What Makes a Good Photograph? - an essay on what's good...
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ต.ค. 2020
- In this video essay I'm tackling the question of what makes a good photograph. Is it the technical perfection? The story? Or something completely different? Join me on this short philosophical excursion in photography.
Music used in this video: Mint Conditions - Dusty Decks
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Instagram: / teo_crawford
i personally value the feeling more than anything in a photo, i love when i see something that is relatively normal but there is a radiating eeriness to it, like a few buildings but it's black and white with a slight haze and some grain which makes it feel more dystopian than anything
To me, a good photograph:
Takes you into the scene
Envelopes you in the mood of the scene
Changes your mood to match it
Makes you want to see more of the scene
Makes you wonder about the story and the meaning behind it
Stays on your mind
My personal taste rates this 30% Technical Perfection, 50% Meaning and 20% of pure chill
Ohh yeah, those chill-percent are good! Thank you🙇🏻♂️ :)
Such a balanced & interesting essay. You took an art like photography and, whilst constantly reminding us that this is just your opinion, actually gave some useful insight. Must’ve taken real care to make. Deserves far more than 27k views
I'd say it depends on the story you're trying to tell with your photo, and how well you've communicates that through you're image. If you achieved you're goal through the image/s you took then I'd say you're on the right track
I REALLY LOVE THIS VIDEO!!!! I agree with your thoughts on this topic and I really love the examples you used for each! I think that without knowing the background or anything about the photograph (like most when watching at the start of the video) I believe that the photo on the right is the better photo! This video helped me understand more of what goes into a photograph and what goes on behind the scene! Thank you!
Exactly! Glad to read you got and appreciate the message! :)
I think this can really help us think differently about our own work as well :))
Really appreciate your content Teo. I very much think similar to you and you've inspired me a lot in my first few weeks of this film photography adventure i have started a couple of weeks ago.
Ohh sweet, that's amazing - thank you!🤗🙇🏻♂️
Love these types of videos! Keep it up Teo!
Sweet, glad to read that Bryan - thank you!🙇🏻♂️
This was a really great video, I learned something new thank you! 👍🏾
I very much enjoyed your philosophical take on photography. Will apply your listed personal values, exercise it, learn from it and hopefully I’ll be able to add a personal layer or two. Thanks Teo!
You're welcome! I'm happy to read you could take something from the video - thank you🙇🏻♂️ :)
Photography is art, art is endless.
I suupose what makes a photo or film distinct from others is the story behind it. Photos and films must convey a message. Even the portraits have meaning. The best case is when you have techinc and story together. Good video, Well done Teo.
Ahh ok, interesting! Thank you🙇🏻♂️ :)
i admire this video so much! thank you
Oh sweeet, thank you!!🙇🏻♂️
To me emotion is one of the most important values that comes with a photo. A photo must generate a discussion between people. This can be controversial and even heated, however never leaving the viewer indifferent.
Choosing to be technical or story driven depends on the situation. But for me most of the time I lean towards the story and emotion driven side because I work in accordance to my mood. (which can be good and bad sometimes 🤣✌🏼)
Btw. The content you've been putting out lately is just tastefully well done. Great work Teo. 👏🏼
Yes 100% - I think pretty much everything is always dependent on the situation. Ahh ok, yeah I think that can create some beautiful art then, which the viewer can also feel :)
Ahhh thank you, glad to read you've been enjoying it!😍🙇🏻♂️
The magazine (physical/online) that will hire you, is the one that will be the most valuable ... perhaps they will discover this after a decade.
But that is how things work.
Stay Motivated!
Great,
I also consider story behind the photo, but since now the cameras are becoming very advanced so presently we can keep the both factors abreast, the Story and Technical.
Excellent post, well presented. My thoughts, most amateur photographers are seldom exposed to anything more than technique for techniques sake. As a result, many photos turn out to be in the vernacular of my day, calendar shots. Pretty photos that like life or emotional content. My philosophy is that there is no such thing as good or bad photographic technique. There is only technique applied appropriately or inappropriately to the intended context of the image. Reading the Evans photo, this was not an up beat, happy time, the lack of contrast or pop is very much appropriate to the context.
