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“What makes a good photo?” Have you ever looked at a photo and thought “How did they see that? I was right there and I missed it!” Since I started wielding the camera for Kayole Mtaa Safi, I have been asking other photographers what the missing element is. The answers varied a little, but the fundamentals are always the same. I asked our friend, Kayole's own Toothpick Inno and he summed it up neatly: The most important element of a good photo is the ability of the photo to communicate with the viewer. It should be able to tell a story through its composition, lighting, and most importantly its subject matter. You can check out Inno's pics on his Instagram page, but for now let's take a look at the details of what separates good pictures from great ones. Subject Matter Interesting lighting is essential, composition gives impact and visual appeal, and drawing attention to the subject through good use of focus are all very important. But if the subject isn’t worth looking at, you still have an uninteresting photo. Care You need to care about what you shoot and how you shoot it. If you don’t care about your shot, it’s likely nobody else will either. It’s tempting to shoot everything willy-nilly and pick out the good shots later – if there are any, but it’s better to be always looking rather than always shooting. Look for the things other people don’t notice. Avoid the obvious shot. Emotion This was the most common response. In the digital age we face a barrage of images every day. If a photo doesn’t knock us out of the box, our brains will automatically dismiss it as useless information. A good photo makes you feel something: happiness, sadness, curiosity, surprise, awe or rage. Evoking any emotion is better than none. If you can make an image do that, it will be remembered long after all your technically perfect shots are forgotten. The Story A great photograph is often intriguing - it tells a story - a different story for each person. A captivating image evokes a memory or invites you to put yourself in the scene. It teleports you to the time and place captured within it. Then it lets you write your own narrative. So these are my findings so far. I know I haven't talked about the "golden ratio" or technical stuff like that, but I have added a few more shots by Daniel Britt to illustrate and inspire. Did I miss something important? If you would like to add it, just drop it in the comments.
1 Comment
INNOCENT JOEL
12/7/2020 05:48:53 pm
Woooooow!!!! this is so great. indeed that the definition of a good photograph. whatever am seeing here is great. keep this going guys, i know how much effort you puttiing in this.
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Post in this blog are contributed by the various members of Kayole Mtaa Safi Initiative. Archives
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