What Makes a "Good" Photograph?
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- Опубликовано: 5 июл 2024
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I could practically write a novel on this topic. I grew up with a photojournalist father who was also a photography professor in the pre-digital days. I managed a photography store from 1992-2013. I helped many amateur film & digital photographers with composition, exposure, and such. I still don’t consider myself an expert, but I’ll give it a go. I think a dynamic image is one that pulls people in. It might tell a story or just be a strong composition. It doesn’t have to win an award. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be shot in manual mode. My dad used to say that if you got one great shot on a roll of film, then you’re doing well.
What are some of your favourite lenses from that era?
I've always agreed with that estimation as well. Harry Callahan, one of my favorites, was quoted as saying that out of the 40,000 or so negatives he'd shot up to that point, he only liked about 800 of them. Which is 2 percent, about the same rate as one frame out of 36.
@@sauravbasu8805 I really love the Nikon 28-105mm lens. It has macro capabilities and was my go-to lens on my N80.
I like photos that tell a story - indirectly. For example, a red sofa in a living room is mundane. That same sofa outside on the street (iow, out of context) requires the viewer to wonder what the underlying story is
Love your insights here Lucy. Sidenote - makes me want to watch “The Colorful Mr. Eggleston” again
I think shapes and colors are art. Looking at painters like Mark Rothko, simplistic shapes and colors can evoke feelings.
some super concepts and thought provoking ideas covered. in a world saturated with images what makes some stand out from the rest...
Jay Maisel said it best: 'Shoot what interests you.' There is a song from around 1972 with the lyric ' you know, you can't please everyone, you got to please yourself'... you just keep on being you... that's plenty good enough!
Wowww I immediately fall in love with how your video looks!!! It’s like reading a book with photos.
I mean your A roll
Very thought-provoking topic - well done.
Thank you lovely!
A fine discussion. Thank you.
I like the visual "look" of your video.
Interestingly eye opening view, Thanks!
This is the first time I've come across this channel and I can tell I'm going to be going down a rabbit hole. I've seen so many channels of "here's how [insert function] works" or "avoid these 7 composition mistakes". It's really refreshing to see something based more on the philosophical aspects.
Thank you Jeff! I’m glad you enjoyed the video and my approach. I love getting deep on this sort of side of photography!
heyyy i love fuji hunters work!! ❤❤
Well said Lucy ,it's the first time I've seen this subject spoken on you Tube in such a unique way , amazing photography program as always .
Wow, thank you so much. I’m glad you aren enjoying the channel lovely’
Great video so fun
I’ve been photographing for 45 years, and this is probably the best video I have ever seen on what photography is really all about.
That was really great food for thought.
For me, photography is usually about telling a story. When it comes to my personal work, I like the image to speak for itself and tell the story.
I’m very new to this. I have sooooooo much to learn. Your topics are so thoughtful and leave me with so much to ponder. I hope to love photography as you do.
What a great video! This question is a struggle of mine. As I grow as a photographer the answer keeps changing. I started with skill, then visuals/striking rendering (started with vintage lenses ended switching to film) and currently I place the highest value on perfect composition at the decisive moment. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and passion for the craft ❤
Hey, thanks for that feature! Great video, something that's always part of the thought process as a photographer.
This was a refreshing take. I had all but given up on photography RUclips with this current recipe trend, so it's actually really nice to hear conversation about composition and art again. You've picked some great examples, and made solid points. Thanks for sharing. ✌️
Eggleston was next level i love his stuff. The best film colours imho were the 50s,60s and especially the 70s.
This is a masterpiece video! So glad you guys decided to tackle this! Such a great topic which could probably be discussed and debated for eternity. You brought up so many relevant criteria.
For me, the more I study the work of well known photographers (including you), the more educated I feel in appreciating great photography. I think each genre might have it’s own criteria for what makes a photo great. For example, I recently read about how Yousuf Karsh captured the famous portrait of Winston Churchil by swiping his cigar from his mouth resulting in the brilliant grumpy look on his face, highlighting the importance of expression in portrait photography.