This video really shows me how to talk about a photograph. I have a University presentation coming up about my views on 2 different photographers and to compare them. I'll come back to update this comment after my presentation.
Update:
Thank you
For me as in all art, feeing first, meaning second, story can be part of meaning but is subsidiary to it. Technique and beauty are ultimately of less interest though sometimes they can be spine chilling, awe inspiring. And without a certain minimum level of technique which can vary with each individual work all the others are harmed or inhibited.
I've just found your channel, I've watched a few videos. I'm now saving up for a GX80...
Wow this is perfect! I just started doing some film photography and I started thinking about what I want to capture in my photographs and this breaks it down perfectly! As an animator, I definitely really love storytelling so I may try to do that in photos. On the other hand I also really love capturing a feeling like in impressionism. I think I'll need to play around to see what speaks to me more.
Ohh cool! No need to feel pressured to settle on only one - you could just do what you feel like on the day🤷🏻♂️🤗
@@teocrawford that's true! I think as an artist I've been more intentional about the art that I make to make it cohesive with my other work so I am finding it a bit hard to just use this time to explore and figure things out 😅 I'll have to try and take myself less seriously 😁
@@animatedjess Ohh I 100% understand that struggle! I think it might be simply our human nature🤷🏻♂️
Jess, think of photography as literature. That is how Teo comes up with descriptions such as story, feeling and meaning. These are terms more often associated with written works, novels, poetry. This language of photography comes from centuries of art that preceded photography. Chris Orwig in Visual Poetry says photography is closer to writing poetry than it is to creating a painting. Applying Teo's outline to your own work you will realize that you are as much writing photographs as you are taking/making photographs. That approach will add value to your work far beyond the technique for technique sake crowd. Sounds to me as if will be right up your alley.
Well done!
The Walker Evans photo has character, texture and the sense that a glimpse of a smile was captured during such hardship. In the Sean Tucker photo there appears to be no connection with subject, he looks bored. The lighting although dramatic lacks separation from the background. The highlights are hot. Composition, timing, lighting and emotion. The technical aspect should of course be mastered first.
i appreciate this video soo much
Ohh great, thank you so much! :))
This is very interesting.
I've seen enough depression photographs to guess that the woman was from that era, but other than that she's completely unknown to me. As you said the photo isn't technically perfect and could also be considered boring, but at the same time everything necessary to convey a message is present in that photo, even the wall behind her reminds us that she's leaning against a simple, plank wall, she's not wearing make-up or jewelry, plain clothing; she's not unkempt but also not stylish, it looks like she's doing her best to keep up appearances during hardship.
It's in her eyes and clenched jaw.
The man on the right is also unknown to me, and the photo is perfect but I don't feel anything. This would probably change if I knew the man, but that also adds to the depression era photograph, it speaks for itself without any fame attached.
Amaizing video, you really inspire me teo, thanks a lot! i feel like a student hahaha
Thanks
Thank you. This was interesting.
Thank you, happy to know you enjoyed it!🤗
Man, thanks for the sharing.
Suuure🙌🏼
I like your video! But IMO your comparison has one major flaw: if you only see the two images, neither of the images has a story nor has it much meaning. The story and meaning comes only into play after you explained where the image on the left is from. Only after you know that context, the picture suddenly is much more then just a "technically bad portrait".
Does the other portrait has a story - we don't know. Maybe we should ask Sean. ;-)
But my point is: a single photo is more or less always just a meaningless picture. That's why people rate its by technical execution. Because it is impossible to rate it in any other way. The only way around this is, if you know the person on the photo (and even better the location and situation), or if someone tells you the story about to the photo, or (and this is probably the best way for a photographer) if you have a series of photos and the viewer has a change to understand the context by himself.
At least that are my two cents. Enjoyed the video, keep 'em coming please.
*☼ im setting up a gallery commentary of this yr, comprising only photos from 2020 that my phone took in my pocket or when the camera was flipped the wrong way.*
& you know it will slay. you know. how does that make you feel? supportive? no doubt. also, naw, thx man.
oh 100% will it slay!!
