Last month, I entered my first photo contest, 50 Photographers, 50 Images, sponsored by Crocker’s Mark Gallery in downtown Raleigh, NC. I’m not a great photographer. I’ve only been taking pictures as a hobby since I got my Holga in January, and while I’ve certainly improved tremendously since then, I still have a long way to go. Entering a photo contest has never been on my list of things to do, especially not at this stage in my development as a photographer. Still, in early August, after being encouraged by what would become my newest friends in Raleigh, I found myself paying the entry fee and wondering what on earth I was going to photograph.

The contest, which concludes tonight, has few rules. First, each entrant is allowed a single entry, which can be digitally edited, but ultimately has to be photographic in nature. The photo has to have been taken after the contest began, and can’t have been displayed publicly or on the internet. Beyond that, anything is allowed. When the judges were asked what they might be looking for in a competitive entry, they merely said, “A great picture.”

This got me thinking about how one can assess photographic quality, and while I’m not sure I’ve found the final answer to that question, I have some ideas I wanted to share. I think there are three broad areas in which a photo can be judged, which I call parametric quality, visual organization, and impact.

Parametric Quality

Parametric quality measures the most basic aspects of an image: given what the photographer is trying to convey, is the photo well-exposed and well-focused? Were the aperture and shutter speed set well? In other words, was the camera used effectively as a tool? Note that these are very different questions than whether the photo is in focus or correctly exposed. An out-of-focus photo can be well-focused if that’s what the photographer intended.

Obviously, being able to achieve high parametric quality is a must for good photographers, but that doesn’t mean that good photos must be parametrically perfect; a little unintentional motion blur or lack of acuity can be forgiven if a photo is otherwise very good.

Visual Organization

Visual organization concerns the organization of lines, shapes, colors, textures, and higher-order objects and ideas. Oftentimes, this might be referred to as composition, but I tend to think of composition as the organization of fundamental visual units—lines, shapes, colors, and textures—not necessarily higher-order objects. When assessing the visual organization of a photo, it may be useful to ask yourself the following questions:

• Where are my eyes are drawn?
• Are the colors and tones appropriate for what the photo is trying to convey?
• Is the photo visually ordered or chaotic?
• Is there visual rhythm evident in the photo?
• Is visual tension used effectively? Are there elements of the image that are more visually dissonant than others, and if so, are visually harmonious and dissonant elements arranged in such a way as to enhance the effectiveness of the image?
• If the photo depicts a scene, does a narrative emerge?

As is obvious from these questions, visual organization is difficult to assess objectively. That said, I think it’s a far more powerful measurement of a photograph’s quality than parametric quality. It is what differentiates great photos from good ones.

Impact

The impact of a photo is its effect on the viewer on an intellectual, emotional, or spiritual level. Is the photo repulsive, sad, funny, inspirational? Does it make you think or wonder? If so, what depth of analysis or exploration can the photo support? Are there many interpretations of its meaning, or just one? Are any of those interpretations compelling?

Photographic impact is an interesting metric, because it’s not a basic requirement for a good photo. There are perfectly good pictures that I love that are little more than well-composed shots with pretty colors and nice bokeh. Despite that, I’d go so far as to say that a photo with mediocre parametric quality and visual organization, but strong impact will more often be considered better than a photo that excels in the other two qualities but lacks impact. It’s the photographic equivalent of a trump card.

I think the photos that excel in all three of the areas mentioned here are the most memorable, highly regarded ones. How one consistently takes such photographs is a secret I’ve not yet uncovered. I’m working on it though.

In any case, I’ve finally posted my thoughts on an artistic subject. If you have any comments on this post or any others on this site, feel free to send them my way using the Contact page. Also, be on the lookout for a post in the next few days about my contest entry. Until then…