Who Decides What's Good Enough?

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PHOTO CHALLENGE | Look through your photos and share those that best represent your “why”, who you are, and the work you want to focus on.

“There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.” -Ansel Adams

Well, true photography and art critics, that’s who.

Photography is an art form that is often critiqued for its value. There is a lot of gray area in defining what is "good enough,” but there are definitive qualities to follow. Let’s focus on what those things are:

  1. Light | Bad lighting can completely rule out your qualifications as a photographer. Whether natural light or artificial, knowing how to work it with your camera settings is paramount.

  2. Interest | More than a perfect focus, you have to connect with the subject(s). If you don’t feel anything, you can’t expect others to. By using feeling, you create images that come from a deeper idea of yourself. You put more of yourself in the image, which makes it important and stronger and lends to storytelling.

  3. Creativity | Photography requires some for of a creative mind and imagination. Oftentimes, you need to “see” something extraordinary in the ordinary, then know how to execute the photograph to be “good”.

  4. Detail | A keen eye will take you far, balancing elements that interact with your subject, like light and composition. Your photo will be seen by many viewers, and oftentimes the detail can make or break an image.

  5. Composition | You simply can’t ignore what appeals to the eye or not, but you can thoughtfully create a thoughtful composition. Every visual art form evokes a response and directs the viewer’s eye through the piece of art. Photography is no exception.

  6. White Balance | Photographers typically use either cool or warm colors in a photo to give off a certain mood that they are trying to accomplish, but the defining aspect is whether it’s believable and fits the scene.

Everyone who views your photos comes with their own set of experiences, background, and understanding of the craft. A genuine critique actually takes skill, meaning not all critique is helpful. Skillful critique follows specific guidelines to evaluate and analyze the photographer’s intention.

“Your skill will be whatever it is you’re doing differently.” -Jerry Saltz

One simple way to guide you to better critique is explaining “why” you feel a certain way. Practice including “why” in your photo feedbacks.