The more you ask questions, the more you will get answers ......
You really have to find out yourself.
I just want to say that:
Avoid the extremes: Don't overciticize nor undercriticize yourself. The first will kill vitality and fun, the second will make your work flat.
Cheers
~Chris
Good advice!
For my own work the question is not if the photo is perfect. The question is if the photo is good enough for inclusion in my portfolio or to be offered to a museum's permanent collection.
Over 44 years I have heard all sorts of criticism about my photography...
"I don't like color."
"I don't like BW."
"I don't like HDR."
"I don't selective color."
"I don't like diffusion."
"I don't like Hyper-Real, it is too cartoonish."
"Your photos are too contrasty."
"Your photos are too grainy."
"Why don't you take pictures of something pretty like flowers or a sunset instead of those ugly things."
"Your trying to make something out of nothing."
"Your photos are too sensational."
"Don't photograph the homeless."
"Don't photograph kids without their parents permission."
"I find photos of people boring."
"Your not a good photographer."
'Your exploiting the homeless."
'Your photograph does not work."
"I don't like flower photographs they are boring."
"I don't understand what were you trying to say?"
"Digital photography is not real photography."
"You work is not museum worthy."
"Your work is over processed."
"Don't take pictures of people in public without their permission."
"Don't photograph anorexics."
"Cover up her breasts."
"Your photos are staged."
"I don't like your photo because it leaves nothing for the imagination."
"Your photography is vernacular."
"You should trash that photo."
"I don't like fisheye photos."
"I don't like wide-angle distortion."
"Don't send unsolicited photos to museums."
"She (the person in the photo) is a drunk…she is fat…she is an attention whore…she needs to go to the gym…she is trailer trash."
"Your self-centered"
'Your self-absorbed"
'Your inconsiderate"
"Your a phony...your all talk...you don't know how to take photographs." (When I don't send in any photos to the forums.)
"Your a troll...your looking for attention...your trying to boost your website traffic...your an egomaniac." (When I do send in photos to the forums.)
"Your goofy"
After you learn the basics, you have to learn to trust your own instincts. If you can't trust your own instincts, then you must follow the critics and shoot for them and not for yourself.