(embiggenable) • iPhone
(embiggenable) • iPhone
(embiggenable) • Canon PowerShot G3
OVER MY YEARS OF ENGAGING WITH THE MEDIUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND its apparatus, I have come to several conclusions. In no particular order, some of them are:
1. I prefer pictures wherein the picture maker is showing me something as opposed to the pictures of those picture makers who are "expressing" themselves.
2. There are no "rules" for making good pictures...(as Sir Ansel said)..."There are only good pictures."
3.It ain't what you picture, it's how you picture it.
4. Re: technicals / mechcanics, it ain't rocket science.
AND
5. Re: aesthetics; notice (observe), select (frame) + organize (visual elements within the frame).
Re: # 5...notice, select+organize is not rocket science or, for that matter, any kind of science (aka: rules) at all. Rather, this is where Art is made and, iMo, the best Art, Photography Division, is made with the harnessing of intuition, experimentation and feel(ings) in the cause of making pictures that just look "right"*. ASIDE note the emphasis on the word "look". That's cuz photography is one of the visual arts, the product of which is meant to be viewed (looked at). END OF ASIDE
*Re: the elephant in the room...what the hell does "just looks right" actually mean? Answer: whatever the hell any given picture maker or picture viewer decides / wants it to mean. That's called subjectivity - based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions. So, in a sense, anyting goes.
That written, some people's feelings, tastes, or opinions are more influential than that of others. Gallery directors, museum curators, photo editors, and the like have the power to determine which pictures are exhibited / seen / collected / sold. Hell, many is the time that my feelings, tastes, or opinions, when acting as a photo competition judge / juror, have been the great determinator. While it is true that in many cases, there can a general consensus , good or bad, regarding specific art work, you can bet your bottom dollar that there will also be a significant number of those who disagree with the consensus.
In any event, when it comes down to an individual's work, the only feelings, taste, or opinion that matter are those of that individual, re: his/her own work. If that work meets his/her intention(s), then that work must just look right.