yeoo_andy_ni Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Hi! I know that this is a very general question, but how do you decide what is a good photo? I know there are general rules to follow; rule of thirds, focus/sharpness, colours & saturation, etc. But what actually makes a picture come to life when you look at it? The reason I ask is that, I know how to use a camera, I can fiddle with the settings to produce the most suitable shot for the location and situation, but can't for the life of me decide if any picture I take is quality enough to be classed as a good photo. I guess what I am trying to say is, how do you learn what a good photo or good shot is? Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
articuno1au Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 You have to get the Pokemon as large as possible in the center of the picture.. Remember, you get bonus points for catching them doing something cool!!! I'll let you get back to the serious thread now :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remus_lupin Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 ... Well, this is subjective... As one person may see a photo and think it's amazing, whereas another may not like it... it comes down to personal preference. But I would say (seeing as you know all of the technical aspects, aperture etc. and when to use them) that composition is the biggest element that will make or break an image... A truly amazing image contains only things that IMPROVE the picture, nothing detracts from it, and some may say each element helps to tell a story about the picture... Really, I think you just KNOW when it is a great picture or not... I have taken pictures and after viewing them I am just like "damn, that's a great photograph, I can't believe I took that" Just half an hour ago I got some pretty good shots (IMO) I stayed up all night and before I knew it the sun was rising... but now I need to go to bed lol, 7:08am... time for sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrispinto Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Depends too if you're talking "stock photography" or a photo with any kind of post processing. Even what was considered a "bad photo" can be processed to look brilliant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick H. Supervisor Posted April 27, 2011 Supervisor Share Posted April 27, 2011 What's the best colour? What's the best music? That's the kind of question that you're asking. It's subjective. For one person a photo may be good, for others it may be bad. I have quite a few myself that I think are terrible and not worth working with, whereas someone else that saw them might think they're good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cork1958 Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 To me, if I can see the image, it's a good photo! :whistle: Does help if it's at least centered though. It's ALL totally personal preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulligan2k Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 You have to get the Pokemon as large as possible in the center of the picture.. Remember, you get bonus points for catching them doing something cool!!! I'll let you get back to the serious thread now :p excellent, just excellent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan~ Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! What you think looks good doesn't mean other will. Take some art for an example to me it looks like someone got paints of a plate then sneezed onto the plate making the paint spray onto the canvas then it'll sell for millions :/ For me a good photo, would be of a nice sunset/sun rise, slight fog in a field of rapeseed, wildlife, so to me a good photo is of something that is natural to the world Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iuerg87yerg879e0rg9erugjer Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 You have to get the Pokemon as large as possible in the center of the picture.. Remember, you get bonus points for catching them doing something cool!!! I'll let you get back to the serious thread now :p you are an absolute legend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeoo_andy_ni Posted April 27, 2011 Author Share Posted April 27, 2011 Thanks for the replies. I guess I'm trying to think about the composure, more than what the shot contains. There's just nothing interesting about taking a picture of, say, a car, without trying to make the shot that wee bit more interesting by getting the body from different angles, catching the light in a certain way, etc. I've taken some pictures that come out by pure chance as "good." One that comes to mind is one I took at my mates 30th last year, he posed on the dance floor just as I walked up to take his picture, but as I took the shot, the spot light shone on him and essentially put him in the spotlight for the photo, so everything else in the background (other lights, DJ booth and equipment), all attention was shifted away from them and onto him. Took me to see the image on the PC before knowing that it worked. The image itself was a little dodgy, think I shot it on auto with the flash on (not my camera and it was the first time I ever got asked to do photos for an occasion), so needed a little PP in Photoshop, but still worked. That's what I'm trying to do at the end of the day, make the focal point or main feature the of a shot get as much attention (if not all) as possible. Anyone know of any good tips for that? I'm now wondering how they teach photography in college and uni, and how they teach their students how to get the best photo! Probably the whole rule of thirds and the golden ratio thing at the end of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
articuno1au Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 I must admit I thought it was a bit of a tough crowd :p Thank you gents :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threetonesun Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 To paraphrase something I read in a Vonnegut novel, take 100,000 photographs, and then you'll know what a good photo is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazzy88ss Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 You'll know it when you see it. I think Ansel Adams said something along the lines of "your first 100,000 photos will be crap." And that was in his day, long before cameras were shooting at 10FPS, or even had an "FPS" rating! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazzy88ss Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 I saw this just now, and had to post, obviously. http://graphjam.memebase.com/2011/04/27/funny-graphs-work-it-pikachu/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medium_pimpin Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Anything with hot ladies in it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazzy88ss Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Anything with hot ladies in it that'll certainly get you teh views on flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4CxbqFxVnstmA Veteran Posted April 28, 2011 Veteran Share Posted April 28, 2011 There are actually rules behind what makes a good photograph. You can learn those rules, and about cameras, and about lighting, and you can create great photos. :yes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberManifest Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 IMHO a "good" photograph is one that eternally captures the essence of a moment in existence and speaks endless volumes of the subject mater. One that portrays every element of detail; including presence, awareness, and emotion. Basically a photograph that is "Captivating"... If a photograph is "good" it is still pulling from its source; one that tugs at attention, demands enlightenment, and articulates feeling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4CxbqFxVnstmA Veteran Posted April 28, 2011 Veteran Share Posted April 28, 2011 IMHO a "good" photograph is one that eternally captures the essence of a moment in existence and speaks endless volumes of the subject mater. One that portrays every element of detail; including presence, awareness, and emotion. Basically a photograph that is "Captivating"... If a photograph is "good" it is still pulling from its source; one that tugs at attention, demands enlightenment, and articulates feeling. That's really a good way to put it! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberManifest Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 That's really a good way to put it! :) Thanks! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vladmphoto Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 I think the definition of a good photograph is HIGHLY subjective. I have seen amazing photographs that do not follow the rule of thirds and I have seen some terrible ones that do. Color saturation depends on what the photographer wants out of the shot and focus/sharpness can be used for various effects. For example, the photograph below uses both sharp and out of focus areas all in one image. I believe it is attained using a very shallow depth of field. Out of focus or blurry background is used to accentuate the subject; in this case the flower. Burgundy bokeh by Vlad A. Mihailescu, on Flickr Famous photographers such as Ansel Adams didn't believe in the rule of thirds so he created the Zone system instead. Check out his work, it's amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chconline Veteran Posted April 28, 2011 Veteran Share Posted April 28, 2011 When you can take a photo of a police officer pulling people over, while driving a car with a manual transmission, using a dSLR camera on semi-manual mode. :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazzy88ss Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 that's what the Mounties look like, huh? lol But yea, quick fingers on getting that shot. It's in focus, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chconline Veteran Posted April 28, 2011 Veteran Share Posted April 28, 2011 Well I don't think that's RCMP... probably the Calgary Police Service. I just set it to aperture priority on my EOS 60D, ISO 200 f/8 -1/3 EV autofocus on my walkaround 28-105 lenses (Yes I actually set all that on the way). The hardest part was looking through the viewfinder while driving and realized how dangerous it was after I did that :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazzy88ss Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 All canadian police = Mounties :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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