Photography, like any other art, is a highly subjective pursuit, and as such, it can sometimes be a bit difficult to know if you are doing well or what you can do to improve. So, what is it that makes a good photograph? What does it mean to be a good photographer? This excellent video essay explores those questions and offers some useful insights.
Coming to you from Alister Benn with Expressive Photography, this great video essay explores what it means to be a good photographer. Personally, I think being a photographer means always being willing to learn, grow, and, in particular, push your creative boundaries. The beauty of any artistic pursuit is that there is no ceiling on what we can learn or how far we can push our creativity. This is part of the reason why many top professionals are always pursuing personal projects on the side. Beyond this, personal projects allow a photographer to create without having to worry about an obligation to client needs and desires, and as such, they are where you create the images that attract new clients in the first place. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Benn.
A good photographer is someone who makes good images. Bring able to handle the basis of technical and compositional skills and continuously make good images. If Wikipedia does not say so, I think it should.
Then there are photographers who are above this. There are many reasons for this. Most likely hard work and persistence. And talent. Passion for something. Some do fashion, some do portrait, some do documentaries, some do black and white, some challenges the norms, some is provoking and maybe just some are lucky - I don’t know :)
The one thing I suspect common is that they are out there shooting.
I could be wrong but I imagine most of them do photography first and most for there own pleasure?
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I suppose it could be one whose work is highly sought after, however if your work is not highly sought after, it may be that you're simply ahead of your time, and it will be sought after long after you've passed-away???