What makes a prize winning photo?
Posted by Tim Gruber | Filed under Uncategorized
In the spirit of the contest season here are a few quotes to get you through the sleepless nights of editing.
Found this on the WHNPA website. They asked past contest judges what they look for in a prize winning photograph.
Here are a few of the responses:
Here’s what I look for in a picture: I want to see a picture that resonates on several levels. One that has to have solid content, good composition, and a moment that takes the view to another level. - Bill Luster of The Courier-Journal
Some judges were swayed by the event and would choose pictures made at major news events over superior images from less important occurrences. - Arnold Drapkin, retired picture editor at Time
A winning photograph should have compelling and engrossing subject matter contained in an aesthetic composition. - OU’s very own Marcy Nighswander
In search of the intangible: Beyond immediate, visceral impact and the “layering” of secondary meaning so often seen these days, a memorable photograph also has heart. -John Kaplan, Professor of Journalism and Communications at The University of Florida
And my favorite of the bunch comes from Cheryl Diaz Meyer at The Dallas Morning News.
A good image use the elements of light, composition and moment - a great image goes beyond - it is made in the gut and it reaches out the viewer viscerally.
Find the PDF of the article here.