Rick Beato’s RUclips channel also features many “What makes this song so great” videos which deep dive into music theory to explain why a song is popular. And I know almost nothing about music theory!
At the end of the day, great photographs often evoke an emotion and I often think about a quote attributed to Maya Angelou “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Thank you much matt! This is a lovely comment. Love that you also watch Rick beato’s channel he is awesome! Lux and I watch him a lot and love those breakdowns of great songs!!
Thank you for watching my friend! X
The number one thing I've learned is don't hesitate. Hit that shutter button. Again and again and again.
Love these discussions and questions you pose.
I’ve recently discovered that my “worst” images technically are those I love the most! Hard to find soul in images that are perfect when I get oodles of feeling from low quality b&w images on budget film from a nasty Russian 35mm camera. 😂
Skill, IMO, means to make the final picture look like you imagined it, show what you want to show. Time has something to do with nostalgia, what we liked and is not here anymore and only visible in the photos of old. Like grandma's cherry tree that we used to climb and sit in and feast on sweet, almost black cherries. A photo that brings back those sentiments will always have a special place.
Your approach is intriguing. I think, photography is all about primordial communication, the realm of existence before language, a journey through self and time. Cadence, Caesura, Saudade.
thank you for this
I forget which photojournalist said when asked his secret to great pictures. He said “f8 and being there.” I kept that in mind when I was a (film)photojournalist. Most people take snapshots of themselves friends and family, places they visited on vacation. I used to see the same pictures over again only taking by different people when I worked at a one hour photo lab. They aren’t great pictures, but great memories for those who took them. Award winning photography is difficult to do, but not impossible. It’s subjective, but based on rules of composition and other techniques.
I would shoot a roll of film and only get a few good pictures out of it. Then I could make it great in the darkroom with playing with the contrast, burning and dodging etc. Now it’s all done on the computer. The hard part is doing something new. Some of it is done as art. Some tells a story. Some records history. I. Do both digital and film photography now; not professionally anymore but just for photography’s sake. Even with digital I still only get a few pictures that are any good even though I can take as many shots as I want. Sometimes I plan out the shot. Even then I shoot a few extra.
Great comment and ur the person I’d love shooting with because it would be fun versus tedious
I love (attempting) to create compelling visuals. I don't feel an obligation to include a predetermined meaning. Meaning is great, but beauty gives pleasure. That is often plenty enough for me.
I've been doing this for a long time now in different genres and purpose, amateur and a little bit professionally. I feel I have developed a lot of skill and knowledge of the craft on a good part of 45 years now but yet I am always learning and experimenting... but there is one question I always ask myself when I have concerns of my photography, my skills and my direction, and that is "Why and Who".
In short, Why am I still doing this and Who is it for?! And I feel the answer to any problems, rutts and reason is that it is for Me. In order to stay sharp, worrying about what others will think about your photography will only create stress and burnout. I shoot for me and I shoot when, where and what I feel at the moment and that has always been my favorite imagery to look back on because it has a real meaning and personal history of what I was trying to accomplish.
I don't sell my work, yet because I feel a personal body of work is best curated late in life when they have time to age just as all the past greats have done where many have done work just for themselves and it isn't until later that their story can be told properly and completely... however many of us will go to the grave with unseen images in an attic, and some have but some have been discovered after the fact, but the common denominator is that these photographers shot for themselves, for their own self enrichment and creativity and no one else.
In todays terms it is, Do we create for ourselves or do we create for outside validation and to make a quick buck? If it's the latter then years down the line we will have regrets and less time.
Thank you so much for your kind words ❤
Great video, Lucy! Very insightful. These are questions I struggle with in my work too.
Thanks so much Pete! I can imagine you would have lots to say in this too would love to read something about it from your perspective!!
