is it a pic, a picture, a photo, or a photograph?

[naptime]

so, how to you refer to the p's & f's?

is there a PROPER term?


personally, i refer to anything that was a snapshot as a pic or picture.

but anything that had much thoughtbehind it, or from the slr, i refer to it as a photo or photograph.

i also tend to use the word foto a lot in general, because my fiancee is a Dominicana, and to them it's all a fotografia or foto anyway. she sometimes uses the word pelicula, which is a picture. but other times she uses pintura, which just seems wrong to me, because that's a painting.


on here i find myself consciously thinking about what word to use depending on the post i'm commenting in, so as not to offend anyone.


what do you do? is it all the same thing. to you have a word your favor in general, or do you pick and choose based on the subject you are referencing.

does anyone even care, or is it just my ocd?

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

It's an image.

 

[sm4him]

It's probably just your ocd, lol...but since I have that as well, in spades:

I agree with your assessment. That's the way it has ALWAYS been in my head, ever since I was a teenager really. A photo or photograph is a well-composed, well-executed image. A pic or picture (though I rarely ever use the word "pic") is just a snapshot.

And yes, I think carefully about which term to use, but then I am a Professional Nitpicker (some call us 'editors').

 

[Majeed Badizadegan]

Nice pic, bro.
Cool photo, dude.
Great picture, man.
That's a proper photograph, mate.

 

[RDTague_Studios]

A picture is something Aunt Sally takes with her "nice camera she bought at K-mart." A photo or photograph is something a professional takes.

Just what one photography instructor always preached and it's stuck with me since.

 

[blackrose89]

The way I heard it "technically", in literal definition terms, every snapshot is a photograph, but not every photograph is a snapshot.

I usually say photo. Every image is a photo. Even snap shots.

 

[blackrose89]

The way I heard it "technically", in literal definition terms, every snapshot is a photograph, but not every photograph is a snapshot.I usually say photo. Every image is a photograph. Even snap shots.

pho·to·graph/ˈfōtəˌgraf/Noun: A picture made using a camera, in which an image is focused onto film or other light-sensitive material and then made visible and...Verb: Take a photograph of.Synonyms: noun.**photo - picture - photography - shotverb.**shoot - photo - snap----------snap·shot/ˈsnapˌSHät/Noun: An informal photograph taken quickly, typically with a small hand-held camera.A brief look or summary: "a snapshot of a complex industry".

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

A picture is something Aunt Sally takes with her "nice camera she bought at K-mart." A photo or photograph is something a professional takes.

Just what one photography instructor always preached and it's stuck with me since.

So only professionals make photographs?
Aunt Sally can't be a hobbyist with skills?
What is a professional, and how does he/she differ from a hobbyist that happens to be really good?
Is money the difference?




The difference between photography and snapshots is that a photograph contains artistic elements and it is dependent on the photographer's technical skills; whilst a snapshot is just a visual record of an object in front of the lens.

 

[Derrel]

This reminds me of another heated debate about what something "is" or "isn't"...
Saturday Night Live - Shimmer Floor Wax - Video - http://www.nbc.com

 

[Josh66]

I love how some people think it has to be good or "art" to be called a "photograph". IMO, Pic, pix, picture, photo, photograph, ... - it's all the same. Call it whatever you want.

Like the word "photograph" is more prestigious than picture.

Do you answer a "telephone" call, or a "phone" call?

 

[TenaciousTins]

I find saying the word photograph out loud is so tedious and sounds so...I don't know, loaded. So I generally say pic or pics. However, if talking to/with a professional I would most definitely refer to the pictures as "photos" or even photographs depending on who it was. The ones I have come in contact with don't seem to mind if it is shortened to photos.

 

[Josh66]

Every image is a photo.

The first part of that post is correct, but "image" is too broad. The pencil drawings you do are certainly "images", but they are not photos or photographs.

 

[nojeb96]

I love how some people think it has to be good or "art" to be called a "photograph".

And What makes a photo art?

 

[Josh66]

I love how some people think it has to be good or "art" to be called a "photograph".

And What makes a photo art?

When did I say a photo had to be art? I said the opposite, actually.

 

[LightSpeed]

I think im gonna make a drink.
And watch this unfold.