What do you recommend to take pictures of coins?
I would change that in my view... as follows..... anyone looking at a photo you take would feel something first.. then they would think about the story behind the image to give it some meaning... and look or pas off quality and or perfection after... then you have the pixel pickers that would look at it another stupid way... That's my take... great video thank you..it gave me an idea in looking at my photo's a different way...
Great video, really thought provoking. As I can see it photography is an art and it should be treated as such. Art has many different purposes and it would be hard to determine what art is or what makes it what it is. However to simplify for me there is a great value even in a photo which just looks great. It creates some satisfaction or joy which may be the simplest yet very strong aspect of art. Also diversity is always great. I think it would be so mentally exhausting to look only at thought provoking photos. On the other hand not utilising the power of emotion and expression the photo can have would be unreasonable. So everything has its place, it's art after all. And that's what it is all about. It is not easy to accept this in a market driven world, where people mostly care about gear or blurry background, but it is crucial to understand that. Also I feel like that I should really teach myself how to enjoy taking technologically imperfect photos (noise ect), since this is not what makes a photo valuable. Not at all. I wish photography was more about photos rather than gear, although I am myself a little bit guilty of that. Anyways, let's do art and make this little world more beautiful :)
Oh wow, I can relate to EVERYTHING you wrote! I agree, simply viewing a beautiful photo and appreciating it's beauty can be utterly satisfying. I think you make a really good point, that it's art after all and everything has it's place - that in the end leads to what you also mentioned: diversity - it's key!
And ohhh do I agree (you see the pattern, right? :D) about this market driven world, that makes this hard. I actually had a phase in my photography, in which I really struggled to let go of this attachment to technical perfection. I made a little essay on it back then, incase you want to watch it (th-cam.com/video/HGSAtt8DeEM/w-d-xo.html).
Thank you so much, for the thoughtful comment, I appreciate your input! As you said, let's do art and make this little world more beautiful! :))
Nicely done, inspirational. I try to teach basics at my channel, but this is awesome
Thank you!🙇🏻♂️
To me, it all boils down to if I feel liking it, then it's a good photo. I don't have to explain why because sometimes I don't know why either :))
Teo. The funny thing is that some of the pictures that I take people love it and I don't think they are very good. And what I think is good people sometimes don't like it. So I have a hard time deciding what is good and not,
Ohh yes, I totally relate to that! It's the artist's perspective vs the non-artist perspective I guess..
When deciding I usually differenciate between what I as an artist like and what "other people" such as marketing clients would like.
I believe Evans' photograph is better because unlike Tucker's you rarely encounter a picture of the same artistic value, I could see Tucker's in any photographers portfolio
Today in English ... I like these videos where I am not sure if it is still photography or already philosophy :))
I can only speak for myself and think, every photographer has his own recipe.
For me the most important thing in photography is the story behind the image. When I make a photograph, I want to share the vibe of the moment with the people who see this image. They should see how I see my surroundings. In todays Instagram world the story is often "look, I am at a great place, be envious" most of the time. That is how hotspots are created, I think.
I personally want to show people, how beautiful nature and the world in general can be, when you look closely and merge with the "now". The composition arises out of this special moment and when I am completely in the "now" my composition finds itself. Hopefully understandable ... ?
I am not sure, if one could learn these things. It is some kind of intuition or sense for the situation ... sometimes curiosity.
At the second place there is the technical side where I personally must really improve. What I find essential here is, that you only learn, what is right ahead of you. When I somehow started with photography I began taking pictures and when I had a problem, I searched how I could solve it. Then I went out and applied the things I learned.
I had the feeling that if I had learned too much beforehand I was only confused.
So sometimes there is much try and error, but this gets better and better.
Ohh how unusual haha, then I shall switch as well🙌🏼
I'm happy to read you enjoyed it and thank you for your detailed thoughts. I sadly have to agree with a lot of photography on IG often being merely a show-off. But that shouldn't bother us I guess, because we've got our own community of photographers who have different values, such as the story in your case! I like the way you describe your feeling of an intuition, that leads to your composition, I can relate🙌🏼
Alter Teo deine quality ist so nach oben geschossen, super chillges video und nicer edit !🙌
Yoo sweet, danke Joseph🙇🏻♂️
got something highly valuable!
