5 Fundamental Elements of Great Photographs: From another post there was a link with the same title as above that said: From http:...

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

From another post there was a link with the same title as above that said:

From http: //www.lightstalking.com/5-fundamental-elements-of-great-photographs
"There are five common elements that great images typically have; Good use of light, color, a captivating moment, correct composition for the given situation, and the photographers choice of distance to their subject. Many times good images will use one or two of these elements, but lack strength in the others."

Of the five elements, which is your favorite and why?
- Light
- Color
- Moment
- Composition
- Distance

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

St3v3M wrote:

From another post there was a link with the same title as above that said:

From http://www.lightstalking.com/5-fundamental-elements-of-great-photographs ...

I mentioned on that thread that it leaves out the most important element - interesting subject matter.

You can get all of the five elements right but, if the subject is dull or mundane, you are not going to hold the viewer's interest.

What's more, you can do a half-baked job on any or all of the five elements and an interesting subject will hold your attention - maybe inspire you to go there and try to do it better.

Frank2013 Loc: San Antonio, TX. & Milwaukee, WI.

selmslie wrote:

I mentioned on that thread that it leaves out the most important element - interesting subject matter.

You can get all of the five elements right but, if the subject is dull or mundane, you are not going to hold the viewer's interest.

What's more, you can do a half-baked job on any or all of the five elements and an interesting subject will hold your attention - maybe inspire you to go there and try to do it better.

I thought the only thing I really had going for me was the interesting subject in that post.

jgordon Loc: Boulder CO

selmslie wrote:

I mentioned on that thread that it leaves out the most important element - interesting subject matter...

I agree. I think the most important decision a photographer makes is the one about where to point the camera.

jwt Loc: Texas Hill Country

Light - because that is the one element that is ever changing and controls such things as perceived color, contrast, and moment.

gym Loc: Athens, Georgia

jwt wrote:

Light - because that is the one element that is ever changing and controls such things as perceived color, contrast, and moment.

I totally agree. Good lighting can turn the mundane into interesting.

http://blog-imgs-31.fc2.com/s/a/k/sakuracats/060205-060205-c2.jpg

(yes, I'm aware that just about ANYTHING that one person finds banal, another will find extraordinary, but it's expressed here this way to make a point.)

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

St3v3M wrote:

From another post there was a link with the same t... (show quote)

It depends... (like lots of stuff) but mainly, light.

When in places with fabulous scenery like I've been for the past couple of weeks (soaring mountains and raging waterfalls in Banff/Jasper NPs), the subject can compensate for bad light and we had plenty of the latter - smoke from forest fires, murky/rainy days. Great subject + great light = great photo but all ingredients are not always available, so...

Back at home in middle Mississippi with NO grand subjects, the main ingredient is LIGHT. Light can let me create a fairly interesting image with a dull subject and sometimes with absolutely no subject whatsoever. See below for examples of such stuff, created by a desperate photographer with no grand subjects at hand. They won't make the cover of Outdoor Photo but they please the people who look at my images down here in the backwaters.

a drainage ditch is a dull subject

dead water lilies are a dull subject

no subject at all

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

u

minniev wrote:

It depends... (like lots of stuff) but mainly, lig... (show quote)

xxx

i can hear my friends in the desert SouthWest: "All I.ve got is miles 'n' miles of dry sand, rocks, and cactus...but look at what Minniev has to shoot...fantastic scenic portunities!!!"
(Something about greenness of grass and side-of-fence leaps to mind...!

:D :D :-D

Dave

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Uuglypher wrote:

I can hear my friends in the desert SouthWest: "All I've got is miles 'n' miles of dry sand, rocks, and cactus...but look at what Minniev has to shoot...fantastic scenic opportunities!!!"

Something about greenness of grass and side-of-fence leaps to mind.

:thumbup: :thumbup:

And I agree, it's all about the light, but that if you don't have that, then an "artist's eye" is handy :)

gym Loc: Athens, Georgia

I love these examples Minnie. It does a much better job of illustrating the point that I was trying to make than anything I could have added.
These are beautiful - with outstanding LIGHT!! :)

minniev wrote:

It depends... (like lots of stuff) but mainly, lig... (show quote)

Photographer Jim Loc: Rio Vista, CA

Gads! My second post in a row where I seem to be odd man out. As much as I understand the importance of light in photography, I tend to rank composition as being the "make it or break it" factor is the success of an image, followed closely by color palette (or lack of it, as in B&W photography). My feeling is that I can have the most exquisite butterscotchy golden hour light there is, but if my composition within the frame doesn't work, that great light is not going to salvage the image. Conversely, with the right composition it may not matter at all that I'm shooting in mid day with bright contrasts light. For me, the foundation of any image is always the way it is composed.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

Photographer Jim wrote:

Gads! My second post in a row where I seem to be odd man out. ...

I think it's cool when people fall outside the normal as it gives a unique perspective on life! S-

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

St3v3M wrote:

From another post there was a link with the same t... (show quote)

Strictly my opinion. The subject(moment) is the most important element. All other things are much less important. The cellphone video of the "miracle on the hudson" is a terrible "photo' from all the above elements, but still riveting. What you pay for a terrible photo of the sinking of the Titanic

ediesaul

I disagree that minniev's photos have no subject. I think the subject is the light, enhanced by beautiful compositions.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

ediesaul wrote:

I disagree that minniev's photos have no subject. I think the subject is the light, enhanced by beautiful compositions.

Who said there was no subject?