Sometimes the “visual” IS “the meaning” so yes, I think that can absolutely be enough and all that’s needed to make a photo great and often is more difficult to do.😊
Personally I believe you have to create art for yourself if others enjoy it that is great. With the advent of social media it is hard not to get caught up in what others are achieving.
Just create art that you love with a process you enjoy and you can't go wrong. Overthinking and stressing about what others think leads to failure and life is too short.
Hey Lucy Great Choice of Photographers to cover. A great selection of iconic photos
Just be authentic. Great video!
Thank you
Love this kind of content on the channel ❤
Yes yes yes! I know this kind of video is not the kind you can drop every week but this is the stuff that gets me fired up! I love hearing the philosophical conversation and investigating the "why" of photography. Thanks for brightening up the week Lucy and Lux :) much love from Aotearoa.
I'm convinced that not every photo needs a story. I've seen (and made) photographs that exist around shapes and colours. Pure graphic images can also be appealing and at the moment I take such photo's I don't care if anyone else will like it. It's just my intuition at the moment that makes me wanna press the shutter button. In fact the only time I care if a photo will please someone else, is when I work commissioned - obviously. The idea behind that is, that nobody can please the whole world (and that's a good thing actually). On the other side, if someone else is happy with what I did, but I'm not, the photo will never please me until (hopefully) I get the chance to redo it.
I also have the experience that a photo in a gallery or book gains more value when I've read the comment, but that knowledge also taught me to sometimes make up such a story when I make certain photo's. It can also be the reason why I make a photo, but that's rarely the motivation, to be honest. I've once seen a painting which I found very beautiful without exactly knowing why I liked it so much. I've concluded that it doesn't matter. I can have a similar experience with people and objects. It teaches me that not everything has to have an explanation. It's part of who we are, to like or dislike what we encounter and not so much of the object itself.
I understand the urge or even anxiety of wanting to evolve your work to move towards the work or views of what others are doing successfully or have been valued canonically in a historical context. And I agree that it should be considered and appreciated as one learns about the values and personality of the photographers you or society looks up to. But throw away that feeling of a ceiling being on your style. Your work is already recognisable to me. I believe that it will be appreciated more in time. Keep doing what you're doing and refining your view and style in depicting the world you see through your lens. Let people learn to appreciate your work like the masters: without them telling you why they should. But simply because the work is beautiful and meaningful and unique or authentic. Good going, Lucy Lumen.
Thank you my friend! 🥹🥹🥹
I just happened to stumble on this video while surfing. Thank you for it. I wish I could find more discussions about photography like it. Plus the list of photo books is great! It has some of my favorites (Ahem Frank Herzog Modern Color) as well as some others I wound up buying.
I’m now a subscriber. Hope to see more like this one! There are only so many photography channels that talk about photography! Most are all about the gear!
Thank you Angela - this is lovely to read! I have more videos like this to bring to the channel in the future so keep an eye out. I appreciate the kind comment and hearing your feedback. I agree about gear ⚙️ talk it’s focused on too much!
Also, just want to mention I LOVE. This topic and all the questions raised here. Well done as always Lucy!
Thank you so much Molly! It actually felt good to get all these questions off my chest in a video too haha. Hope you are well. I’ve been meaning to email you. Xx
For me, images trigger memories of experiences or feelings that my brain has often filed and forgotten and that I, at least subconsciously, seek to recover. The feelings need not be associated with a personal experience - something that I have thought about is sufficient. Thus the reward I receive from viewing an image may be unique to me, both in its nature and its intensity. I am a visual person, so images do this for me more reliably that sounds or scents. When I take a photograph of a beach, for example, I appreciate that I would really like to recapture my feelings from the first time I visited a beach (or some other significant experience). When I show my photographs to others, I understand that the impact on them, if any, will likely be different than it was for me. Consequently, I don't ask, or expect, others to see what I see in an image. Of course, this makes judging my own work by some community standard nearly impossible.
