ON PHOTOGRAPHY - What else? - 1. Elements of Analysis

excellent and thoughtful analysis - well worth taking on board in assessing the merits of photos, on Woophy and in general. Thanks.

Hello Miguel.
I agree with a lot of your points.
Although some times a great photo depends in how fast we are to capture a moment rare, and not always in that occasions we can shoot a perfect photo., Sometime ago you told me how mad you are with guys that like to low rate for bad purposes. I stand your point! Indeed it's frustrating send a photo, read the comments (great photo, uauu, super etc) but get 3 or 4 points or less......and in the other side see photos absolutely awful, unfocused, unframed, uncomposed, uneverything but because a bond of fraternity, they get 5 every time. I'm not in Woophy for be the best, i'm here to learn and to have a dada base for my photos. Of course i interact with my favorites and other guys who made great photos that i like very much. But anyone who came often to woophy could see groups of friends that vote in each other strongly just for talk and have some attention. I repeat that not my purpose to be an woophyan. By the way, i have learn a lot with you and with other great photographers, i also took some courses in photography and edditing methods definitely to improve technic and deserve a 5. Thanks for blog this.

bom trabalho... dedicado a ti vou ver se faço algo no blog do meu woophy!

hats off to you Miguel,
for taking the time of making a simple and straight forward instruction of distilling the visual vocabulary of photography into words.

this will be helpful to those starting the journey in the world of photography.

... e como raio é que vais avaliar as florzecas???

They are good elements of analysis and I can add some more that are importants to me:
. placement of elements
.graphic elements (single point, points, H lines, V lines, D lines, curves, virtual lines and geometric figures)
. symetry
. horizon
. dynamic tension
. rhythm
. pattern
. moment
. timing
. color relationships
. figure/ground relationship
. Gestalt perception (laws of proximity, similarity, closure, simplicity, common fate, good continuation and segregation)
. the choice of lens

That's about all it takes to evaluate photos. A good roundup, took me only a minute to read, maybe a bit more to let it sink in. But i remember the time it took to learn evaluating photos (or any other artwork for that matter) and expressing one's thoughts ... and I'm professionally trained at this at university.

For woophy, since it is a specialized site in showing places, I'd add a third point to the impact category: How good does this photo is showing the place it was uploaded to!

An now Paolo, bury me under today's bunch of uploaded cats'n'flowers.

@ Aline, Abílio, Badwolf, Josecps and Zeeg, thank you for your quick feedback.

By now, I'd like to make a first remark, mainly on Josecps' and Badwolf's comment.

I started to use the verb in the "conditional" ("if we would apply this to woophy...") and ended with "Of course this isn’t possible to be assumed at Woophy for general use"!!! [dreaming, like Aline says, and MLK said, may lead to something new, at least...]

On the other hand, I posted this Blog with a broader intention: to "talk" and discuss about photography, even beyond Woophy space! When I started this "post", I raised the question: How can a photo be evaluated, with the most objectivity, for its merit?
Here, there, anywhere!
"In" or "out" Contests! At the final paragraph I said this could be a starting point for a discussion between jurors about the future official contests. Starting point, just like that.
Because, José and Badwolf, evaluation has to be as objective as it can or we will be playing the devil's game! As Zeeg says, the weight of each criterium has to be discussed, but that doesn't mean that we can put every technical aspects apart! If everyone would evaluate a picture only by my #1, we would have answers as "I like it because I do"/ "Gosto porque sim"!
Besides, even Badwolf finally comes to my criteria, only emphasizing #1, "forgetting" it was really there (and as #1!;)).
A final word to my friend José:
1. Not too much technical the criteria as #1 is well seen there.
2. You wrote about the lower Woophy exigences as if I had written Woophy OUGHT TO adopt my criteria; I didn't.
3. Contests ("official") were asked by many members, they had already taken place before and, of course as my own opinion too, on the contrary I think they estimulate our way of taking and choosing a picture to be shared. Btw, as far as I remember you have participated at the NUC before;))
4. The rating I am talking about is completely NECESSARY at any Contest!!!
And the other one, that one we use everyday at woophy, is the "rule" in use (at least by now) and its scale goes from 1 to 5! (toma, já perdeste a oportunidade de estar calado;))). I don't want to discuss it here, again and again, as it has been done before for too many times! But I leave here my short opinion, then: rating (in any way or scale) has to go on, as it brings more advantages than disavantages, with an important one ahead - as a guide for looking for above average pics from anywhere in our world map! Stop.
5. Though I've already explained what I meant with this "post" (it seems I wasn't clear, though), I want to make a last remark on your last sentence: "those GOOD pics speak to you as a totality - you only separate elements for teaching'".
I agree they "speak" to me as a totality, but I disagree when you say I only separate elements for teaching! I receive the totality of a photo's merit not after 4 seconds of analysis! I get it as a whole, I discern its various elements and rearrange its synthesis in my mind again. That's how it works with me, at least.
6. We will have our first round this afternoon at school. Be ready;))))))))))))))))))

@ Zeeg: I agree with with regarding the debate about the weight of each criterium. Indeed, #4.5 is not easy to take in account in a not printed version of a picture, for most of its elements in consideration, but there's one or another which must be. We will see it tomorrow, of course.

Miguel, I consider your analysis as excellent and very close to my personal feeling, maybe except for one point: 4.5 includes (in your definitions) editing and it's a point which count given a weak editing can lead to disturbing results.
Another point is the weight of each criteria...probably a great debate between the jurors in the coming hours...

Where is my comment?

too much tecnical!
I understand you but I don't think this woophy site must has such exigences. I think it must work as a site of learning through.
I don't think competition is that good HERE and I think rating shoud be completed banned(?).
and your analitic sugestion doesn't work that much: those GOOD pics speak to you as a totality - you only separate elements for teachin', etc etc etc

It's very interesting how you propose to rate photo's. I often just use 1.1 and 1.2. If a photo reminds me of an emotion I've experienced or evokes my imagination in a way I find intriging then, I have to say I'm guilty of giving it a higher rate without fully thinking about the composition of the photo.
I hope you don't take offence, but I think I would find the 1 to 4 steps in rating photo's a little cold and sterile.
I can spot a good photo, where it's obviously been well thought out and is technically correct, but I can't say it would excite me all that much.
I have enjoyed reading your blog and look forward to the next installment.
Alix.

Miguel: I find your analysis impressive and worth of a great teacher on Economy Sciences (which is the case) ;).
I can say that it has all the ingredients we should take in consideration when appreciating a
photograph and we could even take it as an example to other forms of ART, like Literature, Cinema, Painting, Sculpture, Architecture... "mutatis mutandis", of course.
But (you know how I like "buts") there are some extraordinary pictures that definitely lack technical perfection that I rated with a 5 (check Aline's 673524 or josecps's 805266, for example).
What I mean is: for the overall appreciation of a picture and give it a 5, many times I only need point 1.2
But probably that's me and my emotions.
And another question: the moment counts. I have already included some pictures in my favorites, because on the moment I first saw it I loved it and some days later, coming back to that picture with another mood, I ask myself "Why did I add it to my fav's?" and simply remove it. And the other way round: sometimes, I see a picture and don't even appreciate it and later I get back to it and get stoned by it.
But, in sum, I think it is a good exercise following these steps. Of course, some make it in 4 seconds, others require much more time.

One day I had a dream ...
http://www.woophy.com/forum/2_3477_0.html

You express it so better ! Thank you very much, Miguel. Of course I follow you.