why is a subject
- Thread Starter bribrius
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photoguy99
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It's not. There are plenty of great photos with no clear subject.
What you do need is something for the eyes to do, something to look at, something to think about. You can argue that this is the subject, but at that point you're engaged in pure wankery.
It can be a subject. An interesting texture. An organized collection of subjects, patterns, textures. Etc.
There's a bunch of standard ways to handle the job of giving the eyes something to do, and a clear and definitude subject is one of them.
There are probably an even bigger bunch of non standard ways, and ways nobody had thought of yet.
What you do need is something for the eyes to do, something to look at, something to think about. You can argue that this is the subject, but at that point you're engaged in pure wankery.
It can be a subject. An interesting texture. An organized collection of subjects, patterns, textures. Etc.
There's a bunch of standard ways to handle the job of giving the eyes something to do, and a clear and definitude subject is one of them.
There are probably an even bigger bunch of non standard ways, and ways nobody had thought of yet.
Derrel
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A pretty good reply from Photoguy!!! It's like poetry: there are some old,old classic forms, as well as newer, more free-form stuff. Many pictures have a clear, defined subject and are easily seen and decoded. Other shots have multiple subjects, or no clearly-dominant subject, but instead have many elements that are worth looking at. Still, I think the word "subject" is broad enough that, no matter what the objects in a photo are, they do make up "the subject", even if "the subject" happens to be something like, say, clutter, or the view looking west off of 82nd avenue and Foster Road, or "abandoned crack house", or whatever.
bratkinson
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To me, the 'why' of a subject is "what do I, the photographer, want you to see?" and "What do I NOT want you to see as well?" What's my "motivation" for taking a particular photo? That's my "why".
To that end, whether it's the smiling face of a child, or the Empire State Building, what I choose to focus the camera upon is what I want the viewer to focus upon.
But then, what does a famous painter such as Salvador Dali think of "why" a specific subject. "Why" did he choose to paint a picture of melting watches? "What" is he trying to get across to the viewer? What details are 'hidden in plain view' in the picture that relays his intents to us?
Or the famous Campbell's Soup Can picture by Andy Warhol? "Why" did he decide that would be a good subject?
Maybe I should start taking pictures of chocolate candy bars. That's a BIG motivator to me! Or maybe the empty wrappers, instead, as the candy bars would have been quickly eaten!
To that end, whether it's the smiling face of a child, or the Empire State Building, what I choose to focus the camera upon is what I want the viewer to focus upon.
But then, what does a famous painter such as Salvador Dali think of "why" a specific subject. "Why" did he choose to paint a picture of melting watches? "What" is he trying to get across to the viewer? What details are 'hidden in plain view' in the picture that relays his intents to us?
Or the famous Campbell's Soup Can picture by Andy Warhol? "Why" did he decide that would be a good subject?
Maybe I should start taking pictures of chocolate candy bars. That's a BIG motivator to me! Or maybe the empty wrappers, instead, as the candy bars would have been quickly eaten!
Solarflare
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A photograph needs a subject for the same reason that a text needs a story.
About the clear part, well, obviously not. It should be clear to the photographer, though.
About the clear part, well, obviously not. It should be clear to the photographer, though.
photoguy99
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If we just define 'subject' to mean 'that which an image needs' the the question of why an image needs one goes away.
We haven't learned much, but we've answered the crap out of the question.
We haven't learned much, but we've answered the crap out of the question.
Gary A.
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Generally, in documentary photography, the subject is foremost and clearly identified. In other genres of photography, where the 'story' is more obscure, so to may be the subject.
bribrius
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but is it? if the documenting is on poor third world countries are the people in the photos really even the subject? As we just clarified the subject is being poor in a third world country. Perhaps the subject isn't even in the photo but rather the items in the photo lead one to the subject.
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