be taken with a grain of salt. You’ve heard the saying, “everyone’s a critic.” Critiques from the ‘right’ people can sometimes be brutally painful to the ego, gnawing at the soul of some. Yet, like an amazing, unforgettable photograph, they can change perspectives on life and creative vision. Yet, a critique from the ‘wrong’ person, i.e., an unsolicited critique, or someone who really doesn’t want to do so, can also fall on the other end of the perspective—confusing, hurtful, and worthless. Whether you’ve experienced one, or all of these, I’m here to help shed some light on the process. In ‘The Art Of The Critique’ (part 1) we discussed how to give a critique. This time I will discuss how to receive a critique, how to find the right person(s) to review your work, and hopefully give you a new perspective on how to get the most out of a critique, with your soul and ego fully intact.
Finding the right people to review your work
I mentioned in ‘The Art Of The Critique’ (part 1) that I have given and received my fair share of critiques in my time, and continue to do so. I have always chosen the people to review my work very carefully, with exception to the few times when I didn’t have a choice in the matter. The people I choose are doing the caliber of work that I would like to be doing myself—my photographer heroes.
Photo Credit: Alexia Stins
I have seen the full spectrum of personalities from students and instructors, and their reactions to giving and receiving critiques. I have had my work critiqued by some of the most amazing photographers, some my heroes of the documentary & photojournalism worlds, Ed Kashi, James Nachtwey, Richard Koci Hernandez, Emilio Morenatti. And, I have experienced putting my work through the portfolio ‘meat grinder’ that is the Eddie Adams Workshop late night portfolio review. Each photographer had his own way of conducting a critique, some spoke kindly focusing only on the positive. Others were jaded, throwing scathing, thoughtless remarks without any care for who was sitting across the table from them. While others gracefully married the positive and negative into a mesmerizing dance that left me striving to engage, pushing my work further. Yet in the end it was up to me to direct the critique to make sure I received exactly what I needed. These people weren’t going to read my mind—ask my questions for me. Nor were they going to assume I understood every comment they made.
Some may say this is the most challenging part of the critique, finding the right person to review your work. Here are a few tips to help you do just that:
- Refrain from asking your mom, partner, family members, or circle of friends. Often times these people are only trying to be nice. If you want sunshine blown up your ass ask one of these people. But be prepared to hear nothing constructive, usually. Though there are exceptions.
- Ask a variety of photographers from various genres who know nothing of you or your work. This will help produce a broad spectrum of content for you to sift through for consideration.
- Look for photographers you admire in your genre, or that are proven masters at what they do, who are at a level you are striving for.
- No matter how successful, or popular a photographer, they are accessible, and most are approachable, nice people. All you have to do is ask. It may take a few attempts but be patient. You’ll be surprised at how many pro photographers will give you a few minutes of their time.
- If you are meeting in person, or by phone, and ask for 15 minutes of their time, be prepared to finish within 15 minutes, unless they offer more time. Being considerate goes a long way, especially if you want to follow-up with them.
- If you are publicly posting your photos to IG, Flickr, etc, be prepared for the unsolicited critique. These can be worthless at times, and even downright hurtful, ignorant. Other times, a diamond in the rough. Be careful of these and take them with a grain of salt. Ask the person to elaborate on their comment. More often than not genuine comments will be followed by genuine discussions.
Photo Credit: Massimo
Preparing for the critique
Entering a critique you need to be prepared to discuss your work and processes intelligently. Think about your work and what you hope to accomplish from this critique.
- Put up your best work. Focus on the most critical. Include images you feel most strongly about and those you are questioning the most. For example, when you can’t decide between two or three images. Include all three and ask for an opinion of which is strongest.
- Don’t overwhelm the person with more than 10-12 images. Take time to self-edit first. If you must show more than 15 images include a contact sheet of additional images. In my experience, during a critique I have been asked, “did you try this angle, or crop this way?” In which I responded “yes” but did not have the image to show. After that I began carrying contact sheets so the person could see the different variations I had attempted. Not everyone will ask for a contact sheet. Keep it on hand just in case.
- Create a series of questions that you want to ask your reviewer. The conversation can and will go off on tangents. You want to make sure you cover all of your bases. It’s easy to forget, especially when you’re sitting across from your photography hero.
- Don’t get offensive if you hear something negative. After all, it is only photography. A good practice is to critique your own work beforehand as if it was someone else’s work. What might you say about it? This will help prepare you for anything negative that might be said.
- Please leave the attitude at home. Don’t go in thinking your work is perfect. It’s not. Be happy for that. If it was perfect you’d probably get really bored with photography and move on to something else.
- Don’t expect only positive feedback. Remember, we need to know what we’re doing wrong in order to get better. Yet we need to hear what we’re also doing right to affirm our current abilities. It’s the photographer’s yin & yang.
- If a person says something that you don’t agree with, ask what they would have done differently. This shows that you are eager to learn, and progress.
- Don’t shun your reviewer’s opinion, or tell them they’re wrong because you disagree. I have experienced this in the past. This is a quick way to turn people off, and close doors in your face.
- Thank your reviewer when finished. Ask if you can come back, or resubmit your work for a second round review after corrections are made.
- It’s ok to be disappointed and sometimes feel hurt. Don’t retaliate with a random negative critique of their work. This is very unprofessional and only reflects negatively on you.
- Takes notes during, or write like a madman right after in a journal or notebook. You’d be surprised how fast we begin to forget details. Specifically make note of consistent comments that you continue to hear from various people. These are the points that you should really pay attention to.
- Once you’re finished receiving all the feedback you want, act on it, shoot, experiment with the newly acquired ideas. Don’t sit on it and do nothing with it. You’ll only find yourself feeling disappointed.
- Want, need, strive for comments beyond the ego-stroking techno gibberish that plagues the online communities, “Wow! Nice light! Cool! Amazing!” These do nothing to help you better understand your mistakes, or your work. They are lazy, empty critiques. If you are faced with comments like this ask the person to elaborate.
Photo Credit: Federica Corbelli
Conclusion
Like most people out there I was not born with a thick skin. It took me many years of critiques, hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and hard work in art school experiencing both good and bad critiques to understand myself, and the critique. I’ve made just about every mistake possible you can imagine relating to both giving and receiving a critique.
In the end, hearing negative comments about your work can be a jagged pill—hard to swallow. It can feel like a personal hit against who you are as a person, especially if you put everything into your work. But it really isn’t. Believe me. The point is, the more we explore both the successful and unsuccessful aspects of our work, the more we grow as artists. So ask questions, get feedback and keep shooting. Be honest with yourself about your work and your expectations. Personally review your own work. Be prepared to hear the positive, and the negative. Soon you’ll begin to see your work develop
by André Hermann | Sep 19, 2013 | Andre H, Featured Articles
Ed Kashi: There Are Skills To This, Its Not Luck by Andre H
Andre’s Introduction
Late one morning at a lesser-known tea lounge in San Francisco I was lucky enough to catch up with a long time friend and mentor, Ed Kashi of the photo collective VII while he was in town for a brief visit. Since becoming a part of the wearejuxt family I’ve had the thought of interviewing Ed to discuss his thoughts and opinions on mobile phone photography for quite some time. What I was really curious to know was how a 30-year veteran to the photojournalism & documentary world, and owner/member of a prominent photo collective is exploiting this now not-so-new photographic tool to help make the world a better, well-informed place, and at the same time continue to make a living. After our tea was served and we finished discussing apps and techniques, among other things, we began. The interview was originally recorded with an audio recorder. It has been transcribed, and is here in it’s entirety. So, lets get down to business, everyone, Ed Kashi.
