Loving a photo that is technically wrong

[topazsol]

I've been experimenting with an external flash. I put a diffuser on it and took some photos of my daughter in my completely dark room. They look extremely bright but kind of glowing and I love it, even though they are technically wrong. Do you ever find yourself being attracted to photos you have taken that are wrong but you can't help but love them anyway?

 

[rexbobcat]

Emotional investment.

 

[cgipson1]

^What he said! MY Technically wrong photos usually go in the recycle bin!

 

[c.cloudwalker]

I agree with you, OP, but not with my own shots. Too much of an anal perfectionist, I guess.

I have no problem loving imperfect photos from others, though. When they say something to me, that is.

 

[PlanetStarbucks]

Nothing wrong with loving a technically bad photo...sometimes breaking the rules is what it's all about.

 

[TonysTouch]

When it comes to art, nothing is technically wrong. I have seen some gorgeous photos where there is nothing in focus. But keep in mind, if you are going to chase these shots, make sure it looks intentional and not like a screwed up photo.

 

[amolitor]

"technically wrong" is a meaningless phrase.

These are "accidental" photographs, though. TonysTouch has it right -- a photograph that looks like a mistake is hard to get past.

Ultimately, the image either stands on its own or it doesn't. How it was made, what text or explanation gets wrapped around it, all that drops away and becomes irrelevant. If the image is good, it doesn't matter if your dog shot it by shorting the camera out with his drool, or if you pre-visualized the thing perfectly and uses 50 perfectly balanced strobes to nail it.

So, share! Let's see these things!

 

[ceejtank]

Pictures are a form of art. Nothing about a picture can be wrong if you like it.

 

[TonysTouch]

Here is one of the photos. It's washed out, she doesn't have a nose and overly bright but I love it. Maybe it's because she is my daughter but I love it.

I like this photo. Her face being washed out really brings out her eyes. Forget selective focus, this photo is all about selective exposure!

 

[topazsol]

View attachment 14626
Here is one of the photos. It's washed out, she doesn't have a nose and overly bright but I love it. Maybe it's because she is my daughter but I love it.

I like this photo. Her face being washed out really brings out her eyes. Forget selective focus, this photo is all about selective exposure!

Thank you.

 

[TCampbell]

I hate to sound harsh but I have to be honest. That's not just a little blown out... that's a LOT blown out. The face is blown the fingers are blown and whatever the foreground was is unrecognizable but I'll assume based on the context of the photo that it used to be a bed mattress.

The way you light a photo can inspire emotion -- lighting can be VERY powerful if you learn to use it.

Go to Google.com, select the "images" category and then type in the search terms: high key photography

Look at the search results.

Now change the search terms to: low key photography

Look at the search results again.

Notice the stark contrast in the two styles? A high key image (which is bright, loaded with near-white tones but not technically "blown out") can inspire emotions of angelic, purity, hope, happiness, joy, peace, innocence, etc. A low key image can inspire feelings of loneliness, despair, abandonment, etc. which you think of as negative feelings, but interestingly enough it might (depending on the subject) also inspire thoughts of solitude, hope, or peace which are positive feelings.

How you light the image can be very powerful, but you do have to control it.

While your daughter is in a cute pose and I can understand your fondness for her, this particular photo is tragically over-exposed with a flash that went nuclear on you.