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
- That photo wasn't taken by a Leica / Nikon / Canon / put_your_brand_here.
- That photo wasn't taken by Me.
- I just came from a small sensor Point and Shoot cam. Ooooh, this photo has NOISE!
- I just came from a Four Thirds / Micro Four Thirds beatup. Ooooh, this photo has NOISE!
- I just came from a Four Thirds / Micro Four Thirds beatup. Where's the Bokeh in this?
- I just came from a small sensor Point and Shoot cam. I just hate the "everything is sharp" look
- I don't like photos of dogs / cats / squirrels / birds / landscapes / graffiti / urban decay / tattooes / guns
- I just don't like HDR / faded shot through a nylon stocking David Bailey looking waifs
- That's sooo digital, I shoot film
- That's sooo film, I shoot digital
- It's not sharp. Really. Look at this 100% crop. It doesn't look like this (show ace shot from the Internet)
- It's Noise Reduced Smear Messed / JPG artifacted.
- So, you didn't post process? Can't be that good.
- So, you shot RAW and post processed. Dude, you oversaturated and messed up.
- Heck, where's the
Rule of Four Thirds? Sorry, Rule of Thirds. - The Horizon's Not Level Mate
- Umm, you're makiing me woozy, can't stand that crazy wide angle distortion
- Seen one panorama / fisheye / sunset / sunrise / tropical beach / underwater shot / flower closeup / bug close up / flowing silky water 30 second shot? Seen them all.
- Where's The People In This Scene Mate?
- Street Photo of a Person - nah, I think it's a affront to privacy and aggression
- Why is the sky white? Huh?
- Why is the sky so uneven in blue? Your polariser's just ruining your shot
- That's not my idea of art
- That's not my idea of photography
- 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
- Wow! That's a Great Shot
- Awesome!
- Well composed
- Well presented
- I like the light
- I like the pose
- You captured the moment
- The moment captured you
- Bloody Good, Mate
- You're my idol photographer - you could shoot a picture of a _____ with a Kodak Brownie and it would still come out awesome
- Adventurous and explorative technique.
- I love photos of HDR / flowing water / blurs of people moving past / Art Effects from ____ cameras - that's cool!
- How come you saw that when I didn't and I was next to you at that time?
- How come you made that shot of _______ when my shots look like throwaways?
- You shot that with ______ brand camera, you can't go wrong, hey, I use one too.
- We of the _______ gender got to stick together
- We went on the same Photowalk together, we've got to bromance.
- 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.
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