A: Tell us who you are, what you do, and how long have you been doing it?
E: My name is Ed Kashi I am a photojournalist and documentary photographer and I’ve been working for over 30 years now.
Scenes in and around Aspen, Colorado with my photo workshop from Anderson Ranch Arts Center, during the annual Colorado Bike Race on Aug. 22, 2012. (Ed Kashi/VII)
A: When did you first hear about and pick-up the iPhone? What were some of the first things you shot with the iPhone?
E: I started using an iPhone when it first came out. Whatever that was, 2007 or 8. But I really didn’t think of it as a camera for the first couple of years. It was only after I started to see how other people were using it, ok, of course I used the phone originally, the camera part of it, for family snaps and, you know, hey, look were in Nevada or hey look we’re in wherever. But I never used it as a serious photographic device until about I would say, 2011, maybe even 2012. So its pretty recent and it was at that point where then, I went through my Hipstamatic period and then I think that was in 2010, 2011, and then in 2012 is when I really got serious about it, and a large part influences from folks like yourself and then kind of seeing what other colleagues, like Ron Haviv, Balazs Gardi, Ben Lowey, Michael Christopher Brown, younger photographers who were using it in very intense conflict situations and so-forth. And then it was in the summer of 2012 when I was just following my son around in his summer quest for a baseball scholarship to college that I thought, instead of bringing my 5D or my point and shoot let me just use my iPhone because I have it with me all of the time anyway. And that was really where things turned. And then The NewYorker gave me the one-week gig for their feed and then for the first time I was actually getting paid, it wasn’t much, but I was getting paid something. And more than the money I was having a chance to create, post-produce and disseminate in real time and that’s when the “likes” neuroses began. This new psychological phenomenon of the pursuit of likes, or the monitoring of likes. Its intoxicating when you think you can put something out in the world you just created and let people immediately, not only see it, but they approve of it, or they like it. That is awesome. I mean, obviously for me, I take it with a certain grain of salt because at this point I’ve been published a lot so I have a sense of, a very strong sense of having my work out in the world and having it be appreciated, but there’s still, there’s something about this that’s so direct. It’s almost visceral. It must be connected directly to our endorphins. You know, I can often say that I can have the cover of National Geographic Magazine and when it actually, physically comes out it almost feels like it past already. It’s a weird feeling, which is to take nothing away from the honor of having that happen, but on some visceral level its like it doesn’t arrive with a blare of excitement it almost arrives with a dull thud. I think that’s partly because of the way we are over stimulated, we’re also deluged with too much information and too much imagery, so unless there’s something specifically in the print publication you’re looking for it kind of comes and goes. Its weird how that is but on the other hand it stays, actually I should say it comes but it stays, where as the Instagram (IG) pictures, or the iPhone pictures they truly do come and go. I don’t see yet that they have a staying power that a cover story for national geographic has and it doesn’t radiate out in quite the same way in terms of the meaning of it. You can have 40K likes with an image you put up on lets say the National Geographic feed, which is pretty insane, but its still nothing like having your pictures in the magazine. So I’m talking about two different things here. I’m talking about the feeling I have as opposed to the actual impact.
A: Explain a little bit more about that feeling you have, the difference between the satisfaction, or lack of, seeing it online, literally how its here and then its gone as soon as the next image takes its place and actually being published in a print magazine.
E: Well, again print is much more permanent. Whatever permanence is, but print is more permanent. There is something about having it online, particularly having it on the IG feed because there’s such a volume of imagery that passes through IG that it quickly becomes something old. I also worry about how we might be devaluing images. It’s a very exciting time where there’s never been more interest in creating and absorbing imagery as there is today. But I worry that its becoming part of this steady diet of, its like candy, it comes and goes, we get a little rush, and it goes. And there’s something about, I don’t know about you, but you might show me some old family photographs, gorgeous black and white pictures that, you know, our grand parents had gotten, and there’s something so luscious about them and so tangible and tactile and they feel permanent and you want to preserve them and I don’t feel that yet with the iPhone pictures, but as I said, I’ve only been at this for a year, seriously, I think what tends to happen, is partly human nature, partly how we, how humanity absorbs and makes use of new technology. That maybe there’ll be a time in the near future where, obviously I archive my pictures whether they’re with an iPhone or with my canon camera, with equal importance, but, maybe there’ll be a time where there’s a way we can print out iPhone pictures, I mean I know you can already do that, there be some other way of archiving iPhone pictures that make them feel more permanent but right now it just feels like we’re just creating, creating, creating, this tsunami of imagery and then what’s going to happen is that each individual image by themselves might not have the same value.
Scenes in and around Aspen, Colorada with my photo workshop from Anderson Ranch Arts Center, during the annual Colorado Bike Race on Aug. 22, 2012. (Ed Kashi/VII)
A: Describe to us your first assignment shot with the iPhone. Who was it for, what was it of, and did you get paid?
E: The first time I got paid for shooting with my iPhone was with The New Yorker and that was the summer of 2012. They asked me to take on their IG feed for one week. And I was going to Aspen, Colorado to teach a workshop at the Anderson Ranch Art Center and so it was pictures of, kind of the daily life of that week, out with my students in Colorado photographing a bike race, a rodeo, my students on the art center grounds, you know, just anything that caught my eye. What was so exciting is that I could put these up immediately and there was this sense of engagement in real time with my audience. But the real first assignment to me where it was on a whole other level of meaning was when TIME magazine assigned me to cover Super Storm Sandy for two days. And that was just a whole other level of meaning. Not only were they paying me a very good day rate, like significantly better than I have gotten for their print publication, and I’ve been working for TIME magazine for almost 30 years, on-and-off, but also, the idea that I am covering something of incredible importance in real time similar to The New Yorker thing, but its in real time. I’m shooting it. I’m doing post-production on it. I’m spitting it out into the world, and beyond how many likes it might have gotten, which then because it was through the TIME feed, we’d be in the thousands, it was the idea that I was supplying information of something that was happening in real time, that was exhilarating. I mean, I think TIME‘s Patrick Witty and Kira Pollack (editors) the photo editors at TIME, they really pushed things with that assignment. I was one of five photographers, Andrew Quilty, Stephen Wilkes, Michael Christopher Brown, myself, and Ben Lowy, five photographers that received that assignment. It also turned the paradigm of my profession upside down, literally on its head, where the first use was social media and IG, then it filtered out within a day to TIME’s Lightbox blog, online presence and then the following week it was used in print.
Scenes in Montclair, NJ during and after Hurricane Sandy hit the eastern seaboard with a fury, leaving many dead and billions of dollars in damage, on October 29, 2012. (Ed Kashi/VII)
A: So tell me, even though it wasn’t your image that was chosen, what were your thoughts when you saw an iPhone image on the cover of TIME?
