So, the big photography "critique"...

Okay, it was my understanding that the instructor would project our slides in front of the class and would have comments about each photograph along the lines of composition, lighting, and how the image could be improved.

Nope.

He did project our slides. But, his detailed criticism consisted of saying "mmm-hmm, okay, yes," over and over, flipping wildly through the slides and waving his laser pointer over the projected image like some guy with Parkison's disease. There were a couple of slides where he did say that he would have cropped the image in certain areas for a better composition, but that's it.

It's not that I'm not learning anything. During his lectures, there have been plenty of times where I've said "oh, okay" to myself. And he's given some pretty good advice regarding composing pictures and using light.

But, besides the theory of taking better pictures, I really wanted a personal critique on what I can do to improve my pictures. Is his advice on picture-taking sinking in or am I missing the boat completely on what makes a good photograph?

"Mmm-hmm, yes, okay," really didn't make that clear for me.