What Makes a "Good" Photograph?
We all see many hundreds of images these days on all our electronic devices, in fact, we are sometimes literally bombarded with them! Images are a huge part of our lives today, if we go online to any website, such as Facebook, Instagram, or a photography forum, we are inundated with all kinds of images. As photographers we may view these images with a slightly different viewpoint than a non-photographer, I know I do. I'm sure I'm much more critical of the image than someone who is not an experienced photographer. You can, however, generally count on your friends and family to think everything you do with your camera is wonderful and that you should be awarded many blue ribbons in any photography show from their perspective.
Photographers often debate on what makes a good photograph and even they can't agree on it. I often see comments on photography forums where someone has posted a rather mundane and uninspiring image or even several images and people respond with "great photograph," "nice set," and "well-done" and no matter how hard I study the images I don't why they are commending the photographer as the images are, in my opinion lacking in several ways. I look again at the image based on these comments and I ask myself what am I missing?
I've shot over 200,000 images, won many local and regional photography show awards, took many private and public educational photography classes, and received a community college degree in photography. I think I do know what a "good" image is after all that, although I think the general public may have a different idea than mine on that subject. I know that even photographers have different ideas on what a "good" image is and some of that may be due to the photography learning curve and where a photographer falls at some point in time on that curve. That learning curve is impacted not so much by the years we have been photographing but more by our ability to learn in various ways and how we put that new knowledge into action, each of us may interpret the knowledge we internalize a bit differently.
Here are TIPS to consider when making your images:
Photographers often debate on what makes a good photograph and even they can't agree on it. I often see comments on photography forums where someone has posted a rather mundane and uninspiring image or even several images and people respond with "great photograph," "nice set," and "well-done" and no matter how hard I study the images I don't why they are commending the photographer as the images are, in my opinion lacking in several ways. I look again at the image based on these comments and I ask myself what am I missing?
I've shot over 200,000 images, won many local and regional photography show awards, took many private and public educational photography classes, and received a community college degree in photography. I think I do know what a "good" image is after all that, although I think the general public may have a different idea than mine on that subject. I know that even photographers have different ideas on what a "good" image is and some of that may be due to the photography learning curve and where a photographer falls at some point in time on that curve. That learning curve is impacted not so much by the years we have been photographing but more by our ability to learn in various ways and how we put that new knowledge into action, each of us may interpret the knowledge we internalize a bit differently.
Here are TIPS to consider when making your images:
1. SUBJECT
For me, one of the most important concepts in judging a photograph is, "can I clearly see what the subject is?" This seems to also be one of the things that many new photographers find hard to understand, they don't ask themselves, "what am I photographing, why am I photographing it, and what do I want my viewer to see?" A person viewing a photograph should not be made to guess what the main subject is, this is not to say that every single photograph we take can only have one subject, but it can only have one main subject and that main subject should clearly stand out in some way. Don't make people guess what the photograph is about.
For me, one of the most important concepts in judging a photograph is, "can I clearly see what the subject is?" This seems to also be one of the things that many new photographers find hard to understand, they don't ask themselves, "what am I photographing, why am I photographing it, and what do I want my viewer to see?" A person viewing a photograph should not be made to guess what the main subject is, this is not to say that every single photograph we take can only have one subject, but it can only have one main subject and that main subject should clearly stand out in some way. Don't make people guess what the photograph is about.
2. BACKGROUND
Another vitally important part of making, and note I say "making," not "taking," a "good" photograph, is the background and how the background interacts with the subject or subjects. The best background is one that complements and/or sets off the main subject in some way. Backgrounds are affected by lens choice, the distance from the camera to the subject, and the distance from the subject to the background. Giving thought to how the lens interplays with these distances is crucial to obtaining a background that works for your subject, not against it. Sometimes it is desirable to clearly show the background in a shot, as in environmental photographs, and sometimes it's more pleasant to show a blurred background. Quickly surveying the background to find the best spot to snap the shot from is important to the success of the overall shot. Sometimes a well-chosen background can even add to the story that the image is telling.
Another vitally important part of making, and note I say "making," not "taking," a "good" photograph, is the background and how the background interacts with the subject or subjects. The best background is one that complements and/or sets off the main subject in some way. Backgrounds are affected by lens choice, the distance from the camera to the subject, and the distance from the subject to the background. Giving thought to how the lens interplays with these distances is crucial to obtaining a background that works for your subject, not against it. Sometimes it is desirable to clearly show the background in a shot, as in environmental photographs, and sometimes it's more pleasant to show a blurred background. Quickly surveying the background to find the best spot to snap the shot from is important to the success of the overall shot. Sometimes a well-chosen background can even add to the story that the image is telling.