Love this. These are great points to keep in mind when photographing. It’s so interesting cause it depends on the viewers interpretation and what they value as well. 🌸✨
Hello ! It feels like this is your experience talking, and it feels refreshing for me in a way that what is said, are not the words of other but yours. Well I can feel that ^_^ reflections about art can be mesmerizing 🙃 wish you luck for the future 🤞
Skip the music on your photo walks and listen to your surroundings. Music is nice in its own right too. Wonderful video.
I think you ask some valid questions about what makes a great photo. My feeling is just getting out there and taking shots and making your decisions become the photo YOU really like or don’t like. We look at famous images and can compare what we have done to what we see, study or want to improve upon. That in it of itself is what makes a great photo. In some cases, I may not look at the photos I’ve taken right away. This allows me to relax and look at photos on a bigger screen and often there are a few unexpected surprises. The little bit of time to breathe is necessary and gives me an opportunity to look at the pic with an open mind. I like that! Your photos will never have a ceiling! 📷
Btw I absolutely love your outfits in this video :3
Thoughtful insights, Lucy. Keep up the quest.
😍❤❤❤❤
I wrestle with all these questions and relate to all the same feelings you brought up. I’ve been photographing for over 55 years and I still have not found the answers that I’m searching for as they apply to me. Maybe it is the search for answers within myself that keeps me photographing and trying different styles and genres. The main driving force for me is curiosity and the elation of discovery.
Good thought provoking questions
Thank you for this.
Thank you Lucy for making and sharing this video. I am a new subscriber, and I wished I had found you a lot earlier.
This was a very well thought out video that raised many pertinent questions that, as you said, keep you up at night. They certainly keep rattling around in my head when I'm trying to determine if my work is "good enough". Well done and keep up the great work.
Great work Lucy. So much information in a small package. I have been pressing the shutter and interested in photography for more than 70 years. Once in a while I do produce a photograph, but most of all I do a lot of snap shots. I like your work and your presentation.
What a lovely pleasing relaxed 'presentation'. I like your laissez-faire approach. I personally have a fight to capture my best images because all I really want is for the viewer to nearly smell the flowers, hear the sea, sense the wind. If I can capture that I've created a great image! If it happens to be completely in focus I assure you its an accident.
Very thoughtful.
This is the first video of yours that was recommended to me, and I must say that I absolutely loved it. Immediate sub 😊💜
So good! Enjoyed this. Very relatable.
11:44 "TIME"...After looking at so many great street photography images from the distant past (images that featured people), I was inspired to go out a few times and try to capture these types of images myself. The disappointment was swift as everyone I saw was dressed too comfortably and looking down at their smartphones.
It's so ironic. Back in the day before cameras were everywhere, people dressed to go out like they were going to have their picture taken. Now, people regularly go out in public looking like there's not gonna be a camera anywhere for a million miles. 😄
Good thoughts, Lucy. I've found that often I see lots of videos about photography gear and I appreciate that it is relevant, to a degree. I have enjoyed your video because you have talked about photography and its role down through the decades and that's what I'm interested in. How our views have changed about what we photograph and why. I've got to that part of my life where I'm questioning more about this and asking myself is my photography truly a part of myself, is it my own expression? It is often difficult to separate our own thoughts, which are truly ours, from those that have touched our lives over the years. It is proving to be an interesting journey of self-discovery. By the way, I'm nearly 70 years old and it seems only now that I'm starting to think more seriously about how my photography makes me feel. It used to be about the technology, but now it is about the moment.
great content, thanks!
