Reply #18: It's interesting to hear how people look at these images. [View All]

[ConsAreLiars]

My slides are unsorted, mostly, because I was never sure which were most toss-worthy. and which were the best, and their importance lay mostly in the experience of taking the picture.

For me it is because it tells a bit of truth about us and our world. Sometimes that truth is just a reminder that we as people have an aesthetic sense and it can be evoked by simple curves or pretty colors or a foggy evening we might discover around us. I believe I read that many other primates seem to be enthralled by a pretty sunset.

So the subject matter is the first thing that draws my attention, but the best photo also tells its truth without a lot of noise or needless distractions, and this is where the technical aspects and issues of composition come in. This is what distinguishes a Salgado or an Ansel Adams from us mere mortals.

In fairness, contest voting shouldn't be based on favorite subject matter, but on the sorts of considerations you've articulated so clearly. It was very helpful to spell it out like you did, because I think it describes what actually makes us react to a photo. Those are not "judging rules" so much as a description of how these things work.