E: Well, you know, perspective is a funny thing. It really shapes how we interpret things, so the fact that I was a part of that endeavor I thought, “oh, that’s great. That’s cool.” I thought great. Now maybe if I had not been one of the five photographers I would have looked at it and gone “what are they doing putting an iPhone picture” or I might have been a little more judgmental about it but because I was a part of it my perspective is somewhat clouded by the act that I was part of that initiative and I was excited about it and it was meaningful to me. But in general, look, we’re living in a time of tremendous change, and I know that goes without saying, but what you have to constantly keep that in mind when these sorts of things that have never happen before, happen. And so, yes, we should step back and look at it and go is this a good thing or this not a good thing, but on some level its also just is. It just is. And we have to deal with that. So I thought this is great that they tried something different. It worked out, multiple mediums, the pictures look good in print, I’m very open-minded about these things, where I am in the profession, I have all the right in the world to be completely knocked off my feet by these changes. I worked my butt off for 30 years to reach the top of this profession and the last thing I want to see is all of the standards and thee structures in which I worked my way up through, I don’t want them to be destroyed because then it reduces all I have done to nothing, and its just not me, I have a family, there’s a greater responsibility I have now in life, its not just about me and my little career, its about much more than that its about my family, its about my kids, its about my studio, employees, you know there’s a lot riding on my work and so on one level I resent, and I am very angry about how convulsive the changes have been and forms of income and certain standards I became accustomed to, are, if not destroyed, they’re disintegrating or going away, but on the other hand, there’s nothing I can do about it, so instead of complaining about it, I’m going to put my energy into creating and trying to take advantage of these new tools and these new opportunities because that’s not only fun, because I have fun making pictures, beyond the money part I-love-making-pictures I love the way photography allows me to interface with the world, I love the way it enriches my life, the way it makes me see things. Not only do I love the creation of it but it also problem solving, so while something is going away, instead of sitting in a corner crying about it “I want it back the way it was,” no, I’m going to say “cool. What’s this new thing? How can I use in a way that is good or comfortable for me?” so I’m not only enjoying the creative process like I always have but I’m also able to survive and continue to make a living. And again, I always feel like every few years I’m repeating this, but, we have to always remember that photography is absolutely the offspring of the industrial revolution and technology so its only fitting, I really feel like I say this every few years, its only fitting that as technology advances and changes and morphs photography will do the same thing so while you can still shoot with a pinhole camera, literally, not the app pinhole [laugh] or you can use film or you can shoot with a 4×5 or an 8×10 camera or an iPhone, whatever device its all part of this continuum of what photography is which is truly a reflection of they industrial technological age, so its only fitting that now we would have these incredible little devices called smart phones that make beautiful photographs, its all part of the natural evolution of things. And so, I guess, if you look down the road, and if we ever, and I don’t want this to happen, if we ever become robots, or bionic, its only natural to think that we’ll cameras implanted in our heads or something. I’m not saying I want that to happen, but I mean, I guess we didn’t need to go there, but… I did go there.
A: So you’ve covered a lot over the last 30 years. Are there any events in your history where you wish you had what you have now, in regards to the capability of the iPhone?
E: That’s a great question. I guess no because I don’t tend to think of what could have been. That’s not my nature. I accept that the devices I had at those times were the one’s I used, what I would say is: I would have loved to have had a digital capture device in many situations. Whether it was a phone, or one of the great new canon DSLRs because then it would have allowed me to shoot in lower light, use less artificial light, have a higher ISO with image quality. All those things we now take for granted.
A: Tell me your thoughts about IG, and more importantly share your thoughts on the image you posted of your son in the hotel room on the National Geographic feed, and your reaction to the firestorm of comments and critiques that erupted from it.
E: There are aspects of IG, and the whole phenomenon it represents that I absolutely love, and its almost like a narcotic. I’m sure I’m not a lone waking up and going to sleep with it possibly being the first and last thing I do in the day, not everyday, its become quickly another touchstone of a kind of communal reality that we can live with this digital revolution and social media so as a photographer IG, at this point, reaches a height of what social media can be, as a photographer. But what’s so exciting is that there’s apparently 90 million other people who 99.9 % of them are not photographers that feel the same way, like my kids. Like so many other people that love to take pictures and use them to share with their friends and family and the public. Its interesting, this phenomena, IG in many ways captures the moment of social media, were living through no other form of social media, and again, as a photographer there’s obviously a particular importance and meaning to me. On the kind legal, professional implications side of it, I’m very concerned. I’m concerned as I said early how its devaluing the individual images both monetarily and almost in a, not a spiritual sense but, uh, the gluttony of it. Each morsel doesn’t mean as much, so that’s a concern, and of course the copyright issues are a concern and the issues of compensation and what IG and FB might decide to do, but as they learned, they’re not going to get away with it. And I might add, it wasn’t just the professional photo public who was part of that backlash, it was civilians as I call them who said no, no, no. I just ran into someone yesterday at Palo Alto high, a student, a high school kid who basically shared the same reaction as national geographic magazine, and professional photographers like me shared when IG announced the rights grab, they cancelled their IG account, a high school kid so I mean they have to listen to this people are not stupid.
Ed Kashi photographs his son, Eli, in Chapel Hill, NC during Eli Kashi's summer baseball trip in July 2012 (Ed Kashi/VII)
A: so please share with us your reaction about that [picture] did it change your perspective on what IG is, or, the people who use it?
E: through a series of communications between myself and a photo editor at National Geographic last summer when I was photographing my son as I went with him around the country to baseball tournaments or showcases um I had made a picture of him on the bed in a hotel room on his phone and I was reflected in the mirror taking the picture and I was just in my bathing suit, basically, or boxer shorts, um, the photo editor at the geographic said oh post that one on our new IG feed and it was literally one of the first images to be posted IG Geographic feed and I didn’t think about it. I wrote a caption, on the road with my son following his baseball dreams, or something like that, and within an hour there hundreds of comments a lot of them very nasty like “oh, what’s that man doing with that boy” or “this isn’t the sort of thing that I’d come to the National Geographic for” or like “eewww” things like that, and the final straw for me was “ I don’t want to look at that man’s ugly body” and so I then took it down and because I, you know the thing about the digital domain is its very easy, this is the bad part of it, its easy for people to be incredibly abusive. It’s basically cyber-bullying. I mean really, in its essence is what cyber-bullying is. You don’t know me and I can say whatever the hell I want no matter how painful or hurtful it may be no matter how much I misrepresent you or the image you’re looking at. And so thee impact, the comments to that picture reflected that sort of negative aspect of that sort of social media, that people feel like they can say whatever they want and I wasn’t prepared for that emotionally, and also showed me that people on IG don’t read the captions so I made the decision to take the picture down because it was too hurtful and I had shared something very personal. Since then I have also come to not only witness some work my colleagues have done particularly John Stanmeyer of VII but also I’ve recently done where you use IG as a form of raising awareness for an issue to fundraising and taking a very serious issue that I’m reporting on and photographing using this as an additional platform to communicate to a broader range of people I might not otherwise reach, and, but that endeavor is predicated on a very rich caption with strong meta data and hash tags so the reaction to those have shown me for all the people who don’t read the captions there are people who do. And so, in a sense we get back to the essence of doing this photojournalism or documentary work or any kind of informed reporting is that if you have a powerful image and you contextualize it with strong relevant data you will reach people. So for all the idiots who don’t look at a caption, not that they’re idiots, who just don’t care about that because they’re just into the pictures, there are those who will read it all, who will respond and comment and not comment with stupidity but comment with “wow I didn’t know about that” or “where can I, how can I get involved?” “How can I help?” So lets build on that positive stuff.
A: Do you still use IG especially after the TOS debacle?
E: Well, I still use IG. I did pause for a few days there after that, as you say, debacle of theirs, basically trying to make a rights grab. Which was also illegal for them to do because they didn’t have model releases so how could they use a picture of someone recognizable for commercial purposes, you know it was like a triple stumble on their part. You know, legally, ethically, and morally.
Car accident scene in lower east side of New York City on 10/8/12. (Ed Kashi/VII)
A: How has the mobile phone changed the way you shoot and or see life?
