Basic Critical Theory for Photographers

Appendixes

A.Print Quality

The context within which an image appears is of major concern to critics of photography, however this original context is often not available to students and as a result they rely to a significant extent on reproductions of the original images to make judgements. These reproductions vary significantly in quality, scale and accuracy.

As a rule reproductions are inferior in quality and this is particularly important to remember when looking at the work of photographers who exploit photography for its ability to render detail and a full tonal range, for example Edward Weston’s work. Ideally, before making any judgements (and that includes agreeing with a critic), the photographer’s original work should be viewed at a gallery, ...