Kenny Felt
The PSU Collegio
Senior
Pittsburg(Kan.) State University.
There are aspects of this photo that illustrate things both good and bad. Let’s start with what is good.
1)Moment: The moment is the hallmark of content. In other words, the content of an image is almost always made better, or perceived more clearly, when a moment exists.
2)Action: Although most good action includes a moment, it does not always work in reverse. It is possible to have a moment without any discernible action. Consider for instance, a portrait setting where the moment is found in the minutiae of a facial inflection.
3)Light: Photography itself is built upon light. In total darkness, our cameras are obviously useless without a strobe. But, it’s appalling how many photographers use their strobes for almost every situation. When possible – use available light.
4)Composition: The composition is not readily seen because it is a very simple photo. But, if you apply the rule of thirds to this photo you’ll see that the intersections fall very close to the key area of the photo.
5)Point of Entry: It has a fairly clear entry point with the hands at the left side of the image which could have been greatly improved by cropping tighter from the left to eliminate the visual distraction of the brown pipe (far left) on the wall. This visually interrupts the entry.
6)The Circle: You probably haven’t heard of this one. I’m sure my idea is not original but I came upon this myself while studying photos. What I saw that day was that almost every good photo has a point of entry that leads your eye into a circular motion – thus, capturing you in the frame.
Notice the cupped hand of the chin and how the fingers move upward to the ear and the child’s left eye. The darkness of her hair and brows form a boundary for this circular movement which leads us directly to the primary element of the image – the application of makeup. From there we are abruptly blocked by that little finger and dropped back to the curled palm to begin the cycle anew.
Go study some of your favorite images and watch for the circle. You will find it in most of them – though not all. Photography is an art form; it’s not mathematics.
7)Unassuming: This virtue is neither good nor bad. I mention it only because I personally appreciate a simple image that is trying only to tell me a story as best it can. There is no photographer ego between the photo and me. I appreciate such directness. But realize that a “simple” image may not always be the best approach to communicating effectively.
Which leads us to what is wrong with this photo.
1)Unimaginative: The simplicity of the image also makes it boring. Almost any parent with a decent camera has made a similar photo. I suspect that on any given day in this country, thousands, if not tens of thousands, photos are made that are frighteningly similar. It makes my eyes glaze over just thinking about it.
Photographers spend too much time looking at things through their camera and not enough time seeing what is there. Photography is 80 percent mental and only 20 percent technical. You’d be amazed at how many technically poor images I have made which were vastly improved because they were thoughtful.
I chose this image because it represents the most basic of assignments. Therefore it makes a great example of the hurdles you will have to clear in your career. You will need to shoot these kinds of assignments better than others have before you. The standards are high because of the ubiquitous nature of the scene.
Some of you are probably a lot like me when I began as a photographer. You become so enamored with the actual making of an image, that you sometimes lose sight of the reason why you are making the photo. The truth is, good editors want more than just a good photo. If that’s all they needed, they could send your amateur photography aunt.
What they want is a good photo made with your thoughtful personal vision. Think about that next time you think an assignment is uninspiring. What could be more inspiring than pitting yourself against a cliché. Learn to overcome it and you move to a new level and you may never have to shoot an assignment like this again.
In many ways it is unfortunate that I became known more for my work overseas than for the community journalism that represents 98 percent of my career. There is a mistaken belief by some that those honors are a result of the big assignments. But consider all the daily assignments I did faithfully for two decades. If you can’t shoot the most boring assignment well, then don’t expect to shoot the most exciting any better. Nothing happens on that flight across the ocean that transforms you from decent to great. If I shoot bad photos in Dallas I will likely shoot bad photos in Iraq.
2)Background: Watch your backgrounds. It’s amazing how a simple movement, lens change or crop can improve a photo. This photo suffers primarily, I believe, from lack of a better crop.
3)Cliché:It’s similar to being unimaginative. The difference is that a cliché can be executed with imagination – but it is still what it is – cliché. There is no escaping clichés. You can run, but you cannot hide. (Get it? That was another cliché in case you missed it) But, if your version is not as good or better than any other of its type, then its probably best to lose it, take a deep breath and move on to the next battle.
That’s the best hope for this photo, in spite of its good qualities.
