photographycomposition

What makes a good photo?

You’ve heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and as an Artist, I agree with this 100%. There is no single sure-fire way to determine what makes a good photo, but there are consistencies in popular paintings and photos. The human eye is attracted to certain things, but what I like to look at is going to be different from what other people like to look at. These are a few things that I personally love in photographs.

1. Parallels in Composition

I love finding synchronicities in landscapes. The boulder here on the beach parallels the mountains behind it. Finding these parallels requires an observational and artistic eye, but when you find them, it brings your art to a new level and adds interest. One photographer I really look up to is Nigel Danson. His photos often include these compositional parallels. He also creates relaxing and informational videos on YouTube that anyone (even those who aren’t photographers) can enjoy!

2. Black and White - High Contrast

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High contrast in black and white can be dramatic and impactful. This photo of my dog, Iris, pulls you right in. Most of the photo is shadow, but there are a few highlighted areas, like the light from the window in her eyes and the few defined areas of her fur. Although you can’t see her whole face, it shows the interest and curiosity in her personality. Michael Schlegel is a fantastic Black and White Photographer.


3. Creative Cropping

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Creative cropping is a way to add interest or tension into your photos. To the untrained eye, it can look weird or out of place. I, however, love to include this technique not only in my landscape photos, but also my portraits. It does look a little weird, but it sets photos apart from the others. A great example of this technique is a portrait of Igor Stravinsky by Arnold Newman.

4. Unusual Angles

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It’s okay to get weird with it. I took this photo by laying on my back and holding my camera upside down because I couldn’t get low enough. I think it’s important to think outside of the box and shoot at every angle you can think of. We only know what we see, and what we usually see is at our eye level. Photos taken at angles beyond eye level create a novel experience and make them more interesting. Dimpy Bhalotia, a well-known street photographer, understands this concept and she uses it often.

Photography is an Art, and I feel like that gets forgotten sometimes. It’s turned into a commodity for advertisements. It has become the pinnacle of social media. For many people, photography has lost its meaning because everyone has access to a camera, with an unlimited amount of “film.” I implore you to take the time to observe some photos, and decide what you really like in a photo. You’ll be surprised what you can find when you take your time to look.

iPhone Photographer vs. Professional Photographer

There’s a difference between someone who does photography for a living (or on the side), and someone who does photography as a hobby. Both of these people could be great photographers, or they could both be bad photographers.

But I’m going to speak in general terms for the sake of this blog post.

Professional photographers understand the Exposure Triangle, they understand the importance of Composition, and have an appreciation for Art. Professionals know their craft and know how to tell the story of the subject.

Hobby photographers, like your generic Uncle Jimmy Bob, who shoots on an iPhone, may not understand these things (maybe he does, but like I said, for the sake of argument).

I would like to demonstrate the difference by showing you my work compared to my brother’s work. We took pictures of the same person, Kayla, in the same location, with the same lighting conditions. However, my brother took photos with his iPhone XS, I took photos with my Nikon D5600 and my Nikkor 24mm-120mm f/4 lens. He had the natural light to work with, while I had access to my speed lights and reflectors. He used Mac’s built-in photo editing software, and I used Adobe Lightroom.

I would like to thank both Casey and Kayla for participating in this with me!

Casey’s photo is on the left, my photo is on the right. Casey put Kayla right next to the shed. I positioned her a few feet away from the shed in order to separate her from the background. I also adjusted my aperture in order to more easily allow for the the bokeh (blur) effect.

Casey had the right idea here. It’s not a bad shot. I like to shoot my subjects at more of a 45 degree angle and I prefer to shoot downward on them. The reason for this is because it makes the facial features more flattering, like the nose and chin. Straight-on shots or even shots from below can sometimes be harsh.

There are times, however, when shots from below are flattering. Most of Casey’s shots were taken at eye-level. There’s nothing wrong with shots taken at eye-level, but experimenting with angles can add variety.

I also noticed that Casey had Kayla standing in all of his shots. I like to add variety by having my subject sit, stand, lean, etc. Again, you will notice that Casey put Kayla right in front of the tree instead of separating her from the background.

I will give Casey credit for creativity. He shot before I did, and he did a pretty good job of coming up with different photo ideas. He decided to get a photo of Kayla on our deck, while I decided to get a photo of her in front of the tall grass.

And lastly, the studio shot. Casey only had access to the LED lights in the basement, whereas I used my speed lights here. Now obviously, your Uncle Jimmy Bob could have access to speed lights, but again, for the sake of argument, we are demonstrating what the general iPhone shooter may have access to. Casey’s photo has some harsh shadows, and he had Kayla right in front of the backdrop. I pulled her away from the backdrop and I was able to reduce harsh shadows by positioning the speed lights accordingly.

I just want to be clear that photos taken on a phone or point and shoot camera can be great, because quite frankly, a great photo is a great photo no matter what kind of equipment was used to capture it. The point I am making here is that photography isn’t as simple as pointing a camera and pushing a button. Photography is an Art that requires practice, knowledge, and a bit of a natural eye.

Some people don’t need or want a high end, professional photographer, and that’s okay! However, if you are wanting quality photos taken, it’s important to consider who takes them for you.

Δ Abbi