The 4 combination is a good thing to strive, though it doesn’t work out like that in most cases. Best example is probably the magnificent eleven from Robert Capa on D day or so many more famous ones. It’s a modern matter of right time and place and provenance plus marketing . Its almost like popsongs I guess
Thats why i take it easy when someone hate what i shot. Nice Video, like your content.
True! That's a good mindset to keep. Thank you!🙇🏻♂️
@@teocrawford 👊🙂
I respect Sean Tucker, but even without the historical context, the first photo appeals to me more. the woman in the photo is very colorful in itself, the wall of planks behind gives context. there is something in her expression. something real.
in the second photo, I see the man posing. and that's all I can say about him. yes, the light is dramatic, the person is stylish and made a thoughtful look, but it is always read - just a pose for a photo.
Obviously this is my personal preference
Man you are so underrated
Ohh sweet, thank you🙇🏻♂️
I'd say the story behind every photo is the real deal. Just sharing my thought tho.
Alright👌🏼 yeah please share those thoughts, that's what it's all about - everyone has their own values and I find it super interesting to read what each person personally values in photography👀
💯
The video video is explained feels like James Windsor’s video.
Oh really? I'll take that as a compliment, because I really like Jamie's videos :))
That’s it - the meaning.
Great! I woud add, if you have success to your original intention, you have a good photo. So what was your intention at first?
Beautiful isn't always good... nice
Right!👌🏼
Yayyyyyyy
"What makes a good photograph"? --> dunno... you decide! :-) I would say it is the ability to catch someones attention and hold it. The rest is all part of it but not a necessity.
You really know how to talk to us Teo! I will save this video for sure. Question, how bout "heart"? is it the same as feeling? like "your photos are lacking heart" what do you understand about this words/comment? Thanks for another amazing topic =)
Hmm never would have said that about a photo, but to me it sounds like something you could also describe als emotionality of a photo or maybe the personal emotional value. E.g. a portrait of your parents means much more to you than anyone else🤔
@@teocrawford Very nice! I think so too. I guess others don't really see "heart" when they don't know how much it means to someone else =) This is a reliever to me. Thanks a lot Teo =)
I am very big on the story, but the photo has got to be sharp as well.
Ohh interesting (especially for me, because I don't give sharpness so much value in my photography) - thanks for sharing your thoughts🙌🏼
☼ also that cup is empty
no it's not🧐 I had some slightly too hot fruit-tee in there👌🏼
☼ 1:00 the first one was in black and white? i didnt even notice. in fact, it wasnt even 'first': i looked from right to left. #wokeTH-cam
That's next level😳
As much as I admire Sean Tucker, I agree the Walker Evans image is the "better" photo in this comparison. I have also found that many photographers get mired in the search for a compelling subject rather than a compelling idea. But of course, ideas are harder to photograph. So many of the great photographers of the 20th century could be easily citicized for technical imperfections, but they are enduring because of the idea, the story they convey.
I would respectfully disagree with your statement that these characteristics of quality are purely subjective. Yes, we all have our own sense of aesthetics, but it doesn't follow that the aesthetics of say, Richard Avedon or Irving Penn would be equal to a newbie photographer with much to learn. I understand the challenge when asked to state what principles make a "good" photograph, we are hard pressed to give them, but in an examination of the history of art and photography, they are presented even if somewhat intuitively. I would say, these aesthetic principles can be outlined, more than defined and are revealed to us the more we learn to see. Thoughtful video. TH-cam needs more of these.
Jus an observation. The Walker Evans photo is only evoking emotions because you have been told the story. The Sean Tucker there is no story because you have not researched it
There are images that tell a story, and the one you gave as an example is jus a supporting image to a story you know of. If we are too look for images that tell a story we should consider images that have story you get before doing research. I had an image of a father carrying twins on a bicycle goin to school. That's an image with a story that you get. You don't need background or research. You jus get it.
☼ WRONG!*
I just didn't like that dude's face
Thank you