What is a great picture anyway? And what is an actual bad picture?

ChristianRock · 08-23-2018, 09:42 AM - **2 Likes**

Everyone has their own idea about what a good picture looks like.

The truth is, there are no right or wrong answers to the questions because everyone has their own vision.

A technically good picture can be bad if the subject is considered boring or uninteresting... but it might be something dear to the photographer, in which case, for them it is a great picture!

It is probably similar to music... a classical music lover will hate rock music, and sometimes vice-versa... and then there's the crowd that just loves it all (except Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" - I think everybody agrees that this song is just horrible and should never have been written or recorded

)

So, is there anything that can be of a consensus regarding good and bad pictures, besides a picture taken with the lens cap on being unequivocally bad?

bertwert · 08-23-2018, 09:44 AM - **5 Likes**

A good picture is one taken by me on my super duper expensive camera, everything else is bad.

normhead · 08-23-2018, 09:46 AM - **3 Likes**

I prefer the Steve Jobs approach. I don't know what a great picture is, but I'll know it when I see it.

dsmithhfx · 08-23-2018, 09:50 AM

There's this course you can take...

Academy for Bad Photographs Online University

normhead · 08-23-2018, 10:11 AM - **4 Likes**

OK< two of the images from my all time list, these one are what comes to minds that come to mind today.

Richard Avedon from "Nothing Personal"

This one is close second.

My all time favourite.... always has been since 1968.

The page across from that one has the following text.

"The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to each other and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us, and the light goes out."

James Baldwin and Richard Avedon, at their artistic best.

The technical aspects are terrible. The power of the images speak for themselves. That's photgrpahy.

timb64 · 08-23-2018, 10:17 AM - **1 Like**

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,what one of us thinks is great art may be anathema to someone else.
Opinion is all.

CarlJF · 08-23-2018, 10:24 AM - **1 Like**

There's no answer because it always depends on the context or on what one is trying to achieve...

Originally posted by ChristianRock

So, is there anything that can be of a consensus regarding good and bad pictures, besides a picture taken with the lens cap on being unequivocally bad?

Even a picture with the lens cap on could be "good" if what you want is a dark frame for astrophotography, or just to check for hot pixels on the sensor... It all depends on the context...

**boriscleto** · 08-23-2018, 10:25 AM - **1 Like**

The worst photo is the one you didn't take.

But try to avoid this...(sadly not updated since 2016)

You Are Not A Photographer - Exposing Fauxtographers Since 2011

derekkite · 08-23-2018, 10:48 AM - **5 Likes**

I put together a calendar for my business clients, and a good shot is one you don't mind looking at for a month. Surprisingly difficult.

**Rondec** · 08-23-2018, 11:02 AM - **1 Like**

It is tough. Generally most of us fall into cliches -- out of habit if nothing else. To me, a good photo is one that says something more than the scene. It speaks to emotions that you feel and hopefully are moved afterward.

dubyam · 08-23-2018, 11:07 AM

Good photography is, at any given moment, an image I like. I might like it for the composition, or for the subject matter, or for the technical expertise it took to create it, or for the thoughfulness it took to frame it, or for the hardship one had to endure to get it, or just because it's colorful, or monotone, or grayscale. What pleases the eye depends so much on mood, age, life, experience, and temperament, that it's highly variable. What I liked as a young man, is different from what I like as an older man. I suspect that will continue to evolve as time passes.

I'll tell you, off-hand, one key thing which makes for bad photography for me: condescending self-aggrandizement by the so-called photographer. I put that on the ignore list pretty much immediately. I suspect that's the impetus for this entire thread, after all.

normhead · 08-23-2018, 11:13 AM - **1 Like**

Ya, I don't have a lot of criteria. I never minded Ali saying he was the greatest, because he was.

I just have to like the photo.

pxt · 08-23-2018, 11:41 AM

Maybe read Ken Rockwell?

https://kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm

TaoMaas · 08-23-2018, 11:49 AM

Originally posted by derekkite

...a good shot is one you don't mind looking at for a month.

I remember reading an interview with a famous photographer who, when he wasn't quite sure about a particular shot, would make a print of it, hang it on his wall, and leave it there until he got tired of it. Those that didn't work, he tired of fairly quickly. The ones that did work had a much longer shelf life. That seemed like a good test to me so I do the electronic version of that. If I have a shot I'm not sure about, I make it the desktop pic on my computer.

Regarding good photos versus bad, I think a good photo is one that needs no explanation. It ought to communicate on its own at some level.

derekkite · 08-23-2018, 11:51 AM

Originally posted by TaoMaas

I remember reading an interview with a famous photographer who, when he wasn't quite sure about a particular shot, would make a print of it, hang it on his wall, and leave it there until he got tired of it. Those that didn't work, he tired of fairly quickly. The ones that did work had a much longer shelf life. That seemed like a good test to me so I do the electronic version of that. If I have a shot I'm not sure about, I make it the desktop pic on my computer.

Regarding good photos versus bad, I think a good photo is one that needs no explanation. It ought to communicate on its own at some level.

I think that ties into your second comment. A photo that is technically excellent, but doesn't say anything, gets boring. You look, but it doesn't draw you in.

My favorites are the ones my rather jaded audience react to. They draw in their breath, ask to look at it again, stare at it for a while. Doesn't happen often.

