Bad Photos Do Not Exist

Bad photos do not exist. They are simply photos that did not encounter their audience, or photos that are not shared in the right setting, or photos that are not understood by some people.

I believe that every photo has a purpose and can be useful. Why is that? Because the person who took it had a good reason to stop and take a moment of time to snap the trigger on a specific setting and subject.

In this article, I would like to explain that all photos have a purpose and can be used to some end. And therefore, none of them are bad.

Details of a sand dune of Great National Dunes national park in Colorado.

The Story Behind This Article

Last year, I submitted a series of photos to two selection committees. The first one was for a big national contest. The second was to a committee in charge of selecting photos for a festival.

In both cases, my series was not chosen.

Each committee was made up of photographers I did not know. I found out about their activities after the deliberations were over. In the selection committee for the festival, some members had no connection with photography. Others were professional photographers. Some did not sell photographs: they only ran photo workshops. Others were artist photographers. The jury was very eclectic.

This proposal for my series was a deliberate act on my part. All the photos in my series are commercial successes. For each photo, I have sold several open edition prints and several limited edition prints.

When I received the messages that I had not been selected, I was surprised not only by the result, but also that no reason was given concerning their decision. I just received a message thanking me for my participation and asking me to reapply for the next year.

I then browsed the winners on various websites and examined the series that had been selected.

I found that my proposal corresponded well to the theme of each organization. My big surprise was that some of the series were quite poor if I were to consider the criterion of the photographic approach. They were not coherent. They did not create a sense of unity!

Once again, I found that the choice of photos was not rational.

It was based on emotional and personal criteria.

My series did not meet the emotional and personal expectations of the selection juries. However, the photos in my series are still excellent commercial successes because I found clients who appreciated my photos as answers to their emotional and personal expectations.

This experience has enriched me once again. I have learned a lot. In the following article, I would like to share with you my thoughts and conclusions.

Definition of Being “Bad”

Before going any further, I think it is interesting to clarify the definition of the word “bad.”

Bad is an adjective, a masculine noun, or an adverb.

It qualifies something that has a defect, an essential imperfection; that has a weak or null value (utilitarian, aesthetic, intellectual and moral).

Application to Photography

A photo would be bad if it had a flaw, an essential imperfection, or if it had little or no aesthetic value. But in the end, who can say what a perfect photo is. Who can say what is an aesthetically good one?

Everything is so subjective.

This is what I will explain to you in the rest of this article.

Every Photo Has a Reason to Exist

Whether you are an amateur photographer or a professional photographer, when you take a picture, you always have a reason. Maybe you want to share your photos with your close circle of friends. Maybe you want to exhibit your photos at an exhibition. Maybe you want to participate in a photo contest. Regardless, you want to capture a special moment in time.

During my photo workshops, I meet more and more trainees who create beautiful photo books to leave a legacy of their passion to their grandchildren. Maybe this is also your case.

Or maybe you take pictures just to remember the highlights. You do not want to forget your experiences. You take pictures just for yourself, with no desire to share them in the world except with your loved ones.

Every person who takes pictures always has a good reason to do so. I think this is fact enough to say that there are no bad pictures. If there is a valid justification for an action, it cannot be bad.

I hope you agree with me. The technical criteria to judge a photo are secondary. They do not allow one to judge the photographic intention.

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If we consider that if a photo was taken for a justified reason, then I think we can say that it is good.

Now the next question to ask is: “Will it please anyone?”

Any Photo Can Find Its Audience

If you are the way you are, with your artistic choices and your way of seeing photography, believe me, there are other people in the world like you. They are your audience.

The problem you face is reaching them and sharing your photos with them. You will probably ask me how to reach them. The answer will be too long to explain in this article. Whether it is through social networks, publishing companies, a website, or meetings and workshops, there are numerous ways to show your photos and find your audience.

At first, the number of people in your audience will be small. But if you keep sharing your work with passion, with generosity, and with confidence, then you will notice that your audience is growing. Why will it grow? This time the answer is simple. Generosity unlocks and fuels creativity. The more you give, the more creative you will become in the making of your photos. This is true in the framing, the composition, and in the stories you will tell. You will enter the windy circle of photography.

If there is one important fact to remember from this paragraph, it is that every photo has its audience.

It is certain that people who have the same sensitivity as you will appreciate your photographic approach. That is why there are no bad photos. There are only those photos that have not yet found their audience.

Why Do You Think Some of the Known Photos Are Bad?