How can you become a better photographer? Critique your photographs. After taking a photograph that I think is one of my best I sit down with it and analyze. Figure out what is working, and what is not working. Ask yourself some questions about the photograph. Even better, ask others about your photographs.

Questions to ask

• What is your eye immediately drawn to?, focal points?
• What is in focus?, was that intentionally in focus?
• Is it too busy?, to many different things going on?
• How are the colors?, dull, saturated, just right?
• What is the composition like?
• Is it interesting? Does it hold your eye?

These are just a few preliminary questions I like to ask myself, but I could go on and on. Of course a lot of critiquing a photograph can be very subjective, but I find it helps to be critical of your own photographs. It helps improve upon your own personal technique and style. I often find myself saying “okay, next time I need to do x so that y looks better”.

Even better would be to get some honest opinions from your friends. Even better would be to get honest opinions from other photographers or even professionals.

Recently I have been analyzing my compositions by dividing my photographs into vertical and horizontal thirds to check my composition. Like this.

Just by splitting the image up into thirds I am able to check my composition. This specific image works because the subjects head is more or less centered around two different regulating lines and is the first focal point. Next, the eye is pulled to the left of the image following the path of her hair. This was not an accident, I specifically cropped this image to appear this way.

Another example

This one I took very recently, and was not cropped at all. Again, after analysis I found that the eye is drawn all the way to the horizon line, through the columns. The upper right intersection of regulating lines is the focal point.

Its an easy thing to do, but I find it infinitely helpful in improving my photographs. Try it out either through cropping an image, or learning where different regulating lines (thirds in this case) occur through your viewfinder. Learn from your mistakes, and improve upon them.

Related posts:

1. Quick tip – Rule of thirds
2. Turn on highlight correction on the Pentax K-x
3. Turn on shadow correction on the Pentax K-x
4. Explaining the focus point setting
5. Basic photography terms – Depth of field