The concept is the important thing

 

As I have written before I am not a great fan of Ansel Adams’ work although I can fully appreciate why others feel differently. I do, however, think that his thoughts about photography should be essential reading for anyone whose ambitions go beyond the simple snapshot. He was a master at reducing very complex thoughts down to a single sentence without losing the meaning.

One of my favorites is this:

There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept

…and I agree with it absolutely. There is little or no value in a technically perfect image that has no, for want of a better word, soul. About the most that this type of image can say is ‘hey look. I can afford expensive equipment’.

It is however perfectly possible to have a great image where nothing is sharp providing that the thought process behind the image was solid.