What Makes a Good Photo

One of the questions I see constantly around various groups and forums is if a particular photo is "good" from various aspects. This ranges from editing style, clarity, composition or even just a general idea of "good". Of course there's the obvious basics, but often it extends further than that where people want to create a photo that pleases the masses. They can learn this by figuring out what people like in others photographs and bring that into their own style or adjust some of their initial edits they've shown off. It takes time to figure out what you like, what you think is good, and how you want to implement that into your workflow.

The part I often see people missing is if their own photo makes them happy. At the end of the day, as long as you are happy with your work that should be all that matters. It pains me to see people who are proud of their work being told their photo isn't good enough. I'll see a post on Reddit, Instagram or other forums and there will be someone saying how they could of done something different to make the photograph "better" when the photographer wasn't asking for any constructive criticism. If they're not asking for help this can be insanely disheartening, especially for newer photographers who are still finding their style.

It feels like many people forget that photography is still an art, even in the overwhelming digital age that can produce some of the most clean and clinical work. So many times I've seen people hold everything to their own various standards and not just appreciate what other artists and photographers are producing. Just because you don't like what the artist produced doesn't make it bad work, and on the reverse just because you aren't getting a lot of attention on your work doesn't mean that your photography is bad. Everyone has their niche, and we do it because it us happy.

I was watching a YouTube video of a fairly well grounded landscape photographer when the subject of using the older film and digital point and shoot cameras came up. In the end, they essentially didn't like that people were going for the fun and nostalgic look and thought it more of a waste of money. While I see the very straightforward thought process, as cell phones are so insanely good these days and are much better than these cameras, it feels like it didn't take in the end user's aspect. People use various systems for different reasons, and disparaging them for using an alternative system isn't right.

Tl;dr: Remember that you're in this hobby because you think it's fun and enjoyable. As long as you love what you're producing, nothing else matters. If you get a ton of comments, likes, upvotes or whatever, then that's awesome. But if you post your work up every day and don't get that same attention, it doesn't make your work any less valuable. Remember why you enjoy this passion and don't let others bring you down.