What Makes a Great Photo?

That's the question of the year, isn't it?  There is a local art museum that my kids and I visit from time to time.  It has free admission and is the perfect place to wander around on cold or rainy days.  Most of the artwork that hang in the galleries are paintings and sculptures, but there is one section of the museum dedicated to photography.  It is (no surprise) my favorite place to linger.  There are photographs that I love and can start at for as long as the kids will allow.  And then there are others that I don't quite understand and probably wouldn't hang in MY house.  But there is one attribute that unites them all - they are all most definitely art.  They all have that look.  I'm not quite sure what it is that seems to be the difference between the snapshots I gather on my camera and the prints on the walls of the museum.  How is one photograph of a flower different from another?  The more I take the time to really study the photographs I am drawn to, the more I think I am coming up with an answer. 

There are the obvious factors - lighting, aperture, presence (or lack of) bokeh, focus, etc.  But the biggest factor of them all (in my opinion) is the ability of the photography to evoke an emotion other than "oooo....pretty."  A picture of a sunflower can be just that - a sunflower.  Nice, pretty, simple.  There is nothing WRONG with that, but with the right perspective and composition to the photograph a simple sunflower can feel like summer.  Just looking at the picture makes me want to close my eyes and feel the warm sunshine on my face.  I can taste sweet, ripe watermelon and feel the warm soft grass beneath my feet.   The same is true with the pictures I take of my kids.  Some are just nice smiley pictures of my beautiful babies.  Recently my 18 month old has started calling my camera my "cheese."  She LOVES the camera and loves to give giant cheesy smiles for me.  Those pictures still end up in her baby book, but my favorite pictures of her right now are the ones where she is scowling at me and showing me that very true-to-her attitude.  I want to remember my kids how they REALLY were at each age - not just how big they could smile.  Those "real" pictures evoke emotion.  Memories. 

While my skills are still very much growing and I still have a lot to learn about focus and lighting and composition and ideal settings on my camera for different situations, right now my goal is to catch those emotional, thought-provoking small moments.  Earlier this week we got a few inches of snow and it was almost warm enough to spend some time outside playing in it.  I thought it would be a great opportunity to grab my camera and practice.  Here are my two favorite shots:

I know the focus on this one is off a little bit.  Her face isn't quite as sharp as I would like and I hate that the very top of her head is cut off, but I L-O-V-E the look on her face!  She hates the snow and was devastated the whole time we were outside because the snow was sticking to her boots.  She kept yelling "Cold! Snow! Shoes!"  But this look is truly her.  

 This is a pictures of what is left of my daisy plant from last summer.  I never got around to trimming back all the dead stalks (I'm not the best yard-keeper-upper).  But I loved the way the snow was coating the tops of it and I loved all the texture in this photo.  To me, it "feels" like winter.  Cold, harsh, but somehow peaceful and forgiving. 

I'd love to hear what you think about my photos!  The only way we grow is to be challenged to be our best, so go for it - challenge me.  Help me grow.