E: well, what’s so exciting about mobile phone photography is that I can now take pictures, I can have this visual diary of my life in a way that’s so much easier and less cumbersome than when I had to bring the camera with me. And then also, its allowing me to shoot in square format, well at least that’s how I’m choosing to deal with it because I’m generally working towards, shooting towards my IG feed, and I’m loving that, again you know what I love, you know, really, this gets back to the essence of when I was 18 years old and I was 3 months into learning photography, and I was in the dark and I had just learned about Imogen Cunningham, this is 1977, and so she was in her 90s living out in California, and I was like oh my god, you mean if I could live into my 90s I could still be taking pictures, like I could be taking pictures of nude women in redwood forests of California after having done 4×5 portraits and square format still lives and photojournalism or whatever you know, or fashion that photography is a series of endless opportunities to create in so many different directions now I have chosen a very focused direction and I have no plans to change that but this model photography is such a perfect manifestation what originally got me hooked on photography which was if I get to live a big long life that I’ll never run out of creative ways of utilizing photography so in a sense, in my rudimentary knowledge when I was 18 years old and I had just learned about black and white film processing and I thought “well I want to be like a photojournalist, but wow, I could take 4×5 nudes of people or 2.25 square pictures of people when I get older or do landscapes, this in a sense is, in a mid career now, so here it is I have a new thing. It’s not just a 35mm camera it’s a square format, it’s a different approach to things. Its also much more haphazard, for instance, were out in a sunny day, when I had to shoot in these situations I could barely see what I was getting on my screen unless I get all these accoutrements to outfit my phone which would destroy the purpose of what I love about this which is this little thing in my pocket and I just pull out and start shooting, but on the other hand its part of the magic of photography is that unknowing of what you’re getting its all great man and then I’ve since then shot my third sort of paid gig with the phone was in Burma in December for Global Post where I had been working on a project about income disparity and I shot in Connecticut and Bangkok, but the Burma piece I shot on the iPhone. And that was sort of interesting because I had to shoot in a sort of a shanty town area that was adjacent to a super fancy golf resort and on the golf resort we basically had to sneak in and shoot on the sly and that was a case where having, shooting with my iPhone didn’t telegraph immediately to security people and all that, what I was doing.
A: As a member/owner of VII, how do the iphone images play into overall scheme of the collective?
E: Ok. That’s an interesting question. The spirit of VII is such that while there is a very cohesive vision of how we want to look at the world in terms of looking at the world in a serious manner, and a meaningful manner there’s also the very strong edge of activism in many of the member’s photography and purpose that we’re not just there to make photography just to make photography we’re there to improve the world and advocate for certain issues and all that. So in that sense the iPhone has become yet another tool of expression and an effective tool of communication and again I go back to John Stanmeyer over the summer he did this big project for MSF in South Sudan on neglected diseases he maintains that through social media while he was there he reached an additional 500K people and so that’s powerful. So that not only raises the awareness about the issue he’s reporting on but it also raises money for the organization, you know, its all good. So that’s great. And I just experienced a much smaller version of that in Nicaragua. I’m working on a project about the epidemic of kidney disease among sugar cane workers in Central America. I decided to post a couple of portraits of sick sugar cane workers on my IG feed and within 24-hours the organization I’m working with started to receive some donations and people saying “how can I help? This is terrible.” Even like another photographer saying “I’m working on the same thing in Burma.” Its amazing the way we can get connected with each other. So to me, going back VII, its all a part of our purpose, and one of the main purposes of the agency, the cooperative is to do documentary photography and photojournalism that is not only meaningful but has an impact on the world. And then more over, we have a current group show called, iSee, that is touring its been in Boston, its been in New York, I don’t know where its going next. It may be in Italy, Stefano de Luigi, who’s based in Italy, he had a New Yorker piece called “Idyssey” where he followed along the Mediterranean Odysseus’ journey with the iPhone, Davide Monteleone another Italian photographer has done some beautiful work with the iPhone, Ron Haviv and Gary Knight two of the founders, you know, so, we’re totally into this, we’ve embraced it. Not everybody, we’re not autocratic in that way either, we’re not uniform. So VII is very well positioned in how its using the iPhone, or mobile photography both in artistic self-expressive sense but also in one of our main missions which is in a journalistic advocacy sense.
Hassidic man at the beach during the Polar Bear Club annual swim in Coney Island on New Year's Day, Jan 1, 2013. (Ed Kashi/VII)
A: What does the future look like for Ed, the collective (VII) and does it include mobile phone photography?
E: The future for myself and for VII the agency is extremely exciting and I prefer to look at it as very bright in an optimistic way. But make no mistake about it we are going forward through a lot of booby-traps and mine fields. It is not easy. It’s not straightforward, and there’s no assured success. Specifically, the twin pillars that were the underpinnings of our profession that held up the profession of photojournalism were editorial assignments and archival resale. That’s a photojournalist survived. Ok? And they’re both under threat. Those pies are getting smaller. Particularly archival sales, and that’s across the board. What its forcing us to do both individually and collectively as a company is to find new sources of support to commission, to help produce the field work, and then finding more innovative, new ways to disseminate our work. Disseminating the work isn’t the problem. There’s lots of ways to get our work out there all over the world like there never were before what’s difficult is how do we get renumerated for it because how we are able to survive. So that in a sense is the minefield, or lets just say, the challenges. The challenges are how do we remake the economic structure of our profession? Any iPhone can be part of that.
A: How has or is mobile photography changing the industry for photojournalists and conflict photographers?
E: For photojournalists and conflict photographers the iPhone, or mobile photography is presenting new opportunities to actually work more safely and more covertly and then on the other hand, its becoming more accepted as a form of image capture that magazines are willing to publish it. I just recently won a couple of awards and it was not an iPhone competition. So my iPhone pictures were along side Paulo Peligreen’s 35mm classic black-and-white pictures. So there’s an acceptance increasingly among picture editors and art directors and photo buyers. And as with everything, as the march of technology goes forward the image quality will improve, everything will improve, you know, like, the whole quality issue will not be an issue anymore. I see it as a meaningful and productive part of our future, and absolutely exciting too.
With the super storm Hurricane Sandy bearing down on the New Jersey, New York harbor, the scene at the Hudson River waterfront is ominous in Jersey City, New Jersey on October 29, 2012. (Ed Kashi/VII)
A: Any final thoughts or anything burning on your brain right now that I didn’t ask?
E: Well it’s just that, photographers have to be able to grab opportunities. And mobile photography is just another opportunity that is being presented to us. That doesn’t mean you have to do it. But think about that this is a cool new way to make pictures and potentially make some money. And I wanted to add, one of the aspects of monetizing this, and its still untested except in isolated cases, is if you can increase your following, then that’s something you can bring to the table to a client so you’re not just saying “hey, I’m Ed Kashi and I have all this wealth of experience under my belt, I’ve also got X number of thousands of followers.” So you know if you work with me I now can bring this audience along with me. And that’s something that I think we’re talking about at VII and other places. This is a moment that is insanely exciting for creativity, bringing worlds together that we could never have imagined doing in the print analog world, but damn its tough. And there are going to be a lot of photographers who don’t make it, there are all ready who have not made it. There are going to be individuals and organizations and institutions that are part of our world that won’t make it, and that’s sad.
A: So in the end a lot of working photographers, semi-pros, pros all worry about how the iPhone has eliminated the professional market of photography, yet in a sense what you just said, would you agree then, that actually, its actually helped to separate even more? And that really, as a professional photographer do we really have anything to worry about in regards to the moms-and-pops, soccer moms and your 12-year old son having a camera?
