Whats the difference between holiday snaps and true photographs PHOTO HEAVY

[Dubaiian]

Hello All,

Below I have included my eight favourite images from my recent holiday to Thailand. To me these represent great memories, but I am also proud of them as good pictures from a photographic perspective, but I am keen to hear what you all think as well. Are they snaps or photographs? Any c&c also welcome.

1. I like this as it was pretty much the view from our room every day.

2.This captured the mood of the beach and the hard working nature of the Thai beach sellers

3. Same as 2, this woman walked the beach cooking corn for the sunworshippers from sunrise to sunset

4.I took a lot of sunset pictures but this was the only one with an item of real interest (the boat)

5. I am sure that this dragonfly was vain as it just sat there for hours until I got a really good shot

6. One evening whilst looking for sunsets a thunderstorm developed across the bay. I did not know how to capture it so I just did a long exposure of the clouds and this came out

7. A typically highly coloured Thai market stall. I wanted to capture the beautiful colours and make people think of the lovely smells that accompany them.

8. Finally, I was walking along the beach at sunrise and just felt that this image looked just like a postcard and I wanted to capture it in that style. Not sure if I succeeded.


Many thanks for looking, hope that you enjoy the images.

 

[Bynx]

Difference between a snapshot and a photograph -- a question that comes up a lot. To me its a question of how much thought went into it or how much impact it has on the viewer. And Id say it leaned more to the impact. Point your camera at anything that is uniquely beautiful, ugly or eye catching in some way and its a photograph because it makes you look at it longer than a snapshot. A snapshot is something that is seen and forgotten quickly. A good photograph is easily remembered. So its impact that determines which is which. As for your 8 pics, 5 of them are photographs to me and 3 are just snapshots.

 

[SCraig]

A "Snapshot" means something to the person who took it and nothing to others viewing it. A "Photograph" means something to the people viewing it and nothing to the person who took it.

 

[Dubaiian]

Thanks for that Bynx, out of interest can you tell me which ones you think are snaps? I have written the ones I feel are snappy under here --> 2,3,7 in white ink.

 

[Dubaiian]

A "Snapshot" means something to the person who took it and nothing to others viewing it. A "Photograph" means something to the people viewing it and nothing to the person who took it.

Thats a damn good way of explaining it!!

 

[Bynx]

To me 1, 6, and 8 are snaps. They have absolutely no interest to me. The rest have some interest to look at further and examine whats there.

 

[cgipson1]

To me 1, 6, and 8 are snaps. They have absolutely no interest to me. The rest have some interest to look at further and examine whats there.

Funny .. I was thinking 2,3, and 6.

I think part of this is personal preference... I could care less about those people pictures.... and Bynx seems to not like the landscapes. (although we both agree on #6... no subject, busy foreground, Clouds are pretty but the whole shot is "meh"!

 

[2WheelPhoto]

the people are covered so their lips can't be seen screaming "FILL FLASH and move closer on me"

 

[Bynx]

6 might have been ok except for the out of focus vegetation sticking up from the bottom. Ive done a lot of travelling in my time and always found interesting all the ways people have of making a buck. A hat seller and the portable chef do interest me as well as the fruit stand. They sell their stuff right out in the open. The guy in charge of fruits in Ontario would have a coronary if anyone tried that here. But in the arrangement of that kind of stuff, Im always dazzled by the colorful diversity.

 

[Dubaiian]

To me 1, 6, and 8 are snaps. They have absolutely no interest to me. The rest have some interest to look at further and examine whats there.

Funny .. I was thinking 2,3, and 6.

I think part of this is personal preference... I could care less about those people pictures.... and Bynx seems to not like the landscapes. (although we both agree on #6... no subject, busy foreground, Clouds are pretty but the whole shot is "meh"!

We agree on 2 & 3 and 2WheelPhoto is right that I was too far away. I liked 6 as its probably the hardest I have ever had to think about how to take a shot. Are there other ways that people would recommend for capturing lightning?

 

[cgipson1]

To me 1, 6, and 8 are snaps. They have absolutely no interest to me. The rest have some interest to look at further and examine whats there.

Funny .. I was thinking 2,3, and 6.

I think part of this is personal preference... I could care less about those people pictures.... and Bynx seems to not like the landscapes. (although we both agree on #6... no subject, busy foreground, Clouds are pretty but the whole shot is "meh"!

We agree on 2 & 3 and 2WheelPhoto is right that I was too far away. I liked 6 as its probably the hardest I have ever had to think about how to take a shot. Are there other ways that people would recommend for capturing lightning?

Lightning? You mean the glow in the clouds? Not obvious! For that, I would make the clouds the subject.... right now, they aren't!

 

[tirediron]

Don't forget context. 2&3 could theoretically be advertising images for the seller's website. They might hold no interest to you, but IMO, if they were planned, they're photographs. To me, a snapshot is just that. I see something, grab a camera and capture it without a lot of regard for anything other than the moment. A photograph on the other hand is something I plan... I consider the surroundings, lighting, end-use, composition, etc.

 

[Dubaiian]

Funny .. I was thinking 2,3, and 6.

I think part of this is personal preference... I could care less about those people pictures.... and Bynx seems to not like the landscapes. (although we both agree on #6... no subject, busy foreground, Clouds are pretty but the whole shot is "meh"!

We agree on 2 & 3 and 2WheelPhoto is right that I was too far away. I liked 6 as its probably the hardest I have ever had to think about how to take a shot. Are there other ways that people would recommend for capturing lightning?

Lightning? You mean the glow in the clouds? Not obvious! For that, I would make the clouds the subject.... right now, they aren't!

Does this crop make more sense? I had not properly considered the distraction of those plants, but you point is spot on, I was not highlighting the subject.

 

[cgipson1]

Something like this on #6 maybe? Maybe less sky?

 

[cgipson1]

Don't forget context. 2&3 could theoretically be advertising images for the seller's website. They might hold no interest to you, but IMO, if they were planned, they're photographs. To me, a snapshot is just that. I see something, grab a camera and capture it without a lot of regard for anything other than the moment. A photograph on the other hand is something I plan... I consider the surroundings, lighting, end-use, composition, etc.

I agree totally! My main issue with #2 and #3 is the lack of fill.. under those hats is a good bit dark. That is why I class them more as snaps.... lack of completion!

Question... even if a photograph is planned and thought out... can it still be snap? We both know that sometimes a snap can produce a wonderful shot (that looks well thought out), even if it was totally unintentional on the part of the photographer!