The #1 Rule About Photography

[arielc]

People spend thousands and thousands of dollars on photography equipment such as cameras, lenses and lighting gear, taking part in photography workshops or beginner’s course. People read books and watch video tutorials all for one purpose….getting the perfect shot as possible.

A lot can be said on what makes a good photograph….It has to be sharp, exposed correctly, composed according to certain rules and post-processed professionally. But there is one rule that binds all of the above. On rule that if one keeps in mind, everything will be different…AESTHETICS.



I admit. I took part in photography class (It was more like a workshop actually) about a year ago. I learned about exposure, using artificial light-sources and composition. But that wasn’t enough, tough. Still, taking a technical course alone will not necessarily cause you to produce better images. It is inspiration that drives us. On my first class we were asked “what makes a good photography?”. While others said things like “beautiful subject” or “curiosity”, I said “aesthetics”. To me, it is everything in photography.

At first, I didn’t know what the technical aspect of aesthetics means or how to use flash with light-modifier or even how to use curves on Adobe Photoshop, but I knew that it’s important to me that the image that I produce will stand out…be as clean as possible…like I see on professional sites and galleries…be unique…be elegant…be esthetic.

So, I began taking photos trying to make them as unique as possible, putting on the back of my head that I want something special out of my photos.



More than a year has passed and although I know now what I’m doing, aesthetics is something that I always keep in mind.

Now I can tell you that aesthetics for me means that when I take a photo, I consider enormous variables such as depth-of-field that I want to produce, the impact of the exposure parameters that I feed into the camera (aperture, shutter speed and ISO) on the final result that I want to accomplish, asking myself if I’m ok with the ambient light or should I use an artificial-light source and what light modifiers I should use, choosing the right angle and focal length, positioning myself and the subject at the right places on the right background, choosing the correct model for the project and theme and, finally, making the right retouching to create to finished work.



So, eventually, it doesn’t matter if you buy the most expensive camera there is (although, it’s a big “head-start”) or even if you take some sort of photography course…it is the extra thing that you need to bring to your photography that will make your work special. It is you who need to determine what makes you a better photographer. The sky is the limit.


Ariel Cohen
www.ariel-c.com
ariel.c@me.com

[Sky_Blue_Eyes]

New to the forum and although I have been photographing for years I have yet to take classes or my camera off auto-focus.

But I LOVE to shoot ...

For me, it is all about emotion. What emotion does this photo elicit? If it is something I think is emotional only for me, it doesn't get deleted. If I think it is good enough to draw an emotional response from others it gets posted.

Every single image I produce gets passed through that filter ... even the ones that aren't very "nice looking" fall into that category and are shared with the world.

My sole purpose for starting the journey today of being a more educated photographer is purely to get stronger emotional responses to my images.

[mathgeek]

It's interesting that you have given a name to the one drive to my photography... it's the aesthetic element! I've had days where i look at the clouds and rush to get my camera, and other days where I look up and see nothing special. My wife will ask me how one day is different from another, and we've discussed at great length. It's the aesthetic potential of any photograph that makes it interesting.

This description is awesome! i don't know if I'll ever truly master it... but while I want others to like my photography it's my eyes that need to be happy with it. Thank you for writing such an eloquent description.

[TwoHerbs]

I really like your description, etc., however, I still don't think this is the one rule, the one rule is to have fun, and the rest will follow.

[JulianHt]

The #1 rule of photography, just like in any other art form, is "Don't be boring!"
I see too many photographs that are totally devoid of any interesting subject, empty images without any artistic merit that don't deserve a second glance. They appear everywhere, in art magazines, in galleries, on the internet, etc.

Irving Penn said it very well with this one sentence "A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart, one that leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it."

Unfortunately, the other kind is all too common. Ask yourself if your images do deserve a second look, if they do deserve to be posted on the web. Look at the work of the pro's and established names in photography and learn from them.
One of my sources of inspiration is the work of Sebastiao Salgado. His photographs really touch the heart.

[Clickblade]

I agree with TwoHerbs. The number 1 thing for me with photography is to get out there and enjoy it.

[arielc]

Thanks everyone for you insights about my post.

I think that it's pretty obvious that in order to create a better work, you need to enjoy it...consider it a MEGA-RULE...and I can certainly say that I do enjoy photography.

However, my post was, what I believe, a bind-rule that interacts directly with the desire to produce a better photo over a simple snap-shot...meaning....to define a clear subject and a specific theme (and/or background), deciding on the best exposure etc.

I'm also happy that the aspect that moves people in photography...AESTHETIC...connects with my approach to better photography.

If you like, you can join my Flickr group AESTHETIC PHOTOGRAPHY....I'll be more than pleased to share my work with your work.

Yours,

Ariel Cohen | boutique photography
www.ariel-c.com

PS - If you have any question, feel free to ask me (by email to ariel.c@me.com) and I promise I'll get back to you soon...

[corry]

I just spent a weekend at a photography course with a couple well published landscape photographers and the main point they wanted us to get when we're out shooting was " what story does the photo tell" what are we trying to convey through that photo........what is the main focus......I learned lots (and was surprised when he said from a shoot they maybe delete 90% of the pictures)