Embracing the Imperfect Image

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What is a photograph?

I suppose the answer to this question will get depend on the person reading it. Your background in the arts, your level of skill as a photographer and a myriad of other factors will drive you to answer this question differently.

For me a photograph is the ultimate in personal expression… at least for those who carry a camera.

Over the years I’ve found an interesting trend in every photography community I’ve been involved with online or otherwise and that is an obsession with the perfect image. This obsession is incredibly helpful if you’re looking to improve your technical skills. Yet this obsession can also be a stagnating force to the development of a photographers creative vision. All too often the distraction of “photo distractions” ends up holding photographers back.

Does your photo need to be perfect?

The brain of a photographer is a mysterious ball of jelly. On one hand we can see an amazing scene, amazing light and take the steps necessary to capture it digitally or on film. When in the field we see the bigger picture and our brain very easily ignores smaller details. Yet when we look at the net result after capture our observational skills are reversed, we lose track of the bigger picture and dwell on the smaller details. The bulk of post-production is spent addressing smaller details that are interpreted as visual distractions.

Here in lies the ugly side of every photographer. Our obsessive focus on the minutia of each photograph is where we lose our perspective and waste time. Do a few irregularities in a water reflection require we clone them out to improve a photo? Did those irregularities stop the photographer from capturing an otherwise beautiful scene? Should those irregularities stop viewers from enjoying the scene that has been photographed?

More times than not we hear about the evils of touching up photos in the world of fashion photography distorting the perception of reality in relation to body image, but every genre of photography is subject to a very similar trend. Over the years I’ve seen this trend take a foothold in the world of landscape and nature photography. I don’t take issue with people editing their photos, although I do take in what I see with more of a grain of salt than I used to. The increasingly distorted perception by photographers that imperfect reality, must be perfect in their photographs puts them in an increasingly contentious position. Photographers at this point then delve into the question of how much of post-processing editing is acceptable and how much pushes a photograph into the realm of photo art? Such a question is an endless debate that is pointless to get into. The more important question to ask is does all this editing effort truly impact your viewer? Not photographers who view your photo, but non-photographers who might want to purchase or license your photography.

What fuels a photo viewers reaction?

This is the $64,000 question. Photography viewers (i.e. non-photographers) react to the subject as a whole and any memory or association they have to it. The deeper the emotional association to what they see the stronger they’ll be attracted to it. Sometimes the emotional reaction is of pure awe with no other association to the subject; sometimes an emotional association will be tied to a person (girlfriend, boyfriend, family member, etc.), a phase of life (college summers, family vacation, etc.), an empowering feeling (a sense of peace, strength, pride, etc.) and the list goes on. Photographers could benefit from thinking in terms of how they react to photos they see (not just their own) and asking themselves why they have a reaction to that photograph.

The benefits of embracing the imperfect image
One of the most puzzling aspects of photography is why one photograph becomes popular while another does not. Many times technically strong photos fall by the wayside to less impressive photos leaving photographers to scratch their head in bewilderment. It’s at this moment that photographers need to do their best to see the forest through the trees. Taking a step back to think in another mindset (for example emotional association vs technical) is a critical skill and one that just might help you reach new audiences or expand existing audiences. This new way of thinking might also allow you to not just save a little time on unnecessary editing, but take that next step in becoming a stronger photographer with a more well defined creative vision. Consider this your wake up call, imperfect images are in fact the “new” perfect image.

Related Blog Posts:
Philosophy of Photography: Photograph versus a Snapshot

Celebrities Before and After Photoshop

Endless entertainment at Photoshop Disasters

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Posted by Jim on 01.05.2010 at 12:01 am
Tagged: Philosophy, Photography

G Dan Mitchell

Good post on an important subject, Jim. A few quick thoughts:

1. I do not believe that it is possible to make print that I think is perfect. My real goal is to make the very best photograph/print that I know how to make, but I have no illusions that even the best one couldn't have been done differently or perhaps better in some way.

2. That said, I do believe that it is good to try to approach perfection as closely as possible. It is a goal to aim towards, and in this light it helps me continuously work to make my photographs better. This actually one thing that inspires me to keep shooting. If I believed that real perfection was possible one of two unproductive things would be the result: Either I would achieve it (fat chance!) and there would be nothing left to do, or I would consider every photograph to be a failure because it did not achieve perfection.

3. Looking at the photographs of others, especially those whose work you love and greatly admire, is very helpful - especially if you ask what makes it work for you as you view it. It is rarely the technical near-perfection that you remember - it is something else in the photograph that speaks to you. If that is what we react to in the photographs we love, why should we imagine that in our own work technical perfection would be more important?

4. Finally, for those hung up on technical perfection, visiting galleries and looking at real photographs and even speaking with real photographer can all be good reality checks on this "technical perfection" business. I was at the Getty last week where I viewed several hundred (!) of Irving Penn's wonderful photographs of workers - wonderful, compelling stuff. However, I am relieved and liberated to see that this powerful work is not perfectly sharp, that occasionally shadow detail is lost, and all the rest - and it really doesn't matter when the photographs speak so powerfully.

Take care,

Dan
Greg Russell

Thanks for the commentary, Jim. For me, its a constant argument between my left and right cerebral hemispheres. Part of me can accept and embrace the perfect image, but the other half wants--needs?--it to be technically. Looking through my portfolio, you'll see very few perfect images, but that logical side of me strives for it. I guess I'm just lucky the artistic side wins out from time to time :)

Cheers,
Greg
Mark

Bravo Jim for taking on such a tough topic. Your well put statements here echo my feelings about perfectionism squelching creativity. I have seen so many people discouraged by overemphasis on minutia by critiquing photographers.

p.s. I tried to leave this comment from my iphone, but it would not post. I hit post as guest and it just did nothing.
Roberta

I always enjoy your commentary. 20 years ago I was in search of the technically perfect photograph. Today I am in search of emotions and stories; and my inspiration has skyrocketed because of it.
Brad Mangas

A very well thought out and written post Jim. I could not agree with you more. The "imperfect" photograph is indeed perfect in many ways. If the result of our capture shows the world as we see it, it is complete.
It is interesting that many very beautiful photographs get passed by or for example get very little notice in online photo forums I believe because the photographer is not known and doesn't posses the name recognition as other photographers, even though their work may be just as good. I see many advanced amateur photographers always trying to get that "perfect" shot. While established well known photographers try to "inspire" through their works. We as photographers need to worry less about the "perfect" image and put more effort into showing others who we are and what we believe in and build a relationship with our viewers. Invite others into our world so they are able to see and feel what we try so hard to capture in a photograph. Visual art should inspire and invoke emotion, photographers should help nourish those feelings in their viewers. Photography should be more than "just a picture".
Steven Bourelle

Thanks for this reminder Jim. I needed it. I refused to shoot some shots just the other day because conditions weren't "perfect". Yet some of my most popular images were shot in less than perfect conditions.
chuck goolsbee

Substitute "painting", "song" or "movie" for "photograph" and it all still holds true. Technical perfection is just that. Artistic expression is not. You need both to make something that speaks to people, as well as looking good.