Personally as a working press photographer I shoot so much and barely get a chance to look back and review what I've done. On Valentines day this year our regional got twatted by Cyclone Gabrielle. Only a small part of my work was published as there was so much footage coming out of this disaster so I decided to collate my stuff and load it to my channel. I'm a keen landscape photographer too but over time I'm realising my news and street Images give me more pleasure even when the situation is pretty grim. For me the same names in photography always crop up, the Mayorwitz, the Winnogrands, Adams, Arbus, Baileys, Bresson etc we look at them as absolute untouchable legends which they are, their work stands the test of time every time. In these Image saturated days I just wonder how many photographers work will be studied and revered in decades to come or will the snappers of the future keep going back to the legends. I reckon as photographers we should shoot what we enjoy and when we're toast at least our kids and their kids will have a record of our time on this planet. Great video Lucy enjoyed that cheers for sharing your thoughts and your fine work.
Awesome video as usual. I really enjoy your take on things. The art world is just as prone to fads and changing temperaments as any other. Considering you've now been part of a major show you are obviously doing something right.
Thank you Edward - I appreciate that a lot. You have been such a wonderful support of my videos right from the start. Thank you
This is a nice, thought provoking reflection. I’ve been taking photographs since Santa brought me a Brownie Hawkeye in 1956. After thousands of photographs, a BFA, a professional career and teaching photography I’m not sure I’m any closer to an answer.
BTW, since you highlighted Ansel Adams and included a Zone System clip, my BFA is from the design school where Adams and Fred Archer were instructors when they codified the Zone System.
Nowadays I concentrate on having fun and learning new things. I also try to stretch my boundaries, both aesthetically and technically. It’s hard not to get hidebound. If a better than average images results, it’s a bonus.
❤️❤️from 🇳🇱🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
You guys, this turned out SO GREAT!!! Absolutely loved the content and Lux, next level on the cut. You pose so many fantastic questions that I am not even going to start to wax poetic on or there would be a novel in these comments. I'll just save it for when we all finally hang :)
That get together would make an interesting video.
@@marknichols7861 it will absolutely happen someday :)
Just look at the Art of Jeffrey Smart, fabulous art made by shipping containers, signs, held together by shadows, angles and colour.
Lucy, you are giving a good analysis of how photographers shoot and how we perceive their work. The ability to frame, compose and shoot a great photo partly depends on experience. If a relative new photographer I would suggest going out to observe more than shoot. How does the light & shadows play? Do scenes or people draw your attention & think? Just buying the right gear isn't enough. Have to observe. As for what makes older work more appealing, it may depend on how fast & unstable our current climate is. We develop nostalgia because we desire a simpler, calmer moment.
Lucy, regards your own work, you have a unique style and when presented as a body of work, for example in an exhibit, then it has significance in the unique way you present color, form, shape etc. You probably fall somewhere towards being an abstract photographer and that has its own place just as abstract painting does. I am a local photographer, I live in rural Iowa USA, I photographed our local town square over 15 years and am now presenting that as a body of work. From sharing this work I notice it has most meaning to people from my town or people also from midwest small towns but also I find people in living in large cities are intrigued by a world that is different from theirs. My final thought, continue to photograph what you love and in the style you love. Someone somewhere is making money selling giclee prints of the Sydney Opera House, but who cares, that's not you and you have many years ahead of you discover what the legacy you are leaving as artist will be.
Thank you so much Guy! This is great feedback and great to hear too. I would say abstract fits my work quite well too so nice that you think the same. Appreciate you watching and sharing your thoughts here. X
WOW Lucy. So well presented, your topic knowledge and insights have me now a fan and follower. Thank you 😊😊😊
Thank you so much 😊 this has made my day! X
Such a great video. Your presentation and production of this makes me think deeper about my photography. Very inspiring.
Thank you so much John! This is amazing to hear really appreciate it.
Fantastic video, and a great topic! And that track @ 11:33, I want to hear more!
