Experts: How do you get pics to look like this?

[Rob]

OK, now I feel bad about my taste...

What photos SHOULD I like that most people do? Suggestions of photographers whose work I should check out would be appreciated.

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Lee Miller, Man Ray, Karl Lagerfeld and Robert Mapplethorpe are a small selection of my favourites. You shouldn't "like" them though... just have a look and see what you think. Browse the photography section of your local bookshop and have a think about the content, technique and other aspects that make it a work rather than a snapshot.

Rob

 

[markc]

There are a few different ways to look at a photograph. Most people do it on a subconsious level. They either like it or they don't, and they aren't quite sure why. When asked, they will come up with reasons, because that's how the human brain works, but it tends to be very much along the lines of "I don't know art, but I know what I like". On this level, I think it has a lot to do with what's comfortable and familiar.

If anyone local has a class on appreciating and understanding photography, or even art in general, it might be worth looking into. It can be a real eye opener, and you begin to see the images on a whole other level.

I'm having a hard time finding books on the subject just now. [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0618066713/002-0816593-4181638?v=glance&n=283155"]Here's one[/ame], though I haven't read it. I also found [ame="http://www.jimbatty.com/jim_batty_thesis.html"]this thesis[/ame], which I've only just skimmed.

There are a lot of elements that make up a photograph. What I consider a good photograph is one where a majority of the elements contribute to saying something. The better the photographer is, the better they use the elements available. Some can do this intuitively (some people compose in the rule of thirds before actually learning it), others have to become consciously aware of them and practice before being able to integrate them into their photography without having to think about them.

Some elements:
Color: Yellow tends to denote happiness. Red means danger.
The height of the camera compared to the subject: Higher looks down on the subject. Lower puts the subject on a pedestal. Equal denotes equal standing. (This is why I tend to crouch down when doing child photography.)
Then there's line, shape, contrast, etc.

Here's a book that gets into some of it: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0817454276/002-0816593-4181638?v=glance&n=283155"]Photographic Composition[/ame]

Without being aware of how the elements all contribute, they often end up conflicting, as they are left to chance. This is what defines a snapshot for me. A snapshot has a subject and not much else. Sometimes it's even hard to tell what the subject is. A strong photograph will use many elements together to make a cohesive whole.

And something else I learned that blew my mind at the time: Photographers will quote each other. Nathan Lyons photographs in b&w, and often will have this sign or something similar peeking up from the bottom frame (like here and here (two side-by-side prints in that second one)). Luigi Ghirri has a very different style, but in one photo (that I can't find on-line), he places the top of a water tower in the same kind of position. Everything else about the photo was Ghiri, but in his composition, he was quoting Lyons.