How Important Is Subject Matter in Photography?
May 20, 2020 11:38:21 #
Photography literally means “painting with light.” So +1 to all whose answers spoke about lighting. Subject matter is in the eyes of the beholder, and sometimes we need / want to take a photo to record history or an event, but it’s never going to be a great photograph without lighting that works well with the subject matter and composition.
May 20, 2020 11:44:06 #
jerryc41 wrote:
Everything counts, although looking at that photo of a river that sold for $4,338,500, maybe nothing matters.
There's something about a classic layer cake composition that is irresistible when the print is very large.
This scene is a little better than the banana duct-taped to a white canvas. But $4.34 million? I hope that 95% of that went to charity!
May 20, 2020 11:45:49 #
Fotoartist wrote:
Does a photo need to tell a story or is a pile of random junk (albeit composed) a good enough subject?
It depends on the message the photographer is trying to impart. Is the photo taken to promote a social statement or is the photo done as art for art's sake? Look at other art forms -- some paintings are abstract and others are so well detailed you would swear they were photographs. When it comes to art, there are no rules. As long as the work is satisfying to the creator it has accomplished one goal. If it is pleasing and admired by others, it has accomplished another goal. What was the photographer's motivation when they took the shot -- the first goal or the second, or both.
May 20, 2020 11:46:40 #
Fotoartist wrote:
Does a photo need to tell a story or is a pile of random junk (albeit composed) a good enough subject?
Depends on the subject. If you like it, it's good.
May 20, 2020 11:56:09 #
Every piece of junk probably has a story behind it, even though we may never know what it is. Since the photos shown in the original post have enough visual appeal to hold my attention, I can make up my own stories to fill the gap between reality and fiction.
Well done!
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Well done!
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May 20, 2020 11:58:07 #
Angel Star Photography wrote:
Actually, I think it all depends on the photograph... (show quote)
I'm all for breaking rules in creative endeavors. But it still has to work somehow. Just the fact that someone had the intention to try and show a subject in a different way shows that subject isn't "everything".
May 20, 2020 12:06:08 #
Fotoartist wrote:
Does a photo need to tell a story or is a pile of random junk (albeit composed) a good enough subject?
Does a photo need to tell a story? The obvious answer is “no it does not need to, but it does so anyway".
What I find interesting about the posted images is that they raise the equally important question “does a photographer have to be an artist first?” My answer to that is: not necessarily, it depends entirely on what kind of photographer he/she is.
Visual art always has to be created, whereas pushing the release button on a camera does not require that. What the camera does is give you the image of a subject that is already there for the taking. Art comes into play when the subject has to be artfully created and staged beforehand. A photographic image of that subject can then be interpreted as to what the artist was thinking or the statement he/she intended to make, similar to musing about what the poet had in mind when reading his poetry.
I realize this could be fodder for endless debating that I do not wish to pursue at length. All I want to say is that the OP managed to skillfully combine art and photography. . . .
May 20, 2020 12:06:18 #
kb6kgx
Loc: Simi Valley, CA
Nicholas DeSciose wrote:
Subject matter is everything
What I was going to say.
Everything... is a subject.
May 20, 2020 12:06:54 #
Chromodynamics6
Loc: Beverly Hills Ca.
How Important Is Subject Matter in Photography?
How can any photograph not have subject matter? Even a photo taken with then lens cap on has "subject matter? In that case it is the lens cap. It's impossible to take a photograph of nothing.
How can any photograph not have subject matter? Even a photo taken with then lens cap on has "subject matter? In that case it is the lens cap. It's impossible to take a photograph of nothing.
May 20, 2020 12:15:35 #
I believe that to be an above average photo, the subject must relate a strong statement that evokes an emotional response. The photo can provide an expression of art, people, nature, love, sex, education or any of a hundred different topics. Hopefully it will illustrate a different perspective about the theme. A new way of looking at a subject that can developers a connection with the viewer.
May 20, 2020 12:17:17 #
Fotoartist wrote:
Does a photo need to tell a story or is a pile of random junk (albeit composed) a good enough subject?
You know the answer; there's time for both... or even the beauty of a single leaf.
May 20, 2020 12:17:47 #
kb6kgx wrote:
What I was going to say.
Everything... is a subject.
Everything... is a subject.
Everything is a subject doesn't mean that the subject is everything in photography. What you do with the subject is certainly important.
May 20, 2020 12:20:50 #
Angel Star Photography
Loc: Tacoma, WA
JohnSwanda wrote:
I'm all for breaking rules in creative endeavors. But it still has to work somehow. Just the fact that someone had the intention to try and show a subject in a different way shows that subject isn't "everything".
Very true and more to the point of why I tend to lean towards the photographer's intent but this is from the perspective of the word, "subject", in terms of how most would use the term. From the photographer's perspective, in my opinion, the subject fundamentally is always light, the lack thereof, its utilization, and the manipulation of it by the photographer.
May 20, 2020 12:29:58 #
May 20, 2020 12:42:09 #
jerryc41 wrote:
Everything counts, although looking at that photo of a river that sold for $4,338,500, maybe nothing matters.
The "Mondrian" version
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