CRITIQUES

https://www.lightstalking.com/critiquing-photographs/

A Critique Is Not Just an Opinion

Art is full of subjective quantities. It's also full of objective quantities. Focus on the latter. There's nothing wrong with expressing a personal preference, so long as it's framed as a preference and not a critique. Critiques should focus on factually based characteristics. If someone chose to color tone a photograph a certain way, you can certainly express your preference for another color palette, but you can't argue the superiority of one or another. If someone presents a blurry shot, there are objective, measurable quantities such as shutter speed, aperture, and ISO that can be invoked to discuss why the shot was blurry and how it can be remedied (or whether it was intentional).

Stop, Look, Understand, Critique

Critiques are often knee-jerk reactions and as such, show a superficial understanding of the photograph and the processes involved in its making. People often spend 5 seconds looking at an image and 10 minutes writing a critique, when really, these numbers should be much closer to one another. Look at an image, think about it, then look again. You'll see and understand things that simply won't be evident upon a cursory examination. 

Things to address: Technical, artistic, conceptual & environmental choices made by the photographer.

Have a Purpose

Blanket criticism without justification or suggestions for improvement is extremely off-putting. If you truly want to help someone improve, don't just tell them what's wrong, tell them how to improve it.

It's Not About You

There are critiques that seem to be more interested in demonstrating how much the critic knows than in helping the person who asked for it. Doing this helps no one involved and does little to endear you to your colleagues. Critiques are no place for ulterior motives.

Be Polite

If someone has shown the requisite bravery to put their work and creative mind in front of you, reciprocate that with respect for their courage. There should be no reason a photographer walks away from a critique with lower self-esteem, even if that critique was mostly negative. Be sensitive to how you say things and remember that we all experience the words of others differently. A little kindness can go a long way.

For the Critiquee:

Too Positive? Too Negative? Ignore it.

It's rare that a photograph is so mind-blowingly spectacular or so jaw-droppingly bad that it truly deserves an unequivocally positive or negative critique. And when I say "rare," I mean "exceedingly unusual." Unfortunately, some people feel a sense of superiority by finding ways to put down others. Don't let this common schoolyard behavior demoralize you. On the other hand, don't be taken by unfettered praise; it's certainly nice to be lavished in, but it does little for the purpose of growth.

Adapted from: https://fstoppers.com/critiques/how-properly-critique-photograph-82407