08-23-2018, 09:42 AM - 2 Likes	#1
ChristianRock Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: People's Republic of America Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,910	What is a great picture anyway? And what is an actual bad picture? Everyone has their own idea about what a good picture looks like. The truth is, there are no right or wrong answers to the questions because everyone has their own vision. A technically good picture can be bad if the subject is considered boring or uninteresting... but it might be something dear to the photographer, in which case, for them it is a great picture! It is probably similar to music... a classical music lover will hate rock music, and sometimes vice-versa... and then there's the crowd that just loves it all (except Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" - I think everybody agrees that this song is just horrible and should never have been written or recorded ) So, is there anything that can be of a consensus regarding good and bad pictures, besides a picture taken with the lens cap on being unequivocally bad?

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08-23-2018, 09:44 AM - 5 Likes	#2
bertwert Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Golden, BC Posts: 15,173	A good picture is one taken by me on my super duper expensive camera, everything else is bad.

08-23-2018, 09:46 AM - 3 Likes	#3
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	I prefer the Steve Jobs approach. I don't know what a great picture is, but I'll know it when I see it.

08-23-2018, 09:50 AM	#4
dsmithhfx Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Toronto Posts: 5,146	There's this course you can take... Academy for Bad Photographs Online University

08-23-2018, 10:11 AM - 4 Likes	#5
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	OK< two of the images from my all time list, these one are what comes to minds that come to mind today. Richard Avedon from "Nothing Personal" This one is close second. My all time favourite.... always has been since 1968. The page across from that one has the following text. "The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to each other and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us, and the light goes out." James Baldwin and Richard Avedon, at their artistic best. The technical aspects are terrible. The power of the images speak for themselves. That's photgrpahy.

08-23-2018, 10:17 AM - 1 Like	#6
timb64 Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: /Situation : Doing my best to avoid idiots! Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,510	Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,what one of us thinks is great art may be anathema to someone else. Opinion is all.

08-23-2018, 10:24 AM - 1 Like	#7
CarlJF Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Quebec City Posts: 1,185	There's no answer because it always depends on the context or on what one is trying to achieve... Originally posted by ChristianRock So, is there anything that can be of a consensus regarding good and bad pictures, besides a picture taken with the lens cap on being unequivocally bad? Even a picture with the lens cap on could be "good" if what you want is a dark frame for astrophotography, or just to check for hot pixels on the sensor... It all depends on the context...

08-23-2018, 10:25 AM - 1 Like	#8
boriscleto Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: North Syracuse, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,475	The worst photo is the one you didn't take. But try to avoid this...(sadly not updated since 2016) You Are Not A Photographer - Exposing Fauxtographers Since 2011

08-23-2018, 10:48 AM - 5 Likes	#9
derekkite Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Nelson B.C. Posts: 3,782	I put together a calendar for my business clients, and a good shot is one you don't mind looking at for a month. Surprisingly difficult.

08-23-2018, 11:02 AM - 1 Like	#10
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,653	It is tough. Generally most of us fall into cliches -- out of habit if nothing else. To me, a good photo is one that says something more than the scene. It speaks to emotions that you feel and hopefully are moved afterward.

08-23-2018, 11:07 AM	#11
dubyam Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Huntsville, AL Posts: 221	Good photography is, at any given moment, an image I like. I might like it for the composition, or for the subject matter, or for the technical expertise it took to create it, or for the thoughfulness it took to frame it, or for the hardship one had to endure to get it, or just because it's colorful, or monotone, or grayscale. What pleases the eye depends so much on mood, age, life, experience, and temperament, that it's highly variable. What I liked as a young man, is different from what I like as an older man. I suspect that will continue to evolve as time passes. I'll tell you, off-hand, one key thing which makes for bad photography for me: condescending self-aggrandizement by the so-called photographer. I put that on the ignore list pretty much immediately. I suspect that's the impetus for this entire thread, after all.

08-23-2018, 11:13 AM - 1 Like	#12
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	Ya, I don't have a lot of criteria. I never minded Ali saying he was the greatest, because he was. I just have to like the photo.

08-23-2018, 11:41 AM	#13
pxt Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2018 Posts: 290	Maybe read Ken Rockwell? https://kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm

08-23-2018, 11:49 AM	#14
TaoMaas Pentaxian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Oklahoma City Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,574	Originally posted by derekkite ...a good shot is one you don't mind looking at for a month. I remember reading an interview with a famous photographer who, when he wasn't quite sure about a particular shot, would make a print of it, hang it on his wall, and leave it there until he got tired of it. Those that didn't work, he tired of fairly quickly. The ones that did work had a much longer shelf life. That seemed like a good test to me so I do the electronic version of that. If I have a shot I'm not sure about, I make it the desktop pic on my computer. Regarding good photos versus bad, I think a good photo is one that needs no explanation. It ought to communicate on its own at some level.

08-23-2018, 11:51 AM	#15
derekkite Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Nelson B.C. Posts: 3,782	Originally posted by TaoMaas I remember reading an interview with a famous photographer who, when he wasn't quite sure about a particular shot, would make a print of it, hang it on his wall, and leave it there until he got tired of it. Those that didn't work, he tired of fairly quickly. The ones that did work had a much longer shelf life. That seemed like a good test to me so I do the electronic version of that. If I have a shot I'm not sure about, I make it the desktop pic on my computer. Regarding good photos versus bad, I think a good photo is one that needs no explanation. It ought to communicate on its own at some level. I think that ties into your second comment. A photo that is technically excellent, but doesn't say anything, gets boring. You look, but it doesn't draw you in. My favorites are the ones my rather jaded audience react to. They draw in their breath, ask to look at it again, stare at it for a while. Doesn't happen often.