Noob question re. C&C

[rat_1_ca]

A lot of the comments I read regarding pics posted for c&c mention about the pics being too much like snapshots. Why is that a bad thing? What makes a pic a snapshot as opposed to being not a snapshot. Thanks in advance.

 

[rdzmzda]

it really depends on the person saying it. in my opinion in most photos a subject dead center is almost always a snapshot to me, and any photo that just looks like it had no thought put into it. snapshots have there place to catch a memory a good photo captures an emotion as well

 

[ShutterSpeed]

...to some degree i think people throw around the term snapshot like its of inferior skill.

try not to be bothered by it. But i would agree - generally, its a random, unplanned shot of a memory.

but - there are also 'random' 'unplanned' shots that are professional quality. so i think it more refers to the skill.

framing, composition...all factor into whether a picture is a snapshot.

 

[Samanax]

A lot of the comments I read regarding pics posted for c&c mention about the pics being too much like snapshots. Why is that a bad thing? What makes a pic a snapshot as opposed to being not a snapshot. Thanks in advance.

Basically, a snapshot is just that...a picture that is taken without much thought put into it. Bring the camera up to your eye and snap the picture without thinking about composition, light, negative space, checking the background, etc...it's just a moment in time captured by the camera.

A photograph is usually thought out a bit (or more than a bit) before the shutter is released. The photographer will think about composition, light, etc...so that the picture comes out the way he sees it in his head. And thanks to digital he can check the image on the LCD right after the picture is taken and if it does look right he can try again with a different composition, from a different perspective, a different location, etc...he's basically trying to create a work of art.