From the mind of Ember

There are many ways to best a critique, while either giving or receiving one.  This article will help you know what to look for, how to define it, and how to appropriately take a full-on constructive critique and make it work for you.

What to Look For:

In giving a good, fair critique, one must be able to know what makes a photograph good.  Most appropriate areas are to comment on lighting as well as composition.  This later leads to aesthetic feel and timing, among other fields of skill that go into a photograph.

How to define it:

There is a certain lingo and tone your photography critique should take on.  You should be using terms such as; depth of field, highlight, shadow, and composition.  Also, do not argue in a critique that “this sucks” or “this is good” without actually defining why you took that particular stance.  An appropriate argument would be “your highlight on the face are a little hot.”  This is more than acceptable with most photographers.  Do not be afraid to be harsh once in a while, as long as you can back up your claim you should be fine.

How to take a critique:

When receiving a critique, however, you should hake it how it  is.  Do not defend your work unless it is asked of you.   If you are worried that your message is not going to get across, then say a few words in the captions or comment to the critique(er)  before they begin.  Remember, you are getting their opinion and any advice you get can always help you.  Do no disregard anyone’s critique solely because of a bias (they’re younger, different type of photographer, graphic designer, they smell, their photos aren’t good).  Everyone’s opinion matters when it comes to critiques.  Even snapshot photographers, at some point in their lives, crave critique, even if not by the some established photographer.  Also, do not expect more out of a photographer than their skills show.  This makes for a very poor criqitue.

I hope this helps and don’t forget to keep shooting my little shutterbugs.

~Ember

This is just a post for myself, mostly because it’s been a while since I posted anything.  I figured I”d go away from the photography for a moment.  This is a bit more personal of a post, an update of me, if you will.

Love

Duncan and I are doing great together.  We’ve been living together for easily over a year, and we’ve got a few months before it’s 2 years of dating.  We’re both planning on moving to NJ, NY, Connecticut, area when I graduate.  Closer to the bigger cities and closer to his family, who can help us if we get in a jam.  Plus it’s fairly close to a beach that I can go diving at.  Granted it’ll be colder, but it’s a compromise I am willing to make.  I would love to move to CA and be warm all the time, but that probably wont happen.

School

School is going well.  I”m in my 11th quarter, which easily makes me a senior at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.  I just got past midterms and am working on final projects, which is taking a bit of a toll on me.  Especially since I’m a fairly social person, not as much often as before, but still social.  This is eating into my sleep time, which is fine, just the more challanging classes are pushing me to succeed and try even harder plus putting much more time into homework.  I’m struggling this quarter to get my grades up and keep them up, but at this point, passing is all that matters to me.

Work

As many of you know, I’m working at the cage/Cave in the basement of AiP.  I’m the Media Center Lead Tech soon to be senior lead tech once Erika graduates.  Luke is going to be the new junior lead tech, which I think is an amazing fit.  I’m working on helping all the new hires get settled into the cage and learn what they need to learn to succeed in this job.  All the time trying to make new friends with the ones there already outside of the cage.  I really have a lot in common with a lot of them that they don’t realize it sometimes.  It seems like I’m always working, even when I’m not on the clock, I’m going in off the clock to finish something I want to finish or going to just hang out at the cage because I’m bored.

Life

Life has been good.  I’ve been working out connsecutively with Ben from work.  I’m finally starting to see results, 5 weeks in.  The working out and walking up the mountain with Luke on an almost daily basis has improved my cardio impecably.  My muscles are becoming toned which is amazing.  Especially since summer is right around the corner.  I’m planning on taking my sister to NYC this summer, working around her band schedule, when dad’s goign to see her, and my volunteer schedule for the Three Rivers Arts Festival.  I’m planning my trip to Imaging USA this next year in Nashville, TN.  I’m very excited about this.

That’s all I have for right now,

Thanks for reading.

~Emberdragon