Better Posed Portraits

Peter Hurley has been in the news - he has a video to sell (via fstoppers) But, lots of experienced and good advice for Headshots and Portraits in the New York Times article

Ananda's 10 Point Photo Critique Rating System

Updated: 23rd April 2013

I participate in a Beginner's Forum and interact with other photographer's senior and junior, experienced and newbie - this aspect of social interaction and learning is unparalleled by anything pre-Internet. Not only have my technical skills evolved at a rapid pace but my understanding of what I like and my appreciation has too.

One perennial feature of understanding the human aspects of a photo is the seeking of justification, validation and vindication. This urge often detracts from and clouds the learning experience and waylays explorers away from the truth or their perception of the truth.

I had created a rating system for myself to assess photos I come across and also assess my reactions to these photos previously (see APR Edition 1.1).

This is Edition 2: I'll call this "Ananda's 10"

Without further ado, here it is:

Ananda's 10

I	Is the subject interesting by itself ?	Max 1 point
SC	Is the photo delivering subject/scene context?	Max 1 point
GC	Is the photo context part of a general historical / family / celebrity / time in personal life context?	Max 1 point
A	Is the subject well abstracted from the mundane-ness of the scene or other photos of the subject (Visually Interesting) ?	Max 1 point
T	Do technical aspects of the photo convey / obscure what the photo is all about?	Max 2 points
ChOShO / ESP	Does the assessor have a Chip On Shoulder Obsession about the photo? (see example list of ChOShO points) or conversely Emotional Subconscious Positives (see example list of ESP)	Max 4 points

Example list of ChOShO

1. That photo wasn't taken by a Leica / Nikon / Canon / put_your_brand_here.
2. That photo wasn't taken by Me.
3. I just came from a small sensor Point and Shoot cam. Ooooh, this photo has NOISE!
4. I just came from a Four Thirds / Micro Four Thirds beatup.  Ooooh, this photo has NOISE!
5. I just came from a Four Thirds / Micro Four Thirds beatup. Where's the Bokeh in this?
6. I just came from a small sensor Point and Shoot cam. I just hate the "everything is sharp" look
7. I don't like photos of dogs / cats / squirrels / birds / landscapes / graffiti / urban decay / tattooes / guns
8. I just don't like HDR / faded shot through a nylon stocking David Bailey looking waifs
9. That's sooo digital, I shoot film
10. That's sooo film, I shoot digital
11. It's not sharp. Really. Look at this 100% crop. It doesn't look like this (show ace shot from the Internet)
12. It's Noise Reduced Smear Messed / JPG artifacted.
13. So, you didn't post process? Can't be that good.
14. So, you shot RAW and post processed. Dude, you oversaturated and messed up.
15. Heck, where's the Rule of Four Thirds? Sorry, Rule of Thirds.
16. The Horizon's Not Level Mate
17. Umm, you're makiing me woozy, can't stand that crazy wide angle distortion
18. Seen one panorama / fisheye / sunset / sunrise / tropical beach / underwater shot / flower closeup / bug close up / flowing silky water 30 second shot? Seen them all.
19. Where's The People In This Scene Mate?
20. Street Photo of a Person - nah, I think it's a affront to privacy and aggression
21. Why is the sky white? Huh?
22. Why is the sky so uneven in blue? Your polariser's just ruining your shot
23. That's not my idea of art
24. That's not my idea of photography
25. That's my idea of graphic arts not photography

And the ultimate:

26. "Like that also want to take a photo"

Example list of Emotional Subconscious Positives

1. Wow! That's a Great Shot
2. Awesome!
3. Well composed
4. Well presented
5. I like the light
6. I like the pose
7. You captured the moment
8. The moment captured you
9. Bloody Good, Mate
10. You're my idol photographer - you could shoot a picture of a _____ with a Kodak Brownie and it would still come out awesome
11. Adventurous and explorative technique.
12. I love photos of HDR / flowing water / blurs of people moving past / Art Effects from ____ cameras - that's cool!
13. How come you saw that when I didn't and I was next to you at that time?
14. How come you made that shot of _______ when my shots look like throwaways?
15. You shot that with ______ brand camera, you can't go wrong, hey, I use one too.
16. We of the _______ gender got to stick together
17. We went on the same Photowalk together, we've got to bromance.
18. That's a photo of my fetish for shoes / tatooes / roadside kerbs, it's Sheldon time.

So, that's it. Now, let's see whether "Ananda's 10" works out. Tell me how you go.