What's technically a good photo?
Ephrem RichmondShare
What you will learn:
- Definition of a good photograph.
- The art behind a perfect photograph.
My argument: the perfect photo isn’t a well-edited photograph, it isn’t a perfectly exposed photograph, and it isn’t a sharp photograph.
*Before we get started, there are two types of photography 1) staged and 2) unstaged. We will be talking about the unstaged type of photography.
Photography is an art; therefore, you can do whatever you want with your camera and your photos. You could go black and white, you could have a vignette, or you could do nothing. But, if you want an interesting, good photograph, which is the goal of every photographer, there is one thing you must have.
When you take a photo, you are recording an event on our timeline; you are capturing a moment that will never happen again. It’s my personal opinion that a good photo, the perfect photo, maintains what's actually happening in front of you. If there is a NASCAR driver zooming past, then maybe the photo will be a blurry streak of color, reflecting the speed and intensity of the moment. If you are observing a cultural experience of rage, then maybe the photo will be sharp and have a large depth of field, framing every detail and bringing people into the emotions. Or maybe, if you are viewing something that will never happen again, you make sure to catch the entire image. Either way, for your photo to stand out among the staged photos, you need one thing.
Every interesting photo must have a story, emotion, or something never seen before.
Now, why don’t I think the best photos have anything to do with editing, exposure, shutter speed, etc.? Well, I don’t think that.
The world is experienced differently by you and me, which is often the reason behind our choosing to edit the photos we take. For you, maybe you want to add the emotions that you felt as that NASCAR blinked past. You might want to make the scene darker than it was in reality, or even add a vignette. I think this is completely okay, and it certainly adds to the story of your photograph.
The thing is, a good photo is regularly thought to be made possible when you edit it and properly expose everything; people make that their foundation for photography. But in reality, a good photo comes from the perfect framing of something unique, engaging, and emotionally tremendous. This should be the base at which you stand every time you click the shutter. If it doesn’t hold one of those three things, how are you going to enhance what isn’t there?
Once you have a vision for your photo, the foundation that you want to frame, then you properly expose your camera sensor, edit it, and personalize it, which results in the creation of a perfect photograph.
Just to recap: A good photo holds a story, because without that, what is there in your photo? A perfect photo maintains a story consistent with that of the world, while walking in hand with your personal experience in that frame of time.
