What do I truly seek when looking at an image?

What appears to be quite a simple question can be quite a deep thought process and can quite often lead you down rabbit holes but I have been thinking about this recently having read the opening editorial paragraph of a monthly magazine. So how do I do it?

My process is to simply look at an image and see what it tells me, what is the Photographer trying to convey, maybe even why did they take this image. I believe that this is the best approach as the Photographer hasn’t presented me with a series of elements but rather the entire image and that is what I should assess. However, I do tend to look into the photograph and assess it in terms of…

  • Technical quality
  • Pictorial quality
  • Storytelling

Before I dig a little deeper into the above points, first and foremost the image must have some degree of interest, it must have the ability to attract us and invite us to look deeper otherwise it’s a record shot. Record shots are fine and have a role to play in Photography, but my mind always wanders off towards the artistic and creative aspects of our hobby. An image can be technically perfect but still quite boring!

Technical quality can involve such things as being in focus at the appropriate point, having a good exposure, true and accurate colours and an acceptable level of noise. It should not have obvious issues such as pixelation, excessive or over-processing, et cetera. This is the foundation of the image and without being technically good it has a lesser chance of being a successful image. It could be argued that modern cameras make this quite easy now with their powerful processing ability and high-quality sensors.

This shot of an African Fish Eagle is probably a technical image. It’s sharp, has correct colouration, the white feathers are not blown-out and there is detail in the brown feathers. You can identify the species with it. I enjoyed taking the shot but I wouldn’t rank it in my favourites nor whould I enter it into a competition.

Pictorial quality builds on the technical foundation by utilising good compositional techniques and lighting that enhances the scene or contents, in other words it looks good, it is an attractive image. I do tend to believe that composition is king and can make or break a technically good image, for example giving the subject room to look into or move into tends to work well.

This image of a Silver-Studded Blue butterfly at Prees Heath was taken at dawn to make the best of the golden hour of warm side lighting. The tones work well together with a sympathetic background and the size of the subject & composition are quite pleasing. It is also technically good, meeting the criteria previously mentioned.

Storytelling is the icing on the cake and further enhances both the technical and pictorial qualities of the image, to be successful nowadays imaging needs to exhibit some form of narrative. This may include the behaviour of a wildlife subject, showing the species interacting with another or it could be an artistic interpretation that leads the viewer to wonder about the intent of the image. Maybe, this is the element that takes Photography from being a technical exercise in perfection towards a more artistic approach. It is worth bearing in mind however that some of the most memorable photographs ever to be created had technical flaws in them but told a strong and compelling story.

2 European Roller Compare Catches on a branch

The image here shows a pair of European Rollers comparing their catches. It was actually shot at an ISO of 25,600 and needed a degree of noise reduction so maybe it isn’t technically perfect. However, it does capture and portray the behaviour and interaction between the two birds. It also has a diffused background to isolate the birds somewhat.

One of things that shouldn’t enter into the judge’s thinking is how difficult it was to take, we should simply judge the photograph. Similarly making assumptions is a sure fire way to derail yourself.

Pulling all of the above together can lift your image into the higher reaches of competition photography but it is wider and deeper than that. It becomes a way of thinking and a way of working that we can all aspire to in our everyday shots too. Every image we take deserves to be the best we can make it. I would be interested to hear your thoughts in the comments…

Don’t ever forget your own personal creativity, photography is not a box-ticking exercise but a way of expressing yourself through photographic media whether that be digital or print. Judges and assessors love to see unfamiliar & original work rather than the same old and oft repeated photos.