How to ask for photography feedback that helps

“Thoughts?” is a friendly question, but it gives the person looking at your shot very little to work with. So most people say something nice and move on.

12 August 20268 minute read

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Nikon d7200 paired with the Sigma 150-600C

They don't know what you were going for, which part you're unsure about, or how blunt you want them to be. Working all that out in a comment box, on a phone, before their stop comes up is a lot to ask, so they go with a compliment instead (and you've probably done the same under other people's shots). Narrow the question down and you'll get far better answers.

How do you get useful photography feedback?

Say in one line what you were trying to do, then ask about one decision you're unsure about. That's something people can answer whilst the kettle boils. For example:

“Is the crop too tight on the left?”
“Does the darker edit suit the mood better?”
“What did you look at first?”

A small question is also easier to answer honestly. Most people won't volunteer that your shot is too dark when you've asked for thoughts, as it can come across as criticism. Ask whether it's too dark and the same person will tell you straight away.

Ask a smaller question

Instead of any feedback?, try does the crop feel too tight on the left? Or tell them what you were going for and let them judge it against that: I wanted this to feel cold and empty. Is the brighter foreground fighting that? Either way, someone can answer in a few words.

The catch is that a narrow question only gets you an answer to that question. If the crop was fine and the real problem was the horizon, nobody mentions the horizon. So ask narrowly most of the time, and every so often throw in an open question on a shot you're not too precious about. Then brace yourself!

Four things that help

1. Say what you were trying to do

One sentence is enough. “I wanted the animal to feel small in the landscape.” “I was trying to make the light feel harsh.” Without it, people can only tell you whether they liked the shot. With it, they can tell you whether it did what you wanted.

2. Name one decision you're unsure about

Crop, brightness, colour, background, wing position: pick one. Ask six questions at once and you'll usually get a polite summary of all six and a proper answer to none. Ask about one thing and it gets answered.

A tight crop of a SAAB SK-60 cockpit seen from above, with a crew member in helmet, glasses and oxygen mask looking up through the canopy. — Put up for Feedback Friday with the reason for the tight crop (other photographers were in the shot) and one straight question: “Does it work?” One decision, and a question you can answer with a yes or a no.

3. Say what you already tried

“I had the shadows brighter, but it lost the mood.” One line like that stops the first few replies suggesting the exact thing you've already tried and binned. It also shows you've thought it through, and people tend to put more thought into their answer in return.

A yellow and white single-engine turboprop on a taxiway under a heavy, cloudy sky. — Joseph's Feedback Friday post came with “I have tried to add depth to the background and the clouds to prevent the shot from looking backlit”. Anyone replying knows what's already been done and what the worry is, so they can get straight to it.

4. Ask something with a real answer

“Which version, and why?” beats “any tips?” every time. The first one can be got wrong, so people stop and think before they type. “Any tips?” can't really be got wrong, and it rarely gets you much.

One question worth asking

What did you look at first? Then: where did you look next? It's our favourite question to ask. Most of what you might ask about is a matter of taste, but nobody can be wrong about where their own attention went. If three people all name the same bright corner, that's worth acting on tonight.

A close-up of a crocodile's golden eye, with its slit pupil and the scaly skin around it filling the shot — A crocodile for the Wild Eyes Mission. There's no point asking what anybody looked at first on this one! Save that question for shots where two people give you two different answers.

Giving feedback is a skill too

Asking well is half of it. The other half is giving the kind of comment you'd want back, and that doesn't mean a long list of problems. Two specific observations from someone who looked for a minute are worth more than a paragraph. Most people are better at this than they think and hold back, assuming useful has to mean harsh.

Say what worked

“Nice shot” is kind, but it's forgotten by the next scroll. “The fence line takes me straight to the subject” names a decision, so the photographer can make it again on purpose next week. Make sure to do this half as well, as it gets a fraction of the attention the critical half does. Most of us can't spot our own good decisions, so it helps when somebody points one out.

Two fox cubs facing the camera, one resting its chin on the other's head, behind a leafy twig — Two fox cubs playing. “Lovely” is a nice thing to hear, but a comment that names the moment between the two cubs tells the photographer what to look for next time.

Pick one thing to change

If you can see five things, mention one. Pick whichever would make the biggest difference and let the other four go. Six problems at once aren't six times as useful, as nobody knows where to start and most people don't.

Talk about the shot, not the photographer

“The horizon looks slightly off” is about a shot. “You need to learn to level your horizons” is about a person, and it gets a very different response. The first one gets fixed. The second turns into an argument about someone's ability, and the horizon stays wonky.

Say what you'd try

“Too dark” is a verdict and there's not much anyone can do with it. “I'd try lifting the rock slightly so it separates from the water” gives them something to test: they can try it, look at both, and decide. They might decide you're wrong, which is fine (it's their shot), and they've still looked at it twice.

Who you ask matters

Who you ask changes the answer more than how you ask. A bird photographer sees the wing position and knows what it took to freeze a bird in flight. An aviation photographer spots a propeller frozen when it should be a disc before they've even clocked the aircraft. A portrait photographer looks at expression and the light on skin. Everyone else tells you the background is nice (thanks, Mum).

A Pacific harbour seal in low evening sun on the Northern California coast — 1/500s at ISO 1800 in the last of the sun. Another wildlife photographer will clock that ISO in about a second. Most people scrolling past won't.

That's one reason a comment on a Kōlab Mission can be more useful than one from a general feed. The people looking at your shot may have spent the same week on the same brief, so they know which part was hard and what you gave up to get the version you put up.

What if you disagree?

Don't change a shot just because one person said so. One comment is one person's taste, and if you act on every suggestion you end up with shots made by committee. Look for repetition instead. If several people separately mention the same distraction, take it seriously, even if you still think they're wrong.

There's one exception. When someone tells you where their attention went, they're describing what happened when they looked at your shot. You can't really argue with “my attention went straight to the bright corner”, so act on those almost every time.

Feedback Rooms

Sometimes a comment thread isn't the right place for the question. Kōlab's Feedback Rooms are private conversations about a single shot, and they're best when you're properly stuck (the shot you've opened four times without deciding anything). For a public version, there's the Feedback Friday Mission. Put up the one you can't decide about, say what you were going for, and name the one decision you want help with.