Hello to all Local Guides and photographers, we all know what impact a good picture can have. What makes a picture a good one anyway?
If I must answer that question myself the first thing that I need to know is what will it be used for. Is it art, is it a product, a portrait, a landscape, action or a business? A other good question to ask yourself is: What do I or a customer want my picture to achieve?
These are not always easy questions to be answered they are however important if you want your picture to be good or even great. I will not answer the questions but I hope some of you want to give it a thought and let me know in the comments.
World Photography Day
You might think Iām posting this too early as it is still 3 dayās away. I did this on purpose as I want to ask you not just to answer the questions above but also show me your best picture. What I mean is not the picture that has the most likes or views. I want to see the picture you like best or are proud off. Post the picture as a reply and tell me why you think is your best, where did you take it, why do you think itās a good picture.
With World Photography Day coming up this gives you time to think it over and search for your best one.
Why do we celebrate World photography Day annually on August 19?
This is because 181 years ago in 1839, Louis Dager presented the photographic process to the French Academy of Sciences and Fine Arts. The French Government bought the patent and made it public.
I hope you like this idea as thinking about these questions and answering them can be helpful to you and others. So will showing youāre best or a good photo and explaining why you think it is good or perhaps your best photo.
Questions:
Show me your ābestā or a good picture Where was it taken?
What makes a picture a good one anyway?
What did you want to achieve when you took your ābestā photo?
Donāt keep me in the dark, as Photography literally means Phos (light) and grapho (āwritingā), derived from Greek words
Hi @Erik_van_den_Ham 1.this picture was taken one Early Morning at the swimming pool I asist. Where my Lights and Shades in a Sunny Morning review took place.
What makes this picture good: The feeling of cool water and joy that swimming is for me.
3 What did you want to achieve when you took your best photo:
Even if I have work or things to do, itās a regression time to be again in the pool.
By the way congrats for that beautiful photo you shown us. Black and White as well as Sepia photos brings nostalgia and beautiful regrets of dear people and places.
Hello @karinchavoll so nice to have you as the first LG responding. Thank you for the picture and answering the questions perfectly. I hope to see many more entries as Iām sure we can learn from them.
I have a special love for B/W or sepia too. Itās indeed a bit of nostalgia. B/W pictures are also the perfect way/exercise to learn photography. A colourful picture can look great just by the mix of the colours. A good picture in B/W needs contrast in light and dark to be evoking. Of course we see the world in colour so learning how it will look in B/W will help to improve colour pictures too.
Good morning @Ant_Bad_Yogi to start where you left offā¦no sorry I donāt like it!
I LOVE it!
Remember no matter what Iām saying here this is not about me. Itās about all you, great Local Guides that show the world seen trough a lens. Itās always subjective and in no way I want to influence people in what they show me.
I love landscapes, fog and mist, I love mountains (for as we have non of those in NL).
The image with the leading path that takes you on an imaginary trip is provoking. My fantasy can fill in the gaps of things I canāt see. Some say a picture says more than a thousand words. If I let my fantasy run wild hereā¦ it wonāt stop at a couple of thousand. Soā¦ I stop right here as I donāt want my fantasy influence others when they see your picture.
Hello @Erik_van_den_Ham Iād like to simply share a good picture here in terms of Maps-appropriateness. It was taken on a Sunday afternoon (my favorite time for a LG walk as there are not a lot of people around then to ādisturbā the image - and I understand that this is also the favorite moment for other LGs, as I read that in a recent post from @Ewaade_3A ) in a town near me. It shows a local branch of a bank.
I like it because it has a good composition and especially because of the color of the sky (and the clouds in it). And there is the nice little detail of the grass acting as a natural blurring element for the license plate of the car in the left.
@Erik_van_den_Ham Hahaha I see. Thank you so much. Iām really glad you love it. It feels so good knowing that someone likes our photos. Somehow Iām stuck with words. I canāt express myself. But I know that I like it. You think you know what I mean. Thanks again for your nice words and your nice post here.
Hello @JanVanHaver I would not have expected anything less from you. Youāre taking this serious, as Google/ Maps is āour customerā. Youāve listened to what the customer likes to see and what it wants your pictures to achieve.
As I said before my opinion here is not important. This is probably a picture the bank itself will like too for the same reasons that you state. One could ask would the picture be better if the car was not there? On the other hand itās logical for a bank to have a car parked at it as customers of the bank go there.
The fact that the grass is blurring the license plate is a ācherry on topā.
Nice post @Erik_van_den_Ham Unfortunately, I am not a photographer and I do not have any camera, so I can tell or show you my best photo or the answer of other 2 questions asked by you . I am planning to buy a Canon 250D after that I will answer all 3. Regards.
I use my mobile phone Samsung A50S with 48mp front camera @Erik_van_den_Ham . I am also planning to attend a photography course after the pandemic. Regards.
So you DO have a camera! @MukulR The pictures Iāve seen from you are great. You must admit you will have ones you like better than others or make you feel proud you took it. Remember a camera or a phone is just a machine, it doesnāt take pictures! You are the one that is taking it. You decide what to show, include or exclude in your pictures, what is the subject and what conditions to take it in.
Letās use @JanVanHaver 's picture as a example, he took it on a day with sunshine, some nice looking clouds (hope Iām not sounding too much like Bob Ross) and from a distance to show the whole building.
Imagine he took it on a grey, overcast rainy day, that would give it such a different feeling. Would the bank still be happy with it looking like that?
I want to challenge you to show your ābestā photo, according to your standards. I like to see what you come up with.
Nice explanation my friend @Erik_van_den_Ham . I accept your challenge and will show the photo that I love much on Photography day. Photographer can never say that this is my BEST because all photos are the same to him/her like his/her own children and parents cannot discriminate among children in the field of love. Regards.
Hi @Ewaade_3A thank you so much for participating. So Covid isnāt just limiting our possibilities itās a opportunity too. It changed so much of our lives and the ānormalā daily routines.
So you like the fact you could take such a clean picture. Covid made you achieve this.
I checked out the place and discovered you dancing there and it looks fantastic.
Recently you got some bad replies that you didnāt deserve in my opinion.
Hello @Ewaade_3A Iām not on Insta (yes itās possible).
The best mode could be action, it depends on light and how fast it all is happening. The shutter speed needs to be fast to freeze an image, but it could also be cool to show action and movement in the picture.
Here is an example where the image is āfrozenā
Hello @MukulR that is great and you are right about the ābestā. How can one choose between them? I should have said a good or your best one, some people have one they consider to be their best.
So good you keep me waiting until August 19. Looking forward to Wednesday to find out which youāve chosen.
. I am planning to buy a Canon 250D after that I will answer all 3. Regards.
(yes itās possible).