Good Photos vs. Bad Photos

Good Photo 1

 

 The black and white photo of a town represents what a good photo is.  Yes, the photo is lacking color but in a photo that shows so much color might be overkill.  There are a few composition elements that make this photo work in so many ways.  The leading line in the photo would be the street in the middle of the town.  The eye is naturally drawn to lines that break up a photo.  If you follow the line from foreground to background the heart of the photo can be found: the crowd on the street.  The photographer uses the golden spiral to catch the viewer’s eye from the top right corner of the modern buildings to the congregating crowd on the street.  Another element used is the juxstapositioning of the old and new parts of this city.  The leading line (the street) separates what looks to be the old part of the city with the new.  Another element that the leading line gives is the addition of depth.  The line continues well into the background and separates the past and future.  The angle from which the photo is taken is very interesting because it portrays the modern buildings as overshadowing the buildings of old.  It catches my attention because towards the top the clouds seem to be darker over the old part of the city whereas the modern side of the city seems to be brighter.  This could have an underlining meaning that the future is a lot brighter and holds more prosperity.  The dark clouds represent that if you look to run things like in the past dark times might be ahead.  The impact this photo has could be a microcosm of what the present day societies are struggling with.  The struggle to stick with the past or to change completely towards a more modern and futuristic lifestyle.   The viewpoint in which this photo is taken is interesting.  Mainly when groups gather on the streets photos are taken from inside the crowd and street level.  This photo shows and frames the scene from a higher vantage point to give the viewer full views of the scenario.  This photo incorporates a lot of different techniques, elements and styles to give the viewer a full understanding of what is going on in the photo.

 

Good Photo 2

 

This photo of a woman holding duct tape over her mouth with the word “freedom” written on it incorporates elements used for close-up photos.  This photo uses the element of closeness, cropping, impact and the center of visual impact.  This photo can tell a story with minimal amount of words.  With the tight shot on the woman’s face the viewer can see the raw emotion the topic depicts.  With the issue of censorship and Internet rights this photo strikes a compelling emotion.  An elderly woman disputing the censorship laws and rights over the Internet would make the viewer closely examine the emotion on the woman’s face.  The angle in which this photo is taken is unique because the photographer used just a single subject to tell the story of the world.  Using a tight shot of the women’s face versus the whole crowd shows that the restriction of freedom over the Internet can affect everyone on a personal level.  The piece of tape with the word “freedom” scribbled on it creates the image of the center of visual impact.  That is the main focus of the picture: freedom and personal liberty.  But the restriction of freedom silences the voices over the Internet.  The viewer is automatically driven towards the image of the tape over the mouth of the woman; her voice silenced because of the lack of freedom a person has on the Internet.  The background is blurred so the viewer isn’t drawn to what is behind the woman.  The element of foreground versus background is used well because the subject of the picture is what is clear whereas the distractions in the background are tuned out to the viewer.  

 

Bad Photo 1

 

This is an example of how a photo shouldn’t be taken.  The subjects of the photo are located in the center of the photo which violates one of the basic rules of photography: rule of two thirds.  The rule of two thirds states that the subject should be located on either side (not the middle) and located in two thirds of the photo.  This can be determined by creating a grid on the photo.   Another problem with this photo is the background.  There is no space in the photo to create a sense of depth and scale.  The only element to give depth is the sky but that doesn’t help create depth.  With the lack of depth there is no sense of foreground or background it seems it’s on the same level.  These problems can be fixed by shifting the subjects to one side sticking the rule of two thirds and using the mountains as a background to create the sense of depth and scale.  Changing the angle of the photo would also help with this problem.  They could shift to one side and use nature to their advantage to crate even more depth with the surrounding trees.

 

 

Bad Photo 2

 

This photo also violates the rule of two thirds.  The woman is standing directly in the center of the photo which draws away from the nature surrounding her.  Not only is she in the center but the photographer is too far away from her to the point that the background floods the foreground.  No sense of depth is created in the photo.  The lighting in this photo is another element that makes this photo bad.  The shadows take away from the greenery of the photo.  By making the shot tighter on the woman and choosing to take it from another angle would create depth and scale.  It would be an interesting photo if the photo was taken with a slight breeze with a tight shot on the woman with the trees and fence in the background.  It is unclear what the subject of the photo should be.