I wonder just what sort of mindset would make a teacher inflict that form on anyone, not just high school students. A few things astound me about it:
the school system has enough money to sustain a serious photography program
the school system is so locked into control that it doesn't even see the huge obstacle to achievement that such a form represents - and I'm not even talking about imagination here
the students have the time outside of their academics and jobs to involve themselves with such a monumental project as filling out a form like that
the loss of validity of such a form when it's so overwhelming that most just blow it off
I really wanted to send an email to the teacher, enquiring about how the form came about and how it's respected in the school. I'm still thinking I might do that.
Personally, I don't think there's anything flawed about our non-system for reviewing. Among other things if people wish more specific types of opinion from reviewers, like about technical or compositional problems, they can always simply start a conversation on the list, or outside of it.
And the area in which we can talk about our submission also allows for enquiries, although sometimes I think I'm the only one who perhaps overuses that feature.
And finally, the personalities of the reviewers certainly have plenty of space to make themselves felt in our system.
We have some rigid reviewers, some happy types that always look on the brightest possible side, some who look to put forth substantive, if misguided, commentary, and some who bring their immense personal creativity to the process of reviewing.
This reflects my idea of the way the world should be.
Mind control, like I see in that form, is not good for society.
--
Emily L. Ferguson
mailto:elf@cape.com
508-563-6822
New England landscapes, wooden boats and races, press photography http://www.vsu.cape.com/~elf
Emily,
If you get the nerve to write the school please share it with us. I have a feeling that the form was just a well-intentioned guide and it may not be for a photo class but a crit class. Anyway most of the issues are discussed in the Barrett book and the form author may have felt they could be bureaucrat-ized. Forms like this must be stamped out! :-)
AZ
Build a Lookaround! The Lookaround Book, 2nd ed. NOW SHIPPING http://www.panoramacamera.us
