‘No Like’ Photography!

I do not ‘like’ any photographs. I do not ‘dislike’ any photographs. In fact these are two words I never use in conjunction with photography. This is a stance that seems to confuse some people. So let me expolain, my decision is based on the fact that the word ‘like’ is so often used to describe something we approve of, that we use it without consideration. It is a knee-jerk reaction statement of positivity. However, it means little, if anything, other than being a subjective response.

I use the words ‘successful’ and ‘unsuccessful’ when reviewing photographs. These are objective observations based on context. A context that is either set by a client, or the photographer. It cannot be set by anyone else. The viewer can provide interpretation, but again that will be subjective. Such an interpretation can be intellectual or emotional, it may even be spiritual. All of these are important, however they are not context and context based and on intention defines success.

Let me give you an example. A photograph of a chocolate cake maybe a wonderful image for a cookery book, but it will fail as a fashion image in a glossy magazine. That is an extreme example, but it doesn’t matter if you like the photograph of the cake or not, or whatever your feelings are towards it. The success of the image is defined by its context. I hope we can agree on that.

I also never use the words ‘good’ or ‘bad’ when talking about photographs for the same reason that I shun ‘like’ or ‘dislike’. There is no good or bad. This is again a subjective viewpoint and of little practical use. Neither can be taken as an absolute fact, and that is a problem for a photographer looking to edit their images, or decide which they should show. I always say that any photographer is only as good as the work they show, not the work they make, and therefore an understanding of an image’s success, or failure is essential.

I have written a number of articles on how to successfully edit your work and I will include links to those below. The reason for this article is not to repeat those, but to encourage a reconsideration of language. The rejection of lazy words to describe important considerations. By replacing ‘like, good, dislike and bad’ with ‘successful and unsuccessful’, forces the photographer to use different language and thinking. By focusing on the intended context for the image, it is much easier to strip away any emotional or financial attachment we may have with a photograph. Subjectivity can lead to poor decision making, whereas objectivity should lead to reasoned discussion, and it is through that internal discussion that the most successful image can be chosen. A logical argument, I hope you agree, to change the way you comment on photography. Simple, but effective.

Further Reading:
https://unitednationsofphotography.com/2025/11/20/editing-photographs-is-easy-heres-how-and-why/
https://unitednationsofphotography.com/2023/01/07/how-to-edit-your-photographs-the-simple-5-step-way/
https://unitednationsofphotography.com/2022/10/14/the-long-form-edit-rediscovering-the-dismissed-image/
https://unitednationsofphotography.com/2014/11/11/editing-is-rejection-understanding-the-editing-process/

Dr.Grant Scott
After fifteen years art directing photography books and magazines such as Elle and Tatler, Scott began to work as a photographer for a number of advertising and editorial clients in 2000. Alongside his photographic career Scott has art directed numerous advertising campaigns, worked as a creative director at Sotheby’s, art directed foto8 magazine, founded his own photographic gallery, edited Professional Photographer magazine and launched his own title for photographers and filmmakers Hungry Eye. He founded the United Nations of Photography in 2012, and is now a Senior Lecturer and Subject Co-ordinator: Photography at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, and a BBC Radio contributor. Scott is the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Routledge 2014), The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Routledge 2015), New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography (Routledge 2019), What Does Photography Mean To You? (Bluecoat Press 2020) and Inside Vogue House: One building, seven magazines, sixty years of stories, (Orphans Publishing 2024). His photography has been published in At Home With The Makers of Style (Thames & Hudson 2006) and Crash Happy: A Night at The Bangers (Cafe Royal Books 2012). His film Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay was premiered in 2018.