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Thread: What makes a photograph "good"?

  1. #71
    Peter De Smidt's Avatar
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    Re: What makes a photograph "good"?

    Why does it have to be a binary "good" or "bad"? That seems to be a false dichotomy.
    “You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
    ― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know

  2. #72
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: What makes a photograph "good"?

    Meh

    First time I ever used that word...


    Quote Originally Posted by Peter De Smidt View Post
    Why does it have to be a binary "good" or "bad"? That seems to be a false dichotomy.
    Tin Can

  3. #73
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: What makes a photograph "good"?

    Winners write history

    Quote Originally Posted by pdmoylan View Post
    One last thing Bernice: Leni Riefenstahl

    Amazingly successful for her time and in promulgating the superiority propaganda of the so-called "Arian" nation. Her technical abilities were top and until she came into disfavor in the 70s, her images were readily available.

    I found her Nuba work exceptional: color, framing, exposure and interesting choice of lenses (used a 400 Telyt for much of her work in Africa) were unique for the time. Other than Van Lawick's early work in Africa, she may one of the earliest using color film in Africa).

    So should she be eliminated from reference as an example of a premiere successful image maker during that now maligned period in the history of civilization? Assuming Ethical relativity, can one say that she was "good" as long as her work was culturally relevant, otherwise "not good" (or perhaps evil?) to the extent her images are shunned for content and purpose.
    Tin Can

  4. #74

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    Re: What makes a photograph "good"?

    Discomfort with uncertainty, need for simplicity.

    Bernice

    Quote Originally Posted by Peter De Smidt View Post
    Why does it have to be a binary "good" or "bad"? That seems to be a false dichotomy.

  5. #75

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    Re: What makes a photograph "good"?

    https://www.dw.com/en/controversial-...t-101/a-966560

    Back to the question of Art and how Art can define the soul, morality and identify of a culture-society. No different than technology, Art can be used for the betterment of humanity and the human condition or destructive and self centric goals and agenda of highly privileged and entitled individuals.

    There was a time when "Art" was effectively "married" to religion. Consider the motivations and reasons why Stain Glass were a "thing" in Western European churches.


    Bernice


    Quote Originally Posted by pdmoylan View Post
    One last thing Bernice: Leni Riefenstahl

    Amazingly successful for her time and in promulgating the superiority propaganda of the so-called "Arian" nation. Her technical abilities were top and until she came into disfavor in the 70s, her images were readily available.

    I found her Nuba work exceptional: color, framing, exposure and interesting choice of lenses (used a 400 Telyt for much of her work in Africa) were unique for the time. Other than Van Lawick's early work in Africa, she may one of the earliest using color film in Africa).

    So should she be eliminated from reference as an example of a premiere successful image maker during that now maligned period in the history of civilization? Assuming Ethical relativity, can one say that she was "good" as long as her work was culturally relevant, otherwise "not good" (or perhaps evil?) to the extent her images are shunned for content and purpose.

  6. #76

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    Re: What makes a photograph "good"?

    Quote Originally Posted by Peter De Smidt View Post
    Why does it have to be a binary "good" or "bad"? That seems to be a false dichotomy.
    Maybe someone else brought it up, but when I started all this, I didn't frame it as good vs bad. Good, less good, less less good, very good, very very good, ...

    Continuing like that, we can get at least countably many "steps" of good.

    I'll work on a way to describe it as a continuous, rather than discrete, spectrum.

  7. #77

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    Re: What makes a photograph "good"?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bernice Loui View Post
    Discomfort with uncertainty, need for simplicity.

    Bernice
    Decisiveness is nothing to be ashamed of, or fear.

  8. #78

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    Re: What makes a photograph "good"?

    The aesthetic quest (awareness of beauty and other human senses) brings us to ethical realizations (Kierkegard - a kindred spirit). Artistic endeavor (creativity) is the expression of realized ethical standards. Is pursuit of an aesthetic life “good”? I would say it is necessary.

  9. #79

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    Re: What makes a photograph "good"?

    I like a photograph with an interesting or unique perspective that might reveal something about the artist. Also a photograph that captures something that would have gone by unnoticed or unappreciated. Combine that with a beautiful photographic medium like carbon print on glass, or even just silver gelatin on nice paper, and it's a winner!

  10. #80

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    Re: What makes a photograph "good"?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bernice Loui View Post
    Discomfort with uncertainty, need for simplicity.

    Bernice
    I'll add familiarity... Most people seem to need something to "connect" to their understanding... Even if just something similar to something they know already...

    Steve K

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