Single Critique
$95 USD
One two-hour session
Send up to 12 photographs. Steve will review your full selection and choose six for an honest, constructive group critique.
$95 per session
PHOTOEDUCATE LOCAL / FIRST WESTCHESTER CLASS
Small-Group Photo Critique with Steve Simon
About this critique
We’re often too close to our own photographs. We remember the heat, the noise and the excitement of being there, and that memory sticks to the picture. It’s what I call emotional metadata, and it makes it hard to see what’s actually in the frame. That’s why a good critique is one of the best tools a photographer has.
This is a small, in-person critique class here in Pelham. Before each session you send me up to 12 of your photographs. I look through your full selection first, then choose the six I think we can learn the most from: your strongest work and the pictures that are almost there. Then we sit down together for two hours and talk about them.
How I critique
I start with my gut reaction, then I ask why. Why does this one work? Why doesn’t that one? Where does the eye go first, and where does it settle? Is something in the frame hijacking attention from the main subject? Is it the right moment, or would it have been stronger a fraction of a second earlier? Does the color amplify the content, or would black and white cut to it? Is there a better picture hiding inside this one with a crop?
I’m honest, because pats on the back are far less useful than meaningful, constructive criticism. But there’s no need to be harsh. It’s a brave thing to put your work on the table, and everyone in the room knows it.
What you’ll get out of it
- An honest read on where your pictures stand, and what it would take to make the good ones strong.
- A clearer sense of which pictures belong in your portfolio, and why.
- Specific next steps, both in editing and in how you work the scene next time out.
- A trained eye. In my experience, people learn as much from the critique of someone else’s picture as from their own. With six people, you see a lot of good work and a lot of thinking out loud.
- A small group that gets to know your work over time, and holds you to it.
Who it’s for
Passionate photographers at any level who want to make stronger pictures. Street, documentary, travel, portraits, landscape, fine art: if you care about the photograph, it’s welcome. You don’t need to agree with everything I say. Art is not a democracy, and no one opinion is gospel, mine included. You are the final say.
Six photographers. A shared conversation.
OUR TWO HOURS TOGETHER
- 7:00–7:10 p.m.
Meet the group
We’ll introduce ourselves and talk briefly about what you would like to understand or improve in your photography.
- 7:10–8:40 p.m.
Look at everyone’s work
Each participant will have approximately 15 minutes of focused discussion. Send up to 12 photographs beforehand. I’ll look through your full selection and choose six that offer the most useful conversation, including your strongest work and pictures that are almost there.
- 8:40–8:55 p.m.
Connect the ideas
We’ll return to questions that emerged across the work and discuss how to carry those observations into photographing and editing.
- 8:55–9:00 p.m.
Decide what to work on next
We’ll finish with a practical direction or exercise for each photographer to consider after the session.
Before we meet: send up to 12 photographs
- Send up to 12 of your own photographs, as individual images or a connected series. Steve will review the full selection beforehand and choose six from each photographer’s submission for the group discussion.
- Include work you care about, along with pictures you have questions about. A short note about what you hope to explore will help guide the conversation.
- Send your photographs at least 48 hours before class. Original-size JPEGs up to 50 MB each are welcome, with a maximum of 12 images. Steve will email your submission instructions after your date is confirmed.
- Come ready to look, listen and take part in the discussion. A notebook may be useful; a camera is not required for this indoor critique.
Photographs made with any camera or smartphone are welcome. Submitted images are shared with the critique group for discussion. Promotional use requires separate permission.
Steve will personally email your photo-submission instructions after your class date is confirmed. Please send your images at least 48 hours before class.
About me
LED BY STEVE SIMON
I’m a documentary and street photographer, the author of The Passionate Photographer, and I’ve taught workshops and critiqued photographs for years, including my critique course and Critique of the Week series on LinkedIn Learning and live critique shows with B&H. Critique is my favorite part of teaching, and small groups like this are where it works best.
This is an in-person group critique with Steve. The feedback will come through our conversation together.
An evening in Pelham
Common Thyme · 1 Wolfs Lane, 3rd Floor, Pelham, NY 10803. Across from Pelham Train Station, about a one-minute walk.
Coming from Manhattan? Pelham is about a half-hour train ride from Grand Central Terminal on Metro-North’s New Haven Line, depending on the train. The studio is about a one-minute walk from Pelham station. Check the timetable for your chosen date and leave time to reach the third-floor studio.
Check Pelham trains with MTA TrainTime
Common Thyme is on the third floor, across from Pelham station. Entry and access instructions will be sent before class. Contact Steve before booking if you have accessibility questions.
Dinner and/or a beverage before we begin
If you’d like, we can meet at Rockwells before class for dinner and/or a beverage and a chance to get to know one another. It’s just down the street at 105 Wolfs Lane, about a minute’s walk from the studio. Then we’ll head over for our 7 p.m. start.
Joining us beforehand is optional. Food and drinks are paid separately, and the meeting time will be shared before each class.
A few practical details
Four- and 12-session passes expire 12 months after purchase, do not renew automatically, and do not reserve any dates. Email Steve with your order number to request dates. Places are confirmed subject to availability and the six-person limit. Additional dates will be announced.
What would the class include?
A two-hour, in-person critique led by Steve Simon, dedicated discussion time for each participant and the chance to learn from the whole group’s work. Submit up to 12 photographs in advance. Written critiques, individual follow-up sessions, travel, parking, food and drinks are not included.
When are the Pelham classes?
The confirmed class dates are December 1, 15 and 29, 2026; January 12 and 26, and February 2, 2027, Tuesdays from 7–9 p.m. Eastern.
What if I need to cancel?
Cancel at least seven days before your session for a refund on a single-session booking or restoration of a package credit. With less than seven days’ notice, payments are non-refundable, but you may request one courtesy transfer per purchase before class begins. Use the transfer within 90 days, subject to availability. No-shows count as used sessions. If PhotoEducate cancels, you may choose a refund for the affected session or a credit.
Compare the three pricing options
WAYS TO TAKE PART
Come once. Or keep the conversation going.
A single critique can give you a fresh perspective. Returning with new work gives us a chance to see what develops and where you might go next.
Every session is two hours, led by Steve Simon, with a maximum of six participants. Submit up to 12 photographs before each session; Steve will select six for discussion. Everyone learns from the group’s work.
Four- and 12-session passes expire 12 months after purchase, do not renew automatically, and do not reserve any dates. Email Steve with your order number to request dates. Places are confirmed subject to availability and the six-person limit. Additional dates will be announced.
Questions?
Wondering whether a class is right for you, what to bring or how the critique works? Send me an email. I’m happy to help.