Emotion or Technically Perfect?

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Originally Posted by adina

Another point...

Anyone can get a happy accident. Luck and chance will only take you so far. If you want to get consistantly good photos, you have to know why you got what you did. You should at the very least, be able to understand the relationship between shutter speed and aperture.

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I fully condone the full understanding of the equipment you are using. That's not what I mean about technical. Technical reduces the process to a series of steps or elements, not exactly the way to produce a great photograph, boring really. You have to be able to say WOW, otherwise it's cold and lifeless, if it were as simple as just following the rules, there would be a lot of great photographers out there. There are few greats.

In summary I think a photograph is emotional, technical elements takes a distant back seat. Technical elements in the barest form are always necessary, I mean it should be in in focus, it should have correct WB, etc. But after that rules be D@mned. And when you are able to incorporate most technical elements with a WOW subject, watch out.

I couldn't agree more with the quote above.

I use this photo a lot for this type of argument because it incorporates a lot of technical skill, and many people like this photo. Although some will point out the flaws. With a fast moving subject and a slow N80 and Velvia I didn't have many options.

Crowded background, fast moving dancers, only a popup flash. I panned, used two rolls of film and let it roll. This was picture number 37 out of a 36 exposure roll of film, and the second roll to boot. I couldn't worry about the rules, nor do I believe that the rules need to be followed.

This photo; it's emotional, it's passionate, and it's 100% argentinian. This is what they are all about, passion. Does it matter that her foot is out of the frame, no, because their passion is in their hearts and that is what I wanted to capture.

Loren

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Originally Posted by racingpinarello

I use this photo a lot for this type of argument because it incorporates a lot of technical skill, and many people like this photo. Although some will point out the flaws. With a fast moving subject and a slow N80 and Velvia I didn't have many options.

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I remember this shot and I love it! The thing that helped you here is that you knew what your options were with only a pop-up flash, not the fastest AF system (believe me, I know...) and very slow speed film. You knew (I'm very sure, knowing you) that you had almost no possibility of stopping action unless you got really lucky if they held their pose for a split second. The slow-sync flash would give just a little detail and make the image pop. Foot out of the frame? It only adds to the energy and being caught up in the passion, I'd say.

If you didn't know all this stuff, you wouldn't have gotten a shot like this unless you were lottery-ticket lucky. Having met you and watched you work, all the technique stuff was probably going around in the back of your mind but all the concious thought was on the couple.

Another lesson - it isn't always the gear that gets the shot, it's knowing how to get the most out of the equipment you have. I don't think you could have ended up with a better shot with any equipment.

That's one of my favorite photos!

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Originally Posted by racingpinarello

In summary I think a photograph is emotional, technical elements takes a distant back seat. Technical elements in the barest form are always necessary, I mean it should be in in focus, it should have correct WB, etc. But after that rules be D@mned. And when you are able to incorporate most technical elements with a WOW subject, watch out.

I couldn't agree more with the quote above.

I use this photo a lot for this type of argument because it incorporates a lot of technical skill, and many people like this photo. Although some will point out the flaws. With a fast moving subject and a slow N80 and Velvia I didn't have many options.

Crowded background, fast moving dancers, only a popup flash. I panned, used two rolls of film and let it roll. This was picture number 37 out of a 36 exposure roll of film, and the second roll to boot. I couldn't worry about the rules, nor do I believe that the rules need to be followed.

This photo; it's emotional, it's passionate, and it's 100% argentinian. This is what they are all about, passion. Does it matter that her foot is out of the frame, no, because their passion is in their hearts and that is what I wanted to capture.

Loren

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Loren,,,This is one of those images that has WOW factor...Technically not perfect but keeps the viewer focussed...Sometimes we have to look past technical issues but put ourselves in the role as the photographer..What is he or she thinking,,what is the relationship between photographer and subject,,what is the desired effect..These are all emotional issues...
Also we must look at technical issues too and one of the most important one is how difficult was the capture and was the capture executed with technique and skill..Sometimes we must look past the emotional..

Jurgen

Loren, that great shot of yours is the perfect example of raw, pure emotion, and a shot that makes the viewer say 'wow'. It also took someone with technical skills to be able to envision an end result like this, knowing full well that he would be breaking any number of technical 'rules'. It further strengthens my feelings that the emotional impact is what a photo is all about, and whether it is technically perfect or not, is secondary. Good thread.

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Originally Posted by Charles Hess

Has anyone seen the various projects of kids given either disposable cameras or digital p&s's and turned them loose to create? The results are amazing...some really, really boring shots and others that I wish that I had taken. Do these kids know the technical side of photography other than where to point and how to press the shutter? No, of course not. So, again, for me, I will always maintain that the emotional impact of an image is so much more important than whether it was technically perfect or not. And in the real world, photography IS subjective...an art gallery owner gets to decide whether he/she likes a body of work and gets to decide if the body of work will appeal to the masses that will visit...subjective from his/her point of view.

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Charles,

That's exactly how I got my start in photography, except it was my Yearbook adviser handing me a beat up SLR that had no way manually controlling anything. I wasn't overburdened with information on how to take technically correct photos, I was just told to go shoot (which is something that bothered the students who focused on art classes).

If I had been instructed by my adviser to take technically correct photographs, I probably would have given up after a week. It wouldn't have been fun, and I would have been more concerned with making sure I followed the rules.

It wasn't until I found that photography had been fun (and the advent of digital...hey..film's expensive when you're in high school) that I started to learn more about "the rules" and really experimenting with them.

I think everyone should go out and take pictures! :)