What Makes a Photo Good?
Is this photo any good?
I’ve been taking and sharing photos online for about 15 years. I’ve written about photography on this blog for well over 10 years. I have created over 1000 tutorial videos on Youtube, talking about how to craft an image to make it look good.
But what actually makes an image good?
It’s a question I get fairly often. Someone will send me an email (or leave a comment on some social media site) asking me to take a look at their photo, give them feedback, and tell them if the photo is good. I don’t mind the requests, and frankly I am honored that someone would ask for my input, but I never feel like my response is what they expect.
I assume they are hoping for some confirmation that their shot is in fact good, or for constructive feedback about some technical or artistic “thing” that would improve it. But that is not what I respond with.
Let me explain why.
Photography is an enjoyable pursuit for all of us (or at least I hope it is). It’s something we do to get creative, or to freeze moments in time, document life, or possibly even to make a living. I’m sure we all have our reasons for pursuing this craft. It’s an artistic pursuit overall, but of course there are some “rules” about how to take and edit a photo, to ensure that it is a good one.
Here are a few “rules” that I can think of off the top of my head (and yes there are plenty more):
Composition is king - consider the Rule of Thirds, etc
Lighting is (quite obviously) key as well
Make sure the subject is obvious: avoid excessive clutter and distractions
Get your camera settings right
Does the photo tell a story in some way?
Don’t over-process the image: too much color or detail looks cartoonish
So does a good photo have to adhere to every rule? Can’t you break the rules? Hey this is art, why are there rules to begin with? Isn’t this all about self-expression?
Here’s what I think: if you like the photo, then it’s a good photo. It doesn’t matter if it follows the rules. It’s really that simple to me.
I have taken plenty of photos that do not adhere to these rules, and yet there is something about them that I really like. Maybe it reconnects my mind to a great moment somewhere. Maybe it reminds me of someone I hold dear. Maybe it’s as simple as reminding me how much I love a particular place. Or quite possibly, I just like the photo “because”. It doesn’t really matter why though - I just like it, and that is enough for me.
My tastes may vary wildly from yours, which is ok. I’ve had plenty of people leave comments about my photos, indicating what they would do different with the image, which would make it better (in their opinion). But it’s not their photo - it’s my photo.
If I like it the way it is, then it’s a good photo to me. I don’t care if a stranger likes it or not. Do you really care? Deep down, does it really matter?
If you like it, doesn’t that make it a good photo? No one else can possibly understand the meaning that you may have attached to the image, or know the depth of feeling that being in that place at that moment meant to you. It’s too personal for anyone else to grasp from just looking at a photo.
And yes, I get that we all have egos and want to hear that we are good at this craft. It makes us all feel better when we get positive reinforcement. But whether someone likes it or not does not change how I feel about it. If I like it, I like it.
So that is what I always tell people when they ask me if their photo is any good. I ask if they like it, and if they respond yes, then I tell them it is a good photo. What difference does it make whether it appeals to my tastes or not? Who am I to judge? I have no idea what that photo means to you. I wasn’t there when you took it, and I can’t possibly fathom what sort of feelings or emotions or memories that image may bring up in you. And I certainly don’t know your “because”. It’s not mine, so I am not emotionally invested in it.
Asking if a photo is good is so subjective that I don’t think it matters. If you like it, it’s a good photo. Don’t you think? Shouldn’t we please ourselves first? This is art, and more specifically, this is YOUR art, so do what you like. And if you like it, it’s good.
What about that photo above? It’s garbage, right?
That photo above is behind some store in south Austin, if I remember correctly. There is nothing technically good about it - nothing. There is not a beautiful composition at play here. It’s way over-processed. It’s a cluttered and distracting scene. I shot it with an old iPhone 6 back in 2014, so there were no camera setting adjustments made - I aimed and touched the screen as I walked by. There’s no story here other than it’s a dirty, grungy, back alley.
And you know what? I still love this photo, despite all that. It has no real meaning to me, but I like it “because”. It was a snap, as opposed to a planned, well-thought out and professionally executed photograph. But it resonated with a lot of people. When I posted it on Flickr years ago, it hit Explore and has been viewed almost 25,000 times now. And why? I have no idea, truthfully. But something about it caught my attention, and apparently caught the attention of others. In other words, it was “liked” by quite a few. Is it good? Who knows. I don’t really care. But I like it, so I guess that makes it a good photograph.
NOTE:
To be clear, there is nothing wrong with asking someone for feedback and input about your images. We have all done it. You may get some insights about techniques you could wield on an image that would help you produce a higher percentage of keepers in the future. You may learn something about editing that changes your approach a bit, or even impacts your style. You may learn a key compositional tip that pays dividends forever. That’s all useful. But that is very different than asking for a subjective judgement on your image. I feel each image we take is personal to us in some way, and thus appeals to our unique tastes in some way as well. No one else will get it the way we get it.
Also, this does not apply to client work. Obviously we need the client to like what we are hired to create for them. 😀