E: Citizen journalists and the casual photographer might on occasion make images or be in the right place at the right time where their work ends up being the work that show that situation but in the long run, in the aggregate, the larger picture citizen journalists cannot replace the professional photographer, they just can’t. They’re not going to go spend weeks or months with a homeless person or in a conflict zone or telling the story of a child with a genetic disease. They’re not going to do that. So only the professionals, and the really dedicated journalists and documentarians will do that. So that alone separates us, besides the fact that, you know, ya, I went for TIME magazine to cover Hurricane Sandy for two days, sure you could have handed a smart phone to somebody who’s a mom or a pop and said go cover it, and sure they may have taken a picture here or there that was good. Maybe even better than what I did, who knows, in the grand scheme of things they may not have been able to fulfill the assignment that the desk at TIME magazine could not have necessarily relied on them to know where to go, to know how to get there, to get the information to know the right place to be to show what’s going on to contextualize what they’re seeing in a proper manner so that’s its good reporting and then to get back and send it off all in time and all that. There are skills to this, its not luck.
A: So in the end can we agree that the iPhone is not a magic key for everyone to become a photographer over night with just because they have it, that in the end its still just a tool?
E: Absolutely
Contact Information:
ED KASHI PHOTO LIBRARY / 110 Montclair Ave. Montclair, NJ 07042 USA / tel: 973.746.9096 fax: 973.746.9612 / email: [email protected]
Ed is represented by VII AGENCY
For queries about assignments or licensing images, please contact Alina Grosman at VII. / email: [email protected] or call: 212.337.3130
Twitter / Instagram / Website
Originally published on 02/18/2013
by André Hermann | Sep 11, 2013 | Andre H, Featured Articles
Refining Observations: An Interview with Michael Christopher Brown by Andre H
In a world where nearly everyone is a photographer, and we are inundated with millions of images a day, its hard to keep track of who’s who, and, more importantly, the critical stories being told throughout the world. You all may recall earlier this year when I sat down with Ed Kashi to discuss mobile phone photography. It was during that interview that Ed introduced me to another photographer who was also using the iPhone to tell important stories. What later caught my attention was that this particular person had recently been accepted as a nominee into the legendary Magnum Photos with a portfolio dominated by mobile Phone images. Exciting, right? After reviewing his images, I wanted to know more, as I’m sure you do. So, lets do it. Everyone, Michael Christopher Brown.
AH: So tell us, who are you, what do you do, and why photography?
MCB: I use photography in areas of conflict. Photography, because it is the best way for me to communicate.
AH: Where are you right now? What story or project are you working on as you respond to these questions?
MCB: Thailand. I just photographed a friends wedding and am in the north now with my girlfriend. These past couple months I have not done much photography wise, just working on updating the stock archive and looking forward to a project in the fall.
AH: The explosion of mobile phone photography is beginning to settle now as it finds its place in the photography ring? What are your thoughts? Is mobile phone photography a blessing or a curse?
MCB: Well it depends how somebody uses the phone – in certain situations the phone helps and in other situations it hinders. But with respect to the mobile phone as an additional tool for photographers and artists, it is a blessing.
AH: As a working pro do you feel the mobile phone has leveled the playing field between dedicated pros and the average enthusiast? Why, why not? Is really just another tool, or is it something much more?
MCB: Taking professional looking photographs is easier and faster with the advent of the iPhone. There are tons of apps that make your picture looking ‘pretty’ in a matter of seconds, without having to learn Photoshop or other complex computer based imaging applications. So yes, it is possible for an average enthusiast to compete with a pro. But pretty pictures are not always good pictures, so in general it is not about the recording device that levels the playing field; It is about the developed eye and craft and the way a project is assembled that separates the pro from the enthusiast.
AH: When you’re not out in the field covering conflict what other types of subjects or genres are you shooting?
MCB: People I know, family and friends. I am not inspired now, as in the past, to do much street photography or photography of others I do not know beyond the projects that interest me.
AH: When did you first start using a smartphone professionally? What were your first thoughts on the process? How much have you changed since that first time?
MCB: I began using the phone in late 2010. I was attracted to the simplicity of operation, the size, the high ‘aperture’ (everything was in focus) and how, when using certain applications, the images would look like medium format transparency or color negative film in a matter of seconds. The quality was much lower than say 6×6 medium format, as it is still, but the benefits seemed to outweigh the drawbacks. The phone was particularly useful when photographing people, as it still is, because the public perceived a phone differently from that of a camera – they did not see it as an effective visual recording device so they were unafraid. This opened the opportunity to take certain kinds of pictures, for example the Line 2 subway series on my website. Most of the people in those images were unaware that I was taking their picture, generally from several inches away.
AH: How has the mobile phone camera changed the way you perceive photography and the world around you? How has the your mobile phone work changed the way the world perceives your work, and the issues you cover?
MCB: I used to take photography too seriously and the camera controlled certain aspects of my life. Removing the camera created a certain independence and I was able to see the world from another perspective, perhaps one more true to who I am. I am not sure if the mobile phone work changed the way the world perceives the work, perhaps the photography world but not necessarily the world in general. Images of war are images of war and for the most part it is about the content and if it is 35mm or Medium format. But I hope with this soon to be published book, Libyan Sugar, that I will be able to share something a bit different, at least with the photography world, and that the Libya work will be perceived a bit differently (more than just a body of war work created with a phone) as a result.
AH: You were recently nominated into Magnum Photos, an organization known for their traditional ways of shooting film. How will this affect your use of the mobile phone in your work? Was this considered in the acceptance process?
MCB: The portfolio submitted included only phone pictures from Libya and Congo, though I am not familiar enough with the details to comment on the acceptance process. So far it is a great relationship and I hope it continues into the years ahead. I applied because I have the utmost respect for the agency, the work of Magnum photographers was what inspired my initial interest in photography as a primary and worthwhile means of communication, but my acceptance will not inspire any further or lesser use of a phone.
AH: Can you please give me a brief breakdown of what the story was you pursued in the Congo. Why did you feel it was important? Why was this body of work submitted for consideration to Magnum over another story?
MCB: Initially I went for TIME magazine, working on a story about conflict minerals and the effects on the population in the Kivu provinces of the D.R.C. I proposed the story for TIME, to be included in their first every wireless technology issue. I photographed in Uganda, Rwanda then the D.R.C. in part of July and August, then returned again to theD.R.C. in November when the M23 rebel group took the city of Goma. I returned again in March and stayed until June, documenting mostly the population. Much of the conflict is never seen and inaccessible due to the fact that they do not want press there, it happens in the jungle and away from the main cities. I felt it was important for TIME as it showed where much of these minerals necessary to mobile technology was extracted from, and that it was important to show those involved and effected by that extraction. I submitted it to Magnum, along with the Libya work, as it best showed the direction my work was heading. Also I just spent a couple weeks in Egypt and plan to return to continue photographing the aftermath of the military takeover and the Egyptian population.
AH: How do you think mobile phone photography will continue to change the professional visual storytelling world?
MCB: Well it is not necessarily phone photography that is changing visual storytelling in the mobile world. It is the applications, the delivery platforms, and as they evolve so will visual storytelling.
AH: What is the “standard script for war reportage?” How is the iPhone changing that?
