#1 - GOOD IS NOT THE SAME AS. Due 9:30 am Thursday Sept. 2

    One of the biggest problems with photography and the kind of photographs that most of you have been producing, is that your subject matter is generally a thing, a place or a person that you like. Think about it, what was the last photograph you created? Was it a selfie, a photograph of the great meal that you cooked? Perhaps it was on your family vacation prior to school starting or of you and your best friend at the beach. No matter what it was, it wasn't created because it was great photographic subject (this isn't to say that you don't look nice in photos) but what it does mean, is that it might not actually be a compelling or interesting photograph to anyone outside of your immediate circle of friends and family.

Selecting a "Good" photographic subject is one of (if not) the biggest hurdle for students in my classes. You must select your subject carefully and you must be willing to look at things solely for their photographic potential. This means you will want to view your surroundings closely and realize that just about anything can make a good photograph. More on this as the semester moves forward!

Assignment: Images DUE: Sept. 2 at 9:30 am

Post one photograph to the blog for each of the following four categories. Your images should fulfill the "not the same as" portion. For example, post a photograph that you feel is "Important" whether it's good or not is where the conversation comes in. These photographs can be ones you've taken or ones you find in books, etc... The photos should be labeled with the category and your name. After posting your four images comment on two other students four images telling them whether you think the images are actually good photographs or not. 

*If a students post already has more than one comment, please move to a different students post. 

“Good” is not the same as “Important.”

There have been very many important photographs in the mediums history which are not “good” in any aesthetic sense.

A clear example which spring to mind is the photograph, achieved through electron microscopy, of the DNA molecule, a revolutionary discovery in the scientist’s quest to unravel the secrets of life.  There is no doubt that this is one of the most important photographs ever made, but one which has little aesthetic value.

“Good” is not the same as “Useful.”

A basic function of photography, as we have already discovered, is that it shows us what things look like.  But the successful result of this function is not necessarily aesthetically pleasing.  Most product photographs fall into this category.

A prosaic picture of a camera, for example, might be a success in that it clearly depicts the instrument , the position of its controls, and other features which are informative and useful.  Few viewers, however, would claim the image was aesthetically good.

“Good” is not the same as “Interesting.”

Although the choice of subject matter is a major factor in the appeal of a photograph, even a subject of wide popular interest may be reduced to a dull, banal picture by insensitivity or incompetence on the part of the photographer.

Few subjects are as fascinating to viewers (of both sexes) as the female nude.  But no one would argue  that all photographs of their subject have equal merit.  A few are exceptional in their aesthetic merit; most are banal and devoid of any attempt at aesthetic value.  They are more akin to product photographs, in their emphasis on specific parts, than to good pictures.

“Good” is not the same as “Liking.”

One of the most common fallacies of photographic criticism is the assumption that there is a relationship between liking an image and its merit.  Such a link is understandable but erroneous.  We are all more prone to like a photograph if we are interested in the subject matter, if we are curious as to how it was done, if we make our own photographs in a similar style or with the same technique, if we have a personal acquaintance with the photographer, or if we are aware of the photographer’s fame.  All these factors can alter, or deviate us from, an objective appraisal of the image itself.

The Statement: “ It is a good photograph, but I do not like it” is not paradoxical.  Nor is the opposite: “It is not a very good photograph, but I like it.”