I feel a big factor in being a photographer is knowing when to capture things, regardless of context. Being able to shoot something in the moment, and being able to take your time and make an artful composition are both very useful skills. There's so many genres of photography, that it never hurts to push your boundaries with something that you don't normally do. I think it's about making the most of what's available. I live in a small town as well. A lot of my photos are of large expanses of farm fields. If I go on an adventure, and think a bit like a tourist, there's no shortage of subjects to capture. Interestingly, some of my favorite candid shots have been right inside my home with pictures I've taken of my cat. The way the sun hits him when he's staring out the window can provide very compelling drama. I also feel as a photographer, that we've been privileged with opportunities to capture fleeting glimpses of beauty that will never be seen again. If we go seeking experiences, the universe will have a way of providing them to us. I remember the time I was awestruck when I stayed up all night to capture the dancing tendrils of light from an aurora that bathed my backyard in a canopy of neon green light. Another time, I brought my camera with me on a bike ride, and captured a rainbow, a lighting strike, just as the sky was being lit with an otherwordly color during golden hour. I ended getting soaked in a rainstorm on the way back, but it was totally worth it for what I was able to witness.
I feel a photographer has the best chance to capture the world the more they move through it. I love photography and I think because it is magical, the moment is captured, those photons will never happen again in the same way; the ability to capture that slice of time is wonderous. When I delve into a subject that I am passionate for I want to know all aspects of that interest and I end up learning how it all works. The art of photography is vast, like trying to pin down air; ever elusive. I enjoy being able to connect with a photograph in someway through its esthetics, form, composition, emotion, color, shape, presence, feeling, skill, subject, story and also through interactions with the photographer themselves. Taking a few of those, or other, aspects of an image I feel is what makes an image stand out and being able to connect with as many people as possible makes the image timeless.
My best photos last year were of my Grandsons, but I’m not allowed to share them online.
Hi Lucy,
I just discovered your channel and for my first video...wooo. You have touched on a subject that after a decade (and for the first time) is present many times. I really liked how you have dissected it and as you talked about your work I found myself identified. I hope to see you soon and congratulations on your channel.
Thank you so much for this lovely comment I’m glad you found the channel and I hope you enjoy the other videos. Thank you 🙏🏻
My personal opinion is to just go out and have fun with your camera. I’m 67 and have been into photography since my high school days. For me photography is a hobby,i just really enjoy the whole experience. Almost every great photo I’ve taken was captured purely by accident, right place right time thing.
I believe when you start stressing and lose sight of the joy of photography is when you need to just get back to basics and have fun with it. Don’t go out with a specific agenda in mind, it’s as easy as going for a walk and the photos will find you. Also don’t try and copy other photographers style follow your own path.
Yes! Great Video Lucy. For me photography is about self expression. It's your interpretation of a mood or emotion through a composition , colours, shades, shadows, inferred movement etc. From a Landscape of misty mountains making the viewer wonder at the pristine nature of the world around them to the ubiquitous lingerie shoot inciting a feelings of love. lust etc and the street photo of the sartorially splendid man running for a trolley car invoking the viewer to wonder the context surrounding the juxtaposition. It's down to you and what you are conveying through your chosen medium of photography. What makes it great? Well that varies - greatness is individual and subjective and many times ephemeral. Van Gogh was only popular after his suicide and the narrative about his works that his death created. Very few are successful within their own lifetimes and after. The truly greats occupy that strata. Would Vivian Maier be as popular if her story didn't have the narrative behind it? Lastly, any photo that needs a blurb to validate it and boost its appeal is only a job half done. The capture itself should not need an explanation to peak our interest and bring out the viewers emotions. sorry for the long rant. Love these thought provoking videos.
Define Great. O.K. I guess yo did. Good work.
I totally agree, the image should stand on it's own. It doesn't matter if it is technically perfect as long as it does something for the viewer or the photographer.
Thanks for watching Ted! I agree ☝️
This is fantastic! I'm also listening with headphones and the sound design is amazing.
Thank you so much - that is all down to my partner he does all the production and makes the music for the channel to so everything you hear is made by him! I am very lucky
Incredibly thought provoking video Lucy.
