"That Photo"

We have all come across "That Photo", the photo that makes us stop and look again and again, ending with an attraction or emotion being evoked with, "That Photo."

So what is it about "That Photo" that makes us stop. Well photographers actually put a lot of work into getting that image, spending a lot of time researching and learning how to achieve it. With the more skill and experience a photographer has, obviously it will be easier. Joel Grimes, a renowned sports and fashion composite photographer says, "Awesome, you got that shot, now go do replicate it 300 times more and then you can say you can do it". "That Photo" does not just happen, it takes lots and lots of practice.

Many people will say its the gear, "You have the best camera, off course you will get the best photo". That is so not true its just not funny, its like saying, your oven makes fantastic cakes! World Top Wedding Photographer Jerry Ghionis, has won over 8 WPPI  Contests (Wedding & Portrait Photography International), submitted a album purely photographed with an I Phone, and won an astounding 4th place. This is a phone up against the best gear in the world, the judges do not know the gear used so judging is on an even plain; and with a cell phone he won a 4th place. Your equipment is simply a tool for us to capture what we love, not make it amazing.

So what is it that makes a photo "That Photo", well there are 4 Basic factors, I am not going to go into every factor, but just cover them:

1. Composition
2. Sharpness
3. Lighting
4. Subject / Story

Of these 4 Factors influencing "That Photo" I personally believe there are 2 that really can make or break a photo, and that is Lighting and Subject, and effectively I really believe that they go hand in hand. There is a common saying amongst photographers that a beautiful model in bad lighting does not make a good photo. If you have the wrong lighting, no matter what you photograph, it is not going to look good. Joe McNally, nick named the master of light, almost tailors every situation to his subject to help bring out the story of his subject with his lighting.

Bad lighting

Good Lighting

The subject of your photo, whether it be landscape, portrait, model, still life or architecture; needs to tell a story, it has attracted us there for a reason and and we need to capture that in our photo, so that our audience can feel what we feel. In the case of a wedding, we aim to bring the emotions a couple is experiencing at that time, back to life when they re-look at a photo, no matter how many years later. Sometimes you don't have time to compose, light and make sure its pin sharp. Joe Buissnick, who is one of the most sought after wedding photographers for the stars, says "I would rather have that moment in time, than have missed it trying to make sure it was sharp or composed properly".

With all these photographers mentioned, they all have one thing in common, they have been taking photos for over 30 years, so what I am saying is that they have an insurmountable wealth of experience. This means that the basics of Composition, Lighting, Sharpness and Subject / Story is second nature to them, making it easier to achieve "That Photo"; but they still go out and practice, learn and try new things to make it easier to nail "That Photo"

Moral of the story, there is not photographer out there that can say they will always get a perfect shot, the photographer that tells you that is an amateur who is lost in their own dream world.