What Makes a Good Photo?

Okay, I admit it—I don’t know what makes a photo good. I’ve been taking pictures my whole life, starting with my Mickey Mouse camera and 110 film, eventually getting my first 35mm camera at age 17. But I have to confess, I still don’t know what makes a photo good!

This could be my imposter syndrome talking. After all, I’ve taught photography classes and take photos for a living. But that doesn’t mean I fully understand what makes one photo good and another bad. I guess composition has a lot to do with it, right? Maybe? A poorly composed photo stands out as unappealing, but what does that even mean? I’ve learned about the rule of thirds, proper exposure, and lighting, but all of these are technical aspects. I know that cutting off a body at the knees or elbows isn’t as appealing as showing the whole body, but done creatively, it could be. Sometimes breaking the rules can be appealing too.

I have hundreds, if not thousands, of pictures in my archive that I consider “bad,” but when I look on Instagram and Flickr, I see similar photos that look amazing to me. Again, is this my imposter syndrome? So what makes a good photo, and who decides? Is it the subject? The way motion is captured? The quality of the technique? I’ve seen photos shot on an iPhone that are more appealing than ones shot with a Leica, so I don’t believe equipment has anything to do with it either.

To me, a good photo starts with an interesting subject. It doesn’t have to be people or animals; a landscape can be just as captivating as a well-composed headshot. Once I find a subject that interests me, I try to find an angle that creates depth. A photo that feels three-dimensional is much more interesting to me than one that feels flat. Including something in the background or foreground helps, and depth of field also plays a part.

I also enjoy culling and editing photos. Trying different color styles is fun for me. I’m not a purist; I don’t believe the photo you present has to be exactly what the camera captured. As a video editor, I like editing my photos too. Sometimes a photo is just better once the colors have been adjusted or it has been cropped. There’s a lot of artistic expression to be found in Lightroom as well.

In conclusion, I still don’t know what makes a photo good. I know what appeals to me in my work and the work of others, but I don’t feel like I’m an authority on the subject. I don’t think I can answer my thesis in just one essay; in fact, I may never answer it. My tastes may change as I progress as a photographer. For now, this blog is a great way to discuss my photos in depth, talk about photography in general, and ask the question, “What the photo!?”