Stop Asking “Is This Photo Good?”
You show someone a photograph. They love it. Someone else tells you to crop it tighter. But what have you actually learned? The Photog Files is back. This week, I’m looking at how to get feedback that helps you make a clearer decision about your photographs. We’ll start with two exhibitions that invite us to think about photographs and their audiences, work through a simple exercise you can try with an image you already have, and talk about why taking criticism seriously doesn’t mean following every suggestion.
In this episode
- Photography and community: two October exhibitions, and what they suggest about giving photographs our attention.
- A better feedback question: finding out what a viewer sees before explaining what you intended.
- Evidence before advice: connecting a response to something visible in the frame.
- One change to test: comparing a suggestion with your original, rather than treating it as a command.
- Keeping your creative judgement: separating requirements, readings and personal preferences.
Ask for a reading before a repair
“Is this photo good?” often invites a verdict. A more useful conversation starts with what the photograph is doing for the person looking at it.
Try these three questions:
1. What do you notice first?
2. What seems to be happening, or what impression does the photograph give you?
3. Which visible detail gives you that impression?
You’re looking for a response you can examine. It might confirm your intention, reveal something you hadn’t noticed, or show where the picture is communicating something different.
Three kinds of feedback
1. A requirement relates to what the photograph needs to do—for example, whether it fulfils an agreed brief or works for its intended use.
2. A reading describes what somebody perceives in the image and which details led them there.
3. A preference tells you something about that person’s taste. It may be helpful, but it doesn’t automatically decide what your photograph should become.
Good criticism can make you think, even when you keep your original choice.
Your exercise this week
1. Choose one photograph and privately write down what you wanted it to communicate.
2. Ask a willing viewer the three questions above, before sharing your intention.
3. Explain what you were trying to do and discuss where their response meets—or differs from—it.
4. Test one suggested change. Keep the original beside it and decide which version serves the photograph’s purpose.
The aim is a clearer decision, rather than a higher score.
Join the conversation!
What’s one piece of photography advice you chose not to follow, and what did keeping your original choice preserve? Leave your answer in the comments. Describe the choice; you don’t need to name the person who offered the advice.
Exhibitions mentioned
- [In Community: LACP’s Annual Members’ Exhibition](https://lacphoto.org/exhibition/members-exhibition-2026/) — Los Angeles Center of Photography, 1 October–5 November 2026. Photography, creative connections and community.
- [Homage: The Americans — A Tribute to Robert Frank](https://griffinmuseum.org/show/robertfrank_homage/) — Griffin Museum of Photography’s online exhibition, 1–31 October 2026, featuring 83 images in tribute to Frank’s book.
Exhibition details checked against the organizers’ pages on 8 October 2026. Follow the links for current information.
More from Rick
[Explore The Photog Files archive](https://ricknelson.photography/the-photog-files) · [Photography and lessons](https://ricknelson.photography) · [Instagram: @carolinahawkeye](https://www.instagram.com/carolinahawkeye/)