MCB: That phrase, the standard script for war reportage, may be looked at in different ways. It might, among other things, refer to the equipment being used, to the approach to war reportage in terms of the distance inspired by the equipment, or both. In this case it was both, but the importance of that work is not so much that a phone camera was used. The work takes on another meaning in book form, where the images set the stage for an experience expressed through journal entries, skype/email conversations and sms/facebook messaging. That experience takes place during the Revolution and it is about a young man going to war for the first time, searching for that age-old desire to not only be near a conflict but to get as close as possible to it in order to discover, quite purposefully, something about war and something about himself – perhaps a certain definition of life and death. So the 80 or so Libya iPhone images on my website does not do justice to that body of work. The book is sized and presented more like a novel than a photo book, and one has to go through the text to get the full message of the work. So this is all to say that it is not about the phone camera but the type of work a phone camera may inspire.
AH: You continue to shoot with hipstamatic? Even though it is known for its slow processing time, what’s your rationale forusing it in conflict zones? Why not another app? Other photographers covering conflict have been scrutinized for using heavy filters and hipstamatic when covering news worthy topics. What are your thoughts on walking this fine line between photojournalism and the fine art world?
MCB: Hipstamatic used to be very slow, about one picture every 15-30 seconds. But I enjoyed that process because it slowed me down and enabled a different way of seeing. I miss the slow version. Now one can take nine frames before having to wait for it to process, and it is interesting how the process has become lazy as a result. I did contact Hipstamatic at some point regarding the heavy filters, the splotches and vignetting, which I think looks terrible, but they were not interested at the time. When another friend and colleague then contacted them later, they worked with us to create a better lens and film though I have yet to try it out.
AH: What’s your work flow when using the iPhone. Break it down for us. What’s app(s) do you use in what order? Do you post only to IG or other photo sharing sites?
MCB: I have used the app 645 Pro. I like it because there is a spot meter and the exposure and focus can be locked, but it is slow compared with Hipstamatic. I still defer to Hipstamatic as I have yet to find an app that has less ‘shutter lag’ than Hipstamatic, though the regular camera on the iPhone 5 is now as fast if not faster than Hipstamatic, but it does not have the square frame. I post mostly to IG and sometimes will use IG to share on Facebook and Tumblr.
AH: Explain your initial reaction of being one of the 5 photographers chosen to cover Super Storm Sandy by TIME magazine with a Mobile phone. Had you already been using an iPhone to cover conflict? Was it business as usual for you, or did you have to change your workflow?
MCB: I had used a phone before on assignments, in conflict and at the time had just finished a job for TIME in the Congo using a phone. Sandy was the first time I was given an assignment to post to Instagram and I was assigned to specifically cover Manhattan. Though I could not venture out to the coast where the most intense wave action was happening, I was able to find enough to photograph, sometimes due to the Instagram comments of followers.
AH: Please explain your thought “shooting with an iPhone is similar to keeping a notebook.” What does this mean?
MCB: During the photographic process, I don’t take the phone as seriously as the camera and that makes a big difference. It starts with the physical aspects – it weighs less, has no moving parts and slides effortlessly into and out of the pocket. Then there is the photo bag – there is none, and there are no other lenses, memory cards and such to worry about. There is just one button and the world. Much like a notebook, just a pen and the world.
AH: You’ve mentioned that the limitations of an iPhone can also be beneficial? Please explain.
MCB: Well a vice is a virtue. From an artistic standpoint, the limitations are the limitations of any other camera with one lens. Because the photographer is given one focal length and ‘look,’ making a cohesive project can be easier because, beyond a certain physical distance that is then necessary, determined and perhaps predictable due to the lens and vision of the photographer, the photographer is not only mindful of the end result, how a scene will appear photographed before actually photographing the scene, but becomes a non-participant at the technical end of the photographic process. So throughout the process a photographer is never a technician, but an observer, and this role reduction refines the observation.
AH: You were quoted “ I am convinced that a photographer’s professionalism lies in the approach taken to the work, not the equipment used.” Some people may argue this point especially those who spend thousands of dollars on high quality ‘glass’ and other equipment. Why do you feel the approach is so much more important than the equipment?
MCB: I was partly referring to photographing people, when approach is everything. Body language, what you say and how you say, largely determines access and the way in which people respond, not equipment. I was also referring to the vision of the project and, in reference to the above, that equipment can negatively interfere with the quality and intensity of observation.
by André Hermann | Aug 9, 2013 | Andre H, Featured Articles
The Art of The Critique (Part 1) by Andre Hermann
Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots.
–Frank A. Clark
As artists producing work in the world of photography, we all want, we all fear, and we all rely on the critique, more importantly, the result of the critique—constructive criticism. And yet it is one of the most misunderstood, poorly practiced, and guarded of treasures. We look to our peers, our mentors, friends, family, and sometimes unsolicited strangers, for their honest thoughts and opinions of our work. So what is it about the critique that makes people so uncomfortable? How can we go about conducting a constructive critique in a way that helps everyone grow emotionally, and professionally?
1
The reason we ask for critiques is because we know deep down inside our work can be improved upon on one level or another. We all want to see our work evolve, elevating to a new level. We want recognition that what we are attempting is successfully communicating the intended message, and if it’s not doing it properly we want to know what we can do to make sure it succeeds.
I’ve always been in awe of the critique. Most people want it yet shy away from sharing it as if they will suffer some great torture at the hands of the photographer for sharing their thoughts. The blind stares, one-word answers, and strange soliloquies that dance around protecting one’s creative decisions from their reviewer’s honest opinion exist in a space of confusing absurdity. I honestly believe people have an easier time critiquing their friend’s failing relationship than their creative endeavors.
All too often I hear of slanted critiques that fall on one side of the fence or the other—someone only giving positive feedback, blowing sunshine up someone’s ass. Or, nothing positive is said at all leaving the person mentally broken with nothing to strive for. Both of these are tragic, and do nothing to help develop strong storytellers.
2
As an educator, mentor, and professional photographer I have been learning the graceful dance of giving a critique, pinpointing both the positive highlights, and, negative shortcomings of my students work while managing what peers are saying to help everyone get the most out of the experience. And yes, you heard me correctly, I said ‘negative.’ The critique is an art form, as subjective as photography itself. It is a fine balance between the positive and negative, and the informed and personal opinion. Believe it or not, people do benefit more from hearing the negative.
Nowadays we are conditioned to take a critique as being one word answers or short phrases such as “cool,” “awesome,” “great,” “cute,” “nice light,” and the use of thumbs-up emoticons, and other gibberish. Ask yourself, what is the real takeaway from responses such as these? Often times this is where the process ends. Without out proper constructive criticism we learn nothing of ourselves. Our work. Or how we can improve as storytellers by receiving this strangely seductive 21st century ego stroke.
So what is a critique?
According to thefreedictionary.com, ‘critique’ is defined as ‘the art of criticizing.’ Moving one step further,siting the same resource, ‘criticize’ simply defined means to ‘to judge or discuss the merits and faults of.’ Pay close attention to the word ‘discuss.’ What I want you to realize is that a critique IS a conversation, a two-way road driven by give-and-take. Like photography itself, the critique is a form of communication in which we are inviting the audience to engage the image(s), start a dialogue about the work and processes, and share thoughts and experiences with each other with the intention of learning more about who and why we are.
3
I’ve had my work critiqued by some really amazing photographers. Some famous, others less known who have poured their passion and experience for the craft into the critique in hopes to help cultivate another strong storyteller. And I have had my work critiqued by some real cards who were far beyond jaded, caring nothing for the person sitting across the table from them, or for the further development of the craft. So what I am about to share with you is a culmination of what I have learned over the years not only as a student ravenous to devour as much knowledge as I could from my photography heroes, and my like-minded peers, but what I have learned along the way translating my past experiences to critique the next generation of storytellers in the classroom.
