What makes a photo “deep”?

[Heroique]

Say, in view of h2oman’s fun thread “What makes a photograph good,” I naturally remembered this related thread from long ago.

I thought it might be worth a bump if it adds some “Depth” to the “Good.”

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BTW, where’s paulr?

"Paging paulr … Paging paulr … please report to h2oman’s thread about what makes a photo good.”

[LabRat]

Keeping it simple, I think it has to do with "connectivity"... If a viewer can see and find something that connects to something personal (memory, experience, simile etc, this opens the door to them searching their psyche for the feeling... And that triggers other responses...

But there is a difference between that awareness, or something they can't quite put their finger on... ;-)

Steve K

[Tin Can]

Big USA cities are a warzone

I have seen and been seen too much too close to 'action'

I left Chicago 4 years ago after a lifetime? of duck & cover

Where I live now is a lot slower, but nowhere is 'at ease'

I remain at DEFCON 3

Of course it is. There is a lot to that photograph. First of all, all the experience of the photographer. Luck favors the prepared - greatly in journalism. The willingness to be in a war zone, where any moment your life can be ended. There were probably a large number of possible photographs that would all have been effective in that scenario. He chose one.

The sense of being in war, something that terrifies us all, rightly so, is going to "move" us. Robert Capa's famous image from the war in Spain is another. The war environment make people have a heightened sense of awareness. It makes one be much more aware of their surroundings. They have to see, or they die. It's another flavor of depth.

Lenny

[pdmoylan]

Sorry, late to the party here.

The term "deep" suggests to me something metaphysical perhaps, emotional as well in the context of man's plight. There are so many religious and quasi religious factions, now and in history, therefore, without cultural homogeneity as one might find in France in the 1400-1500s say, with the control of the Catholic Church, I doubt there will be a consensus as to whether an image meets the "deep" criteria.

On a individual basis, whatever one brings to an image via beliefs and experiences, will cause a reaction to an image.

But photography does not readily lend itself to allegory or metaphor (though equivalence may be a secular perception of interchangeability of forms), and on another thread I have noted my rejection of the notion that ideas can readily be expressed in photographs except perhaps in a series, diptichs etc. Photography is therefore "safe" as a medium for potential social or religious commentary, unless of course the image is manipulated or placed to enhance a social opinion.

As society shifts away from beliefs of the past, particularly religious, and with the proofs that science provides, I expect that "super reality" will become the cause celebre (example: the Van Gogh Immersion Experience). Here people are not satisfied with viewing a small 2d painting at MOMA, but rather prefer to experience something beyond the norm because the past has become, shall we say, stale. I think the phenomena of false realities goes hand in hand with this, and though overly manipulated photos may not be "pure", they may satisfy those looking for something abnormal but still aesthetically pleasing. Take for instance images taken with Phase One or Hasselblad X1d where shadows are pulled so that there is almost matching exposure between the sky and shadows. Many prefer these images, but my guess is most LFers don't.

[h2oman]

I am no expert, but I believe one doesn't need a fancy medium format digital camera to "pull the shadows" - isn't that what my $65 cell phone's HDR does? And specific HDR software can do it even more drastically, I believe...

[j.e.simmons]

Azo and amidol.

[Drew Wiley]

I've certainly "deep sixed" some of my own prints.

[pdmoylan]

Azo and amidol.

Examples please.

[pdmoylan]

I've certainly "deep sixed" some of my own prints.

I don't believe you .

[Drew Wiley]

Oh, there are plenty of examples, that is, if you're willing to dig through landfill. But I always rip them apart before they go "deep" into the trash can; don't want any of them ever mistaken for my "keeper" prints.