During our weekly meeting on Tuesday 1st December NDPS was host to professional photographer, President of the Chilterns Association of Camera Clubs and well known and respected competition judge, Martin Patten.

Martin's Special Presentation was How to Critique Your Own Images. An area of photography of interest to all those who make pictures, not just for competitions but for exhibition, photographic qualifications, projects, memories and even commercial reasons.

Martin's well-structured presentation began by asking 'Why are you taking pictures?' and continued with a discussion on emotions, critiques and characteristics of genres. At the end he said that this was a huge subject and that he had only 'scratched the surface'. Well that may be the case from his point of view but he laid out before us many pitfalls to avoid and many points to follow.

He said that we should 'divorce ourselves from the emotion of the shot!' A difficult process but one that should put distance between that moment of excitement when the shutter was pressed and the post processing began. Don't process a photo the same day! Don't choose the first frame you come to! Get another view - someone else to look at it, turn it upside down look at it in a mirror!

Read More