Get Connected: Forum criticism: motivation or madness?

I will be the first one to admit that as a developing artist, I'm still entirely too attached to my work so much so that accepting criticism is difficult. Your first instinct might be to just dismiss negative comments as just that, a negative opinion. Sometimes I can do that and let negative voices roll off my back. Other times, like this week, I allow them to eat away at me, driving me just to the near side of insane. If something keeps bothering you, maybe that's the universe's way of saying, "take another look, stupid." I'm glad I did.

So taking a line from the Sci-Fi series "Battlestar Galactica:" "what the frack am I talking about?" I received a host of negative criticism about my new business logo when I posted about it on the Dgrin forum. I was shocked and disappointed that so many posters to my thread disliked what I thought was a great idea. Part of it was me personalizing the critics as if they were somehow attacking me. Another issue was feeling defensive and trying to protect my friend who created this logo out of the goodness of his heart (and for free!). I loved what my friend created from the get-go. Out of all of my attempts to try to create one myself and by using canned clip art templates online, Paul's "logo" spoke to me, stood out and was drastically different from anything else I had ever seen before. Because I had such a visceral reaction to it, I was SURE that it was the right thing for my business.



But those negative comments needled me so much that I started doing more research about what actually makes up a good business logo. I talked with other successful photography business experts here locally that I trust and got their opinions, and I researched online. Unfortunately, I had to face the fact that Paul's logo wasn't it, namely because logos are usually very simple graphically and has to be something that can be recognized even when printed very small. Paul's logo would start to lose its readability if it were printed smaller than a business card, and even he agreed to that notion. But further inspection let me know that what Paul created will be good for another business prospect. I think it will look perfect on the new postcards I plan to mail out as advertising for my business as soon as I buy a mail list to targeted neighborhoods in Denver! If you remember, last year I sent out this postcard with some limited success in my neighborhood. Imagine how great Paul's logo will look on this with my business information on the back of the card!





I've asked Paul to make a few more tweaks to the postcard advertisement, namely to separate the business name from the globe so that it stands on its own and can be more clearly seen. I am considering starting a logo campaign with logomojo to see what they can come up with. I've learned that there is STILL so much to learn about running a successful business. I should have created a logo right after I came up with a business name...but I guess it's better late than never. I've also learned that not every negative commenter is out to get you. It's really in how the information is thoughtfully presented. I've trusted responses from dgrin posters in the past, and their sincere comments have helped me during times of crisis when I needed advice on how to shoot weddings, runway shows, and deal with other aspects of photography. I'm glad I didn't let my defensiveness get the best of me....at least not for TOO long! ;)

Get Out There: Critique This!

The Denver Darkroom has created a great opportunity for photographers in the Denver metro area to get feedback on their work. The school is holding it's first open "Critique This Thursday!" event. Everyone is welcome to attend this new bi-weekly event. Each critique will be led by one of the school's instructors or advanced students.

This week's critique is being led by Jefferey Rupp at 7 p.m. I will have to check my schedule, but I would like to attend this session. Learning to accept constructive criticism and understand how different people view your work can broaden your own photographic perspectives. Not everyone is going to love everything you do. Any opportunity you have to understand why an image "works" or "doesn't work" offers great insight and can improve your skills, even if you disagree with the critique itself.

I remember when I took Digital Photography class with the Darkroom, a course which was then being taught by Efrain Cruz before he started his own Illuminate Photography Workshop program. The final day of class included a "wine and cheese" critique of our best images by the Darkroom director Standish Lawder. Because I was so new and unsure of my own abilities, I remember being overly sensitive and having a hard time getting critiqued. Standish didn't like what I thought was one of my best images, and I was very upset and put-off by the critique. I took it personally, which is something you should never do during a critique.

It wasn't until later when I had calmed down that I could think clearly about what Standish had pinpointed as being problems with the image -- namely that a busy background was distracting and pulled away from the main subject. I kept looking at the image and trying to figure out how I could make it better. I even asked other instructors what they might suggest. During my first Photoshop class, I learned about "burning and dodging" to either darken or lighten an area of image. So I decided to "burn" out the background in the image. I wasn't entirely happy with the result, but I decided to turn it in for a Digital Photo Academy monthly assignment called "The Allure of Water."



Not only was that image chosen for that month's assignment winner, but it will also be a part of a 20-city exhibition DPA is hosting throughout the country beginning next month. If Standish hadn't told the truth about how he saw my image, I would never have been able to perfect it.

So, if you are in the area, drop by the critique at the Denver Darkroom on Thursday. If you can check your sensitivity at the door, you are bound to come away with some great recommendations for making your work standout.

An Aside: A Case Study in How NOT to Shoot

While visiting the threads on the Digital Photography School forum this morning, I found this great discussion on Crestock's archive of "Today's Worst Image." The Norway-based stock photography site doesn't just post these horrendous photos, but their critiques from the infamous Judge Ross explain in great, useful detail why the images were rejected. At the same time, take advantage of the "Today's Best Image" samples and the critiques given of those stellar images to get tips on how to get the job done right as well as insider clues to what stock agencies are looking for. Here is an example:





"The polar opposite of today's best, this photo succeeds in being both boring and lacking the quality we always look for. Washed out colors and a tedious composition has this coffee mug almost looking like it contains tea, and this is not working in anyone's favor. The colors are washed out and even if this photo had a one of a kind item in it, it would still fail to qualify for our collection."





"Obviously when you have an archive with several hundred thousand images you end up with quite a few duplicates; which works because a client might want certain details in their photo, or just variation in the selection they can make. The challenge lies on the photographers and their ability to think of new ways to take a new photo of an old subject. This twist is quite nice; you've got the silhouette working to a degree where this image almost looks like an illustration while still keeping some of the photo feel. The softness of the lines also works really well to set a nice soothing mood, and had me thinking of a delicious cup of warm coffee. Good job!"

VOTE NOW: August Monthly Photo Assignment - Rural Architecture

Vote for your favorite interpretation of the monthly assignment topic: "Rural Architecture." Polls will be open from now until next Monday with the next month's subject announced at the same time. The winner of this assignment picks next month's topic.

Feel free to leave your comments about why you voted for a certain picture here. These assignments are designed to stretch our imagination, challenge our interpretation of topics and start shooting on a regular basis. Constructive criticism only helps us all get better at the craft we share and love.

Vote Now For July's Monthly Photo Assignment: "HISTORY"

Vote for your favorite interpretation of the monthly assignment topic: "History." Polls will be open from now until next Monday with the next month's subject announced at the same time. The winner of this assignment picks next month's topic.

Feel free to leave your comments about why you voted for a certain picture here. These assignments are designed to stretch our imagination, challenge our interpretation of topics and start shooting on a regular basis. Constructive criticism only helps us all get better at the craft we share and love.