...in your opinion.
I posted a topic once asking for people's opinions on which of 3 different cameras I was looking at that in their experience they liked & had someone tell me that I needed to go take classes before getting a camera that I was looking at since my old camera was clearly a "beginner" camera & I needed to learn manual settings, though she had never commented on any of my photos & obviously had no idea of my history, capabilities, or how I shoot. Then when posting about my new camera I had someone basically say great for you but the camera doesn't matter since it is the lens that makes great photos. Then in my town there is this woman who heads a gallery & does tons of workshops and tells all her students that they need to learn to shoot with only natural light & it is the light that makes the shot....
So I can't help but wonder what, in all your wonderful opinions, makes the shot? Do you think it is the camera, the lens, the photographers vision, the light or all of these in different quantities? I know there is no hard & fast rule...just interested in a spirited discussion from fellow 365ers
It's a deep subject, but I love what @jinx said one time - something about complimenting a photographer with "you must have a good camera" is like telling a chef he/she must have a good stove. I can't tell you how many times people have complemented me on my camera - and I don't think (at least I hope) they have a clue what they are saying.
And in general I think authoritarian statements about what makes anything good are for the birds.
Looking at the photograph...does it evoke an emotion? Do you feel curiosity? Is there an impact? Do you as the photographer like it? If you answer yes to any of the above, it's a good photo IMO.
Anyone can take photos be it with a phone or the most experience camera in the world... that doesn't make them photographers or mean they take good or bad photos.
This is a wonderful photo by a man called Peter Van Allen ( @petervanallen )
Taken with his iPhone.
Techinically, a good photo has good composition, good contrast, good brightness but sometimes the least techincal photos are brilliant
What is a good photo... something that means a lot to me and moves me may not do anything for you.
And for me the difference between someone who takes photos and a photographer... not their equipment but their passion and their willingness to get "THE" shot. I have been trying my whole life to get THE shot and haven't done it yet but I keep trying and willing to try anything to get it
Great light helps, great equipment is awesome, with digital photographs, knowing the software is a plus. Lenses help and cost a lot of $$$.
But it's up to the photographer to go and shoot. The more you do it, the better you'll get. Practice and doing a lot of it will help you to develop your unique vision and style.
I think all those elements you mentioned contribute to a good or great photo but in the end it is how it is percieved by its audience. Quality is subjective. There are some things almost everyone could agree on, but beyond that, who knows. Most people who instruct others use what they view as the "right" way to do things, instead of a less objective and more neutral viewpoint.
People on here shoot solely on their phones so that throws the "beginner" camera theory out the window. The lens helps for sure, but it doesn't make the photo if you try to shoot something outside the limitations of the lens. Learning to shoot in natural light is very helpful, but there is going to be sometime in your photography career where you will have to shoot with a flash or inside, what do you do then, if you have never tried or practiced? Lighting does make the shot, but what about framing, DOF and focus points? You can argue all day about what does or doesn't make a good photo, but in the end, its what a person or the majority likes in the case of a competition.
I read a photography book not too long ago. One thing the author says over and over is, "Be a seeker of light."
That really stuck with me, and my photos have definitely improved.
There are a lot of things that make a photo great. If we had to choose one in particular, it's light, without a doubt.
Vast subject. For me, light is a key element (btw, photography comes from greek meaning light writing), the photographer is a key element. The camera is not a key element. It can be important, but not key. There are many examples here of people taking very good pics with simple cameras. They might not be perfect technically (sometimes they are, still) but they mean something, tell a story, are moving pics. Perhaps the question si more what is a good photo than what makes a good photo.
to paraphrase ansel adams "A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed." good shots come from about a foot behind the lens, you could have a top of the range camera with top spec lenses taking a perfectly lit scene and still take a bad shot and yet I have seen outstanding photos taken in bad light on a holga. what you hold in your hands is in effect a tool and you can give that tool to a dozen people and get a dozen outcomes, but it is still a tool and if you are not comfortable with it and dont know how to use it you will never get a great shot. its true the basis of a great photograph is the capturing of light and that is all light not just natural light, but it is much more than that it is about framing and subject matter and focal points and bringing all those elements together but most important of all its about heart.
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And in general I think authoritarian statements about what makes anything good are for the birds.
This is a wonderful photo by a man called Peter Van Allen ( @petervanallen )
Taken with his iPhone.
Techinically, a good photo has good composition, good contrast, good brightness but sometimes the least techincal photos are brilliant
What is a good photo... something that means a lot to me and moves me may not do anything for you.
And for me the difference between someone who takes photos and a photographer... not their equipment but their passion and their willingness to get "THE" shot. I have been trying my whole life to get THE shot and haven't done it yet but I keep trying and willing to try anything to get it
@reba Great comment and so very true
But it's up to the photographer to go and shoot. The more you do it, the better you'll get. Practice and doing a lot of it will help you to develop your unique vision and style.
People on here shoot solely on their phones so that throws the "beginner" camera theory out the window. The lens helps for sure, but it doesn't make the photo if you try to shoot something outside the limitations of the lens. Learning to shoot in natural light is very helpful, but there is going to be sometime in your photography career where you will have to shoot with a flash or inside, what do you do then, if you have never tried or practiced? Lighting does make the shot, but what about framing, DOF and focus points? You can argue all day about what does or doesn't make a good photo, but in the end, its what a person or the majority likes in the case of a competition.
That really stuck with me, and my photos have definitely improved.
There are a lot of things that make a photo great. If we had to choose one in particular, it's light, without a doubt.
And as Robert @noaceyet said, practice.