What is your idea of a good photographer?

[Mediation]

After viewing some of the photographers work from magnum it has eluded me that photography brings upon different sorts of emotions and ideas behind every photograph.

I find Magnum's photos to be of great inspiration for a young photographer / beginner.

I'm just interested in what your idea's are on a 'good' photographer?

For me I think a good photographer can produce images that have an everlasting effect. A photograph that can stand out over the rest of them. A photograph that can mezmerize me, takes me to the place, makes me wonder. A photograph that makes me stare at it for a while.

Its like staring at a clear night sky with billions of stars. And you cant help but just stare at it for a while.

Sometimes I often realize that photographers take the photos based on some sort of robotic thought process. Caring little about the passion but just somehow thinking of pressing the shutter. I think its more than that. I honestly believe that if a photographer can put feeling and there current state of mind behind a photograph it shows.

And I feel that these differences separate a photograph from one another. If a photographer truly has a heart set on photos it shows. And that is my technical and belated idea of what a good photographer is.

[chauncey]

Your question was about a good photographer.

A good photographer is one that makes a respectable living at photography, you shoot to please your clients, period.

Now if your refering to an artist, that is a different ballgame.

Time to define your terms.

[sunbeast]

While nowhere near as poetic as what you have shared, for me one aspect of good photography is the ability to tell a story, or the story, without words. I'm talking about street and people photography that tells a story through the expression captured or the circumstance portrayed. In landscape work, I"m simply drawn by photos that leave me with the feeling.."I have to go there".
I believe that you can only accomplish this through vision and thought in combination with whatever technical skill you may have.

Hope this makes sense.

[ironchef31]

To me a good photographer:
-Knows the technical aspects of photography such as the concepts of shutter, iso, apature, fstops and how they relate to each other.
-Knows his/her camera equipment inside and out and what it can and cannot do
-Has a good understanding of the qualities of light and how it behaves
-Good people skills

[sam walker]

My key word in photography is convince I've been told by pros that I respect that I made the grade. For me does the picture convince what I want to say without any or much copy. Can the photo stand alone as a statement?
Sam

[Boucher]

I think a good photographer is someone who produces photos that people go "Oooh Ahh" at.

A good photographer is someone who knows how to evoke emotions within people from their photographs.

but then again one photo can evoke many emotions, and some people may feel different from other people about a certain photo.

IMO.

boucher.

[Mediation]

Interesting. I like the word "convince" and also "good people skills"

I also feel that a good photographer can somehow be in some kind of subconscious eye that everything he / she sees can become a photograph. Its about possessing that vision that no one else can see. Its that special eye for detail and art.

[JCH77Yanks]

A good photographer sees what others don't...

[Jim G]

Being flexible. Having an eye for the everyday that everybody else doesn't. Someone who can make a person comfortable in front of the camera. Someone whose images speak to people in one way or another.

[yogestee]

Ok,,,my 2 bob's worth..

1. A good photographer meets or exceeds his client's needs if he/she is a professional.
2. Be technically competent.
3. Have good people skills without being a "shrinking violet".
4. Know when mistakes are made so they can be corrected instantly.
5. A good photographer never shows his/her substandard images.
6. Has a thick skin and can handle criticism.
7. Doesn't wear his/her Canon, Nikon etc around his/her neck like a piece of jewellery..
8. Be flexible about the client's needs.

Jurgen

[chauncey]

sunbeast, I've called many things in my life, but "poetic" has never been one of them. :D

While it is indeed a blurred line, I believe there is a difference between a photographer and what I might refer to as a photographer/visual artist.

But hell, I've been wrong before. Poetry...yeah right.

[airfrogusmc]

My key word in photography is convince I've been told by pros that I respect that I made the grade. For me does the picture convince what I want to say without any or much copy. Can the photo stand alone as a statement?
Sam

I have to disagree a bit here because with that statement you are saying there are photographers that use poetry and words with their images like Duane Michaels and many other great photographers work is by your definition not valid. There are a multitude of great photographers that use multiple images like John Baldessari and Jerry Uelsman who are just a couple, also to convey their message and they like Michaels are great photographers.

[atomick]

I think a good photographer shows common things in uncommon ways, which evoke emotions or make the viewer reconsider the subject in a new way. This goes for commercial, editorial, wedding, fine art, you name it. Photographers see the same stuff everyone does; however, like any craftsperson or artist, they see the possibilities of a scene to be evocative, and have the technical chops to capture it in a way that supports the subject matter.

[photoguy6405]

A good photographer evokes a feeling in the viewer, as well as him/herself. This includes, but is not strictly limited to, the technical aspects. A photo can be technically perfect yet still be bland and boring. It's that extra step, the 'eye' if you will, that makes a photographer good.

People skills only come into play if you're shooting or dealing with people. Not all photographers do. I would categorize people skills as meaning that the photographer is also a good businessman, which really has nothing to do with photography. The two go hand-in-hand for the professional photographer, but not necessarily for the amateur or hobbyist, who may also be a good photographer in their own right.

[sjones]

Ok,,,my 2 bob's worth..

1. A good photographer meets or exceeds his client's needs if he/she is a professional.
2. Be technically competent.
3. Have good people skills without being a "shrinking violet".
4. Know when mistakes are made so they can be corrected instantly.
5. A good photographer never shows his/her substandard images.
6. Has a thick skin and can handle criticism.
7. Doesn't wear his/her Canon, Nikon etc around his/her neck like a piece of jewellery..
8. Be flexible about the client's needs.

Jurgen

Decided to put myself through the criterion:

I. Amateur, so this one is not applicable. I am my primary client, and given how retentive I am, the vast majority of my photos don't make the grade.

2. Trying to get there; but yeah; I like some abstract art, but the painter better be able to whip out a convincing still life before I'm ultimately impressed (at least with the skills; if a four-year-old somehow makes a good looking abstract, then so be it). But in a more relaxed state, I would generously extend the definition of "technical" to mean the ability to render the image as intended, whether with an opulent Hasselblad or a you-got-a-little-lucky-with-that-one Holga.

3. Fail this one; I'm far too introverted, sometimes even misanthropic. Besides, something tells me there have been a couple curmudgeons who have managed to produce fine photographs, even portraits. As mentioned, it also depends on the style. Landscape photographers, for example, might not need to be the most gregarious of types, let alone ingratiating.

4. Yes, definitely valuable, the basis of evolution…

5. Suspect I flunk this one as well…

6. Utterly implode to the lowest level imaginable with this one. As I'm in this for fun, and knowing my ego, the introduction of constructive criticism would only undermine the experience. That said, I agree for everyone else, especially if photography is pursued professionally…For me, I will continue to rely heavily on self-criticism, of which there is no limit or polite constraints…

7. Use a wrist band (actually hand hold for about 95 percent of time) and keep the camera low and out of sight as much as possible…

8. Refer to number 1; I try to be flexible with myself, um…

Personally, a good photographer is one who produces photos that I like, or at least respect; it's simple, but it works…