How do you handle criticism as a photographer?

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Is being criticized necessarily a bad thing? How does this affect who you are as an artist?

The internet and social media have made it possible for almost anyone to voice their opinion on anything with almost no restrictions. Of course, this is a neutral by-product of the fact that technology has made communication so much faster, easier and more convenient. This allowed important but little-known truths to come to light and potentially inspire change. However, when this ability falls into less kind hands, a harsher environment is established.

During the pandemic, I’ve had a handful of opportunities to speak and lecture to young creatives. These mainly include students or even younger people. Although many questions are asked about the technical and creative aspects of photography, there is one question that I always seem to answer. Young photographers seem very concerned about how they can thrive in a highly criticized environment and that’s why they ask me about my personal experience.

Social media is not always a pleasant place. If you haven’t accepted this, you haven’t reached out enough to others. However, it might make sense to think that people are generally biased into thinking the internet is dominated by negativity simply because we pay more attention to negative and hurtful posts, comments, and messages and tend to overlook the positives. People also seem to be more compelled to speak up when they feel the need to point out something bad or wrong, and less when they find things to be okay and in order. Maybe social media is a difficult environment because it’s mostly people with negative observations who speak out and people, in general, don’t give as many affirmations.

How criticism affects you

How we handle reviews varies from person to person. It makes sense to think of reviews as something you would generally want to avoid as they only point out flaws in our work. However, a person’s reaction to criticism (at least the real constructive kind) will reflect how they view their work themselves and how they see themselves as an artist. As artists, it is crucial to get used to criticism and to be able to determine which are valid and constructive, and to be able to eliminate insults and empty remarks. To thrive as a creative, it is necessary to develop a certain level of resilience to such comments, but it is completely normal to be influenced and affected by criticism in a healthy degree.

It is also important to realize that people give and express criticism of the work of others for many different reasons. There are well-meaning people who give unbiased feedback in an effort to help the person improve their craft or give needed affirmation. There are people who just react without making any input on the work in question, and there are people who speak out and criticize because they see it as a way to boost their own ego. It is important to assess the validity of statements before allowing criticism to affect us.

How you react to criticism in the public eye can also affect your own image and brand image as an artist or simply as a professional. Many respected photographers and other visual artists remain respected amid constant criticism simply because of the way they handle it. Privately, being able to filter and analyze criticism can help someone not only stay afloat in their midst, but also use it to improve themselves and their work, just as criticism should do it.

Verification of the nature of the criticisms

A crucial step in dealing with criticism is to verify its true nature. You just want to know and determine if the point is even valid before you let it affect you and consider what it suggests. There are a few important questions you need to answer to be able to determine this. The first is whether there is any substance to the remark. Is the comment meant to express an opinion or just dislike? Is he talking about the room or is he targeting the person instead? Is there a real intention to provide meaningful insight? Or is the person just dishing out insults?

The second is that you want to determine if the observations are true. Is observation something that can be done by anyone? If not, is the person credible enough to make this observation? If true, does it apply to what you intend to create? It’s important to note that while a person is entitled to their opinion of your work, you need to determine whether the reason behind it is an actual mistake or simply a mismatch between your style and their personal taste. After all of this, you will be able to generally determine whether the review is good or bad.

If the person is wrong or the comment is invalid, that’s always a point to consider in the future and for now, it’s an indirect affirmation of everything you do with your art. If you are confident in your personal style and taste, if your work is a credible translation of your vision as an artist, and if your work does not cause harm or insult to anyone else, then there is no is not necessary to defend or even simply to explain it.

On the other hand, if the observations are valid, then there is so much to draw from them. Constructive criticism should never be viewed as negative. Genuine constructive criticism gives a lot of information to consider and can help you identify weaknesses in what you are doing. Being able to do this gives you a good starting point to improve those identified factors and while it may have a bit of spice, receiving valuable constructive criticism can be a good thing, especially when it comes from credible sources.

make reviews

In expressing our opinion and giving criticism, there is virtually unlimited freedom to do so. However, being cautious in this regard can go a long way towards creating a more enjoyable atmosphere for photographers and creatives of all skill and experience levels. We must avoid criticism that is intended only to insult and degrade, we must avoid imposing only our personal tastes in aesthetics and methods on the work of others, and ultimately we must reviews with the means and intent to encourage improvement and even inspire a fellow artist who is likely having the same struggles you are currently experiencing or have experienced in the past.

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