Critique for Exceptional Photography by Roxanne Bouché Overton Most photographers try to improve by buying better gear, taking more workshops, or shooting endlessly - but none of those things matter if you don’t understand why a photograph works. In Critique for Exceptional Photography , fine-art photographer Roxanne Bouché Overton reveals the most overlooked and transformative tool in photography: the ability to analyze an image. The word critique comes from a Latin root meaning to analyze - not to judge or condemn. It is the clear, thoughtful examination of what’s working inside a photograph: its strengths, its story, its impact, and the decisions behind it. When you learn how to analyze images with intention, you unlock the ability to make consistently stronger photographs, no matter what camera you own. Through clear guidance, practical examples, and dozens of expressive, award-winning photographs, this book teaches you how to read images like a photographer and think like an artist. You’ll learn how to evaluate your own work with confidence, develop your unique vision, and understand what makes an image memorable and moving. Inside this book, you’ll learn how to: • Analyze photographs through the lens of clarity, intention, and visual strength • Break down any image using the three universal pillars: Impact, Technical, Composition • Understand color, tone, light, perspective, motion, and story - and how they shape emotion • Separate personal bias from honest visual assessment • Study master photographers to deepen your own creative instincts • Identify patterns in strong images and apply those principles to your shooting • Use critique in real time to make better choices behind the camera • Strengthen your personal style through repeated, mindful analysis Roxanne shows how learning to analyze photographs - whether world-class images or your own work - builds a deep, intuitive understanding of what makes a compelling picture. By consistently examining light, shapes, balance, mood, and story, your seeing becomes clearer, stronger, and far more intentional. This book is not about rules. It is about vision - your vision - and how to cultivate it. Perfect for photographers of every level who want to improve their work, develop a distinctive style, understand what makes a photograph exceptional, and take creative control of their artistic growth.