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Upcoming Meeting Dates:
Wed., June 14 **IN PERSON @ Visual Arts Center of NJ, Summit** Wed., July 12 **IN PERSON @ Visual Arts Center of NJ, Summit** Wed., August 9 **IN PERSON @ Visual Arts Center of NJ, Summit**
Meetings start at 7pm. The Visual Arts Center of NJ is located at 68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ
Preparing for the Photography Forum Meeting: |
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Preparing your work for presentation at a meeting: You can bring one image or a series of images. If you bring one image you may be paired up with another presenter with only one image. If you are bringing a series of images, you will present your work alone. The series should be presented as follows: 6-8 on a theme. Random images will no longer be acceptable for presentation. All images should exhibition quality. Our standard will be to have them mounted and matted to museum standards. Images should not have been previously shown to the group unless you are in need of additional feedback. All pieces should be able to stand up against the wall. Your presentation may consist of work prints on their way to being final images for exhibition. They will need to be affixed to a board in some way so that they can stand up. They will still need to be on a theme with the assumption that you are bringing them that way because you want feedback on print quality before the final printing. Framed pieces are not encouraged but ok if that is how you want to carry them to the meeting. If that is the case, your framing will also be critiqued for exhibition readiness.
How to Observe and Discuss a Photographer’s Work Viewer’s First impressions - after you have a look... What thoughts or emotions first come to mind. Do you observe a particular point of view or vision? Identify the strengths and weaknesses. Close your eyes - is there something that lingers about this work?
Photographer’s Statement Explain how this work illustrates a specific interest or compliments an existing body of work. Viewer’s Comments Be specific and support your observations with examples. Avoid general comments - good, bad, I like/dislike etc. Is there more to be explored either in whole or part? Is there a creative aspect that sets this work apart? Subject matter - is it interesting, overdone or merits more work?  
Observe overall quality Composition, balance and perspective. Color, tonal qualities, contrast and sharpness. Does the presentation compliment or detract from the work? Would reprinting be suggested? Reshooting?
Photographer’s Response How do you view this critique? Will you continue with this theme? What are the challenges? Would you like to either reprint or reshoot this work?
Leader’s Guide for Critiques: Good photography leads the eye through the photograph. The deeper a person can look into a photograph is directly related to the appeal of the photograph to the viewer.
Here are some questions for discussion. 1. How effectively does the image capture and hold your attention? How well did they accomplish that? 2. What message does the photo convey? How powerful is the emotional impact? Is the impact present for a majority of the viewers? Is the image similar to others, or does it have its own personality or vision? 3. Does the photograph have the elements of strong design, such as rule of thirds, simplicity, clean backgrounds, and the use of leading lines to guide the viewer's eye? Does the image include distracting elements? 4. How effective is the use of color and contrast in determining the overall mood and does it add or distract the viewer? 5. Are there any issues with focus, exposure or composition? 6. How creatively is lighting exploited or used to enhance the overall mood and visual impact of the image? Are there any distracting 'hot spots' or 'murky' shadows? 7. Does the image have a lasting quality? Will you remember it?
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