4
You’ve been asked for your opinion. Now what? So, you’ve been asked to critique someone’s photography. First of all, feel blessed. This person cares enough about you, your skills, and your opinion to ask for your help. Before accepting the request, ask yourself, “Am I knowledgeable on the subject or genre I am about to critique? Or am I just highly opinionated?” For example, looking at the We Are Juxt Art Critique forums, I would probably not volunteer to critique the ‘Mobile Artistry’ community. I am a street photographer & documentary photographer. I know nothing of the apps one utilizes to create these amazing images, or the subtle nuances involved in the Mobile Artistry workflow. I could tell you what I think looks “cool and awesome,” and why I feel that way. But what good would that do you?
The critiquing process relies on asking questions, engagement, and answers. So ask some questions. Get to know a little about the person, their thought process, and their image(s). Ask the person what they are specifically looking for. This is very important. Photography cannot be properly critiqued without knowing who the intended audience is, what the person is hoping to accomplish, or a clear idea of what exactly they want from you.
OK. So lets get to why you’re really reading this, The do’s, the don’ts, and the how-to’s
What TO do
- Ask the person what they are hoping to get out of the critique.Are they lost, seekingdirection? Or are they only looking for insight on how to polish, or further develop the work?
5
- Inquire about their work. The critiquing process involves asking questions. Who is the intended audience? Why did they create this image or series? What do they hope to accomplish with it? This will help you can gain a better understanding of what you’re looking at, and how you might relate to it.
- Take your time critiquing the work. Give the person your undivided attention. Take time to look at their work. Step aside, come back and look at it again before sharing your thoughts to make sure you are comfortable with your feedback. Treat it as if it was your own.
- Invite the person to ask questions as you go. This only applies if critiquing over the phone or face-to-face. Remember, a critique is a conversation between two people. Make sure the person understands what you’re saying.
- Relate to the work by sharing a story. People like to hear that their heroes and peers have lived and learned the same experiences both positive and negative.
- Reference another photographer’s work. This is extremely valuable to the learning process. Introduce someone to another photographer’s work.
- Look at the [objective] technical qualities: focus, exposure, contrast, quality of light, color, DOF (depth of field,) composition, framing
- Look at the [subjective] emotional qualities: Is the subject clearly defined? Is there emotional appeal? Is the story or concept well realized?
- Make sure your critique is clear and easily understandable. If you’re doing it by email type it out in a word processor. Sit on it overnight. Revisit in the morning before sending. Read it out loud to yourself.
- Suggest ways to improve or correct the issues. I like to call it ‘the take-away.’ Your suggestions are what will help the person grow. Believe it, or not, they will remember you for the suggestions you give them.
What NOT to do
- Do not ignore a request to critique someone’s work. It is an awful feeling to be ignored, especially if it’s from someone you admire. If you are uncomfortable, or for some reason cannot find the time, or are unknowledgeable of the content let them know that. And don’t give a half-assed excuse why you can’t critique their work, like “its hard to critique such a personal story.” These sound like cop-outs and don’t help anyone. Remember the golden rule. You know, do unto others…
6
- Do not start with the negative. The critique is all about first impressions, and how you set the stage for the discussion. This is something that I’ve found a lot of students do. No one benefits from it. Find something positive to start with.
- Do not assume that everyone has a “thick skin.” Everyone reacts to critiques differently. Some people are very sensitive about their work and may have never had experienced a critique before. Sometimes people feel that any comment less than positive is an insult to their very soul. How you present your feedback, and knowing a little about who you’re critiquing will serve you well to navigate.
- Don’t be silent. The person is looking to you for insight. If you can’t find anything positive or negative to say tell a story, ask a question. Dig a little deeper. Take control of the situation.
- Don’t forget there is another person on the receiving end of your critique. Don’t talk down to them or ride a high horse. You may just learn something from the person and their work.
7
The Critiquing Process
Now that you know the do’s and don’ts lets talk about the how-to’s. When critiquing I always try to start with something positive, something the person did right—something that is ‘working.’ Then something that needs help or is lacking, followed by suggestions of how they can potentially fix it. Remember, the ‘take-away’ is very important here—what you want the person to question and hopefully explore. There have been times when, for whatever reason, I was not able to find anything positive to say about someone’s work. This happens. It can feel dreadful—puts us on the spot. Embrace it as a challenge. Just as there is always room for improvement, there is also always something positive to compliment, even if it’s something as simple as, “your choice of working with this subject shows your dedication to addressing this issue and telling its story.”
What I look for when critiquing
- Architecture of the frame (elements form visual triangles in the frame, simply; all of the elements feel good and are well positioned.)
- What’s happening on the outer edges? (Are there any distracting elements that distract our eye from the subject?)
- What is the subject? And, is it clearly in focus?
- Technical [objective] qualities (see #7 above)
- Emotional [subjective] qualities (see #8 above)
- Did they show their image some love? Curve adjustments, sharpening, color corrections?
- Can they clearly describe their work or concept?
- Color or black-and-white? What is their rationale? “Because everyone else is doing it doesn’t cut it.”
- Is the moment spot on or did they miss it?
- Does the image have a clear voice? What is it trying to say?
- Does it leave a strong first impression?
- Does the image have a caption? Does it help, or distract from, the image?
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Conclusion
Giving a critique is not always easy. Similar to photography it requires a little time, patience and a genuine curiosity for life happening around you. By reviewing a person’s work you are playing a significant role in helping them to develop skills to create better photography, in the end contributing to a better, more sophisticated photographic world, all the while helping to build a strong sense of community. So pay attention to who’s sitting on the other side of the work you’re about to critique and remember you were there once yourself. You might be surprised to find yourself asking them for a critique next time.
In part 2 of the Art of The Critique, I will discuss how to find the right person to critique your work, how to receive and interpret a critique, and other things to keep in mind to make sure you get exactly what you want out of it.
Editors Note: Please see our ongoing series, Art Critique & Community. It’s an opportunity to participate, engage, and learn through the art of the critique.
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Credits
1 –Eric Ward “The young prince defends his queen”
2 –Dopez (Email) “where_ love can take you”
3 – Maria João Fitas “Cotton Candy”
4 – Jani Lewis This sweet lady lives next to Waves of Mercy’s mission quarters in Port-de-Paix, Haití. Every morning at five a.m. we pass her on our daily walk.
5 – Mauricio Hoyuelos “The pause that refreshes”
6 – Caroline MacMoran Instagram // IPA “Riding the Ferry”
7 – Criky Perez His name is Eduardo. He is 62. He was born Argetinian but he feels American. He can speak 6 languages and he came, as he says, for a woman`s love. Despite that love, he had another one in his born Argentina. The result of those 2 loves: 3 sons and 7 grandsons. Actually, he passes his days en a bar called La Cerdanya, in Gràcia, a neighbourhood from Barcelona city. And he is alone, without those two loves, just with his cigars, his beers and his half broken and old radio accompanying him wherever he goes.
8 – Nick Becerra (Email) Sunset behind Giant’s Graveyard from camp at Toleak Point on the WA coast… a perfect end to an incredible day of adventure, full of laughs, mishaps, whiskey, seals, bald eagles, bouldering, hiking, collecting mussels for dinner, swimming from sea stack to sea stack, passing a dead whale on the beach, and collecting tons of new ‘fun marks’. such a restorative few days in the mountains and on the coast.