On the topic of the importance of meaning vs visuals, I think that depends on how much the artist wants people to perceive from the work.
In cinema a filmmaker will go for a well executed traditional story structure in order for the narrative to make the most sense, and for the emotional beats of the film to be most effective, but on the other side of the coin a filmmaker might not care so much about narrative and be more experimental with the form and want the viewer to find meaning for themselves. Anyway loved this kind of video.
Your work and discussion reminds me of Jay Maisel's "Light Gesture and Color". That is my go-to book when I need inspiration. You offer a wonderful presentation. I look forward to viewing more.
Thank you so much lovely! I will have to look this book up - I haven’t heard of it.
Wonderful insight! Would love to see some of your favorite photobooks in a future video.
Thank you so much! Yes that is a great idea for a video actually!
Excellent questions and dialog. I struggle with them a lot. Maybe the old phrase "beauty is in the eye of the holder", applies. That is it is subjective. I continue to be fascinated by which photos of mine get more "likes" than others. The conclusion I have arrived at is that it is the connection or emotion the image evokes in a viewer. As a retired architect, I'm always drawn to photograph the built environment, mostly the abstract and parts of structures. I follow Fuji Hunter, and live about 45 minutes away from him. His work is stuff I love. That being said, I love photographing people, posed and candid. Back to the beginning of my post, what I find interesting isn't what other viewer's eyes find appealing or even understand. Thanks, I enjoy your channel.
Very thought provoking. I just got back into photography after 40 years of not using a camera. I went from a 1957 Voigtlander Vito B that my dad gave me to a Leica Q2. I try to shoot interesting, unique and weird/strange things. Some photos my wife likes and others she thinks are not very good or interesting. But people I work with like some of my photos so I guess it’s really “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” as they say.
Great topic Lucy! I've struggled with those questions for as long as I've been taking pictures. Here is a quote by the great Takuma Nakahira "Photography needs to stop being art. It needs to stop expressing feelings. When it is completely a record, it can be something." I don't know if I buy into his idea of photography, but it does make me think.
interesting video. new subscriber. i wasn't quite sure what this video was about. I'm not sure I know now. But, it was very thought provoking. So much so I'll rewatch 1-2 more times. well done. .thanks.
This was very enlightening and enjoyable to watch. With my own images I tend to focus on the abstract and try to make simple but interesting compositions. Do they tell a story? Probably not, but sometimes I’m just drawn to a splash of color on a wall rather than a sweeping, majestic landscape. Thank you for making me feel like my work has value.
I agree with alot within your vid.
I am a hobbyist, I take photographs that are pleasing to me, I am not depending on photography for a living but the sale of any of them does help offset the cost. An artist who needs to earn a living may need to worry about which concepts sell and which do not and may have to adjust to ensure that their work sells. Some artists may have the luck of producing what makes them happy and having it "accidentally" aligning with what sells.
"Meaning" is too subjective and not in the vernacular of Art. Themes are artificial and shortlived. Random images in a book have a theme: "Everything Waits to Be Noticed".
Superb video by the way. One of the very best discussions of the way we think of the act of taking a photograph. Your own photography is well conceived and executed. A distinct point of view.
This is a wonderful video. So glad it popped up on my You Tube page. Looking at William Eggleston's images can teach us a great deal. I retired to a suburb of San Francisco (Marin County). It's beautiful here by my neighborhood is mostly tract houses. I have been making a portfolio of images of the houses at sunset, blue hour and after dark. Can't always get to Rome and Paris
What makes a strong photograph for me? Any image that has one or more of the following:
1. Emotional impact
2. Strong elements of design
3. Authentic personal expression
4. Unique point of view
5. A sense of mystery, atmosphere, or nostalgia
6. Excellent artistry and craft
I feel this question is over thought by many. Great is purely subjective. For me two words come to mind expression and relationship . If you have those the viewer has something to engage and have you ever been successful. Everything else are simply matters that play into consistency. I enjoyed the video