Northern Virginia Photographic Society
Separating the Men from the Boys or the Women from the Girls
There once was a time in photography when it was easy to separate good photographers from average photographers. That distinction largely had to do with technical skills. Was the image sharp, was it well exposed, etc? For the most part, photographers had to determine technical considerations for the camera and not many photographers had their own darkrooms where possible corrections / improvements later could be made.
Today, thanks to amazing technology, the camera has become the "brains" behind the photograph. Now the camera can do the focusing, determine the exposure, and on and on. All the "photographer" has to do is press the shutter. As a result, there are literally millions of technically correct pictures taken daily. How can we distinguish the good from the not as good? Is there more to a good photograph than technical correctness?
In my view, it all boils down to the subtleties of how the picture space is used. Some call it visual design, some call it composition, I call it visual communication. To me that means an understanding and an appreciation of the parts of visual speech. How do they work together within the picture space to produce a pleasing visual essay? What make visual communication such a challenge is that minor changes within the picture space can result in major differences in how the image is perceived by the viewer, often without the viewer knowing why.
It is beyond the scope of this short essay to analyze the impact of the parts of visual speech, but caring photographers always should be aware of the elements of visual design, or composition, or visual communication, and how they influence the picture space. Wonderful though it is, technology is not enough. Technology is blind; it cannot see.
Joseph Miller
furnfoto@aol.com
Today, thanks to amazing technology, the camera has become the "brains" behind the photograph. Now the camera can do the focusing, determine the exposure, and on and on. All the "photographer" has to do is press the shutter. As a result, there are literally millions of technically correct pictures taken daily. How can we distinguish the good from the not as good? Is there more to a good photograph than technical correctness?
In my view, it all boils down to the subtleties of how the picture space is used. Some call it visual design, some call it composition, I call it visual communication. To me that means an understanding and an appreciation of the parts of visual speech. How do they work together within the picture space to produce a pleasing visual essay? What make visual communication such a challenge is that minor changes within the picture space can result in major differences in how the image is perceived by the viewer, often without the viewer knowing why.
It is beyond the scope of this short essay to analyze the impact of the parts of visual speech, but caring photographers always should be aware of the elements of visual design, or composition, or visual communication, and how they influence the picture space. Wonderful though it is, technology is not enough. Technology is blind; it cannot see.
Joseph Miller
furnfoto@aol.com
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