9 – Stefanie lePape Flickr “Too far south”
10 – Delphine Dabezies “I never thought that tonight could ever be this close to me…” – Cure
11 – Baltasar Lopez Garcia This picture is taken with hipstamatic (Americana + Blackeys Supergrain). The low contrast I got it before uploaded to EyeEm, with the Steph filter. I like to use Hipstamatic for the great combination of lenses and films. Actually I use Oggl which allows me take the picture with exposure control and finally chose the combination. I’m a partner of shootermag, the first photo mobile magazine in the world.
12 – Selena-Lani Williams “Home”
by André Hermann | Jul 16, 2013 | Andre H
The Purge by Andre H
From the time I began shooting with the iPhone 3G years ago I have experimented with many apps and styles as I navigated the developing world of mobile phone photography. I have seen my images pass through many phases, and fads. I have grunged the hell out of my images, sometimes losing them to unsalvageable damage, tiled them together to form visual quilts in a David Hockney sort of way, shooting through digital lens onto digitally replicated film types, all in the name of, and for the thrill of experimentation. Since that time I have worked my way back to where I am now. Through my street photography I have come to embrace and love the simplicity of a minimalist workflow shooting primarily black-and-white with little, if any post-production.
I know a lot of us have made names for ourselves by developing, and holding to very specific styles, or subject matter, but how healthy is it to limit ourselves to one particular workflow or style? Every now and then we need to purge, step away from our self-determined styles and subjects for a moment, and try something completely new, 180 degrees away from “normal” in order to help us to understand ourselves and continue to grow as creatives. After recently losing my job, now facing a temporary run of unemployment, and at a loss for my daily serving of the streets of San Francisco, I looked for the positive. And, there it was, right in front of me. My attention shifted to my 3-year old daughter. I was given the gift of enjoying more time with her. Spending all day everyday with her, she became my new muse.
The tender moments and portraits of a little girl and her daddy served as proof of our time spent together. I may have lost my job, but thank God, not my imagination. With these intimate moments of Wren and I at home I asked myself the magical question, “What if?” I had recently begun exploring a new app, “Mextures.” I had also begun revisiting an old favorite, “Pic grunger.” So, “what if I degraded these images to the point of becoming more graphic in nature, both conceptually, and visually?” For so long I had bound myself to an almost photographic “purity” involving no heavy filtering. Now I was ready to embrace another side of my creativity, one that had been lying neglected for sometime. I wanted to see just how far I could push my photography in the opposite direction. It was time for a brief purge. For two-weeks I would let go of who I was as a street photographer and run my photos through the filter meat grinder, tweaking and grunging photos of my daughter and I out beyond my normal style.
Depending on the light, the moment, composition, and the amount of post-production, each image began taking on a new creepy, disturbingaesthetic. I liked the results I was seeing. I immediately began posting on IG and Eyeem. The reactions were interesting. Some people absolutely loved my horrific “purge” series, while others hated them. Some thought they were fun. Others threatened to “un-follow” me if I continued to post similar images. Some people even demanded more. I knew I had something here that was striking people’s emotions.
These were not necessarily for everyone. I was creating this series for me. As I mentioned earlier, I needed a change. I had a lot of pent-up anxiety and frustration. So I purged it through my photography. I embraced something new. Not really photographing a new subject, but rather exploring how I could transform an image perceived as “innocent” and elevate it to another level of perception. Now, before we move on, I want to make it crystal clear here that there are no weird, intentional underlying messages within these images symbolizing my relationship with my daughter, or my feelings toward her.
The Purge!
We all need to let go sometimes. We need to step out of our comfort zones and embrace for just one short moment, another side of ourselves uninhibited. It’s needed. We all try so hard to live within the boundaries of what our peer groups or followers are expecting and willing to accept that we forget about the search for the new and unknown. Especially now, as we all search for that virtual pot of gold at the end of the rainbow—more followers, internet fame, global acceptance and the digital pat-on-the-back-high-five by strangers acknowledging that we’ve done something good. Normally known for street photography, I took a brief break. I wanted to explore what potentially could be hiding just below the visual surface. Think of it like another dimension. Not only would this involve myself. But as I would later find out while posting that this would take my audience on a new journey as well. Introducing them to a side of me that they may not have ever been expecting to meet.
The Process—How I did it
1. Camera+
This experiment began with innocent experimentation with an innocent moment. I followed my normal recipe. I photographed my daughter using camera+. Under the “scenes” tab I chose clarity. Effects tab–retro–Ansel. I now had the first step of the process down.
2. Mextures
Next I imported the image into Mextures app. I cropped the image to my liking and moved forward into the texture packs. This is where I made the real discovery that propelled my project forward. This is also where the most experimentation happened, and the most nuanced tweaks made the biggest difference. Next I chose “emulsions” followed immediately by clicking the far right icon that looks like a magic wand with three stars, or, “blending modes.” I clicked on every single option in the beginning to see what each did. The one that caught my attention was “color burn.” Using this with a black-and-white image produced a high contrast image. The beauty of this option is that there is a sliding scale that allows you to control the level of the effect. But it gets better. I was hooked. I clicked the check mark. Selecting different emulsions I realized that the image was once again drastically affected. Each emulsion created a different effect in the color burn blending mode, and each was controllable using the slider bar. Oh ya. I was excited. I explored each one until I arrived at a “look” that I was satisfied with. At this point I was surprised to see how a photo of an innocent little girl was transformed into a horrid, evil looking creature. I loved the possibilities. My curiosity was ignited. I began experimenting with more and more images, more about that later. Once I found the right “emulsion” I clicked the “+” symbol to add a new layer of effects. Select “new pack.” I did this multiple times adding layer after layer of grunge effects, grit and grain, and more emulsions until I was satisfied. I exported and saved to the image library.
3. Pic grunger
Pic grunger is a pretty amazing app that has been around for quite sometime. I used a long time ago to add an old rudimentary warn photo look with an interesting border. This app is amazing because of the grunge possibilities it gives you. I will easily lose a lot of time exploring the infinite possibilities in this app, as did I. After exporting from Mextures, I imported the image into Pic grunger for its final round of filtering. This is where I would add the polish to my fear invoking images. After importing you see many different options some I used and others I never touched. For this example I used “streaked.” At this point, if you haven’t realized it, you’re falling down a rabbit hole. There are four different ways to tweak this effect. “Style” “Strength” “Border” “Texture.” I really didn’t waste my time with “Border” it seem to ruin the affect I was after. I really didn’t do too much with strength either. I primarily explored style and texture. Those were my favorites. Under the texture tab my favorites were “pulp” “wrinkled” and “newsprint.” The style tab adds contrast to the final image. I found the results differed from image to image depending the quality of the image upon import and the texture used.
Conclusion
Photography is about context and how we perceive what we’re looking at. What are we questioning, hoping to discover? Sometimes we find answers to our questions, while other times we are introduced to concepts and truths that we wished we had never unearthed. Looking over these images that I was creating I began to question if this is how we perceive ourselves when we’re depressed or stressed? What might we all look like under stressed, graphic conditions? A good innocent smile becomes a dark, horrifying creature reminiscent of a nightmare. What we initially perceive as happiness really dark? Is this how I was seeing myself, and life? Was I looking at the visual representation of my anxiety and depression? Or was it just an innocent experimentation that I stumbled upon by accident one day. I’m not sure how to answer that question just yet. But what I do know is that the importance of the purge is to clear our systems, experiencing a new perspective with the intention of coming back to a normal way of doing things with a new outlook. I did just that and enjoyed every minute of it. Through that process I came face-to-face with a new series of questions that have helped me grow and reconsider how people not only perceive my images but also how people might perceive me as a person. Man, I love photography.