Photograph or Snapshot? - DPChallenge Forums

08/25/2002 09:39:40 AM · #1

I took this picture in the park on the fourth of July. I tried to capture the intensity of the people heating up the balloon's air. The park was filled with hundreds of onlookers at the time. So, is it a photograph or just another "Snapshot"?

Balloon

lionelm

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

08/25/2002 10:21:40 AM · #2

I would not know how to answer that question .... but I like the picture. The colors are nice, the posture of the guy holding the .. 'thing' is nice as well and I guess you could not avoid the people in the background on the right.
To me that's a very nice picture of a 'moment'
I started a portfolio on the pictures I have done that I like to show friends and people .. and that one would go into mine if I would have take it !
Lionel

muckpond

Nikon D200

Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX Diagonal Fisheye for Nikon

08/25/2002 11:05:20 AM · #3

Honestly, I don't know what makes the difference between a photo and a snapshot. It's just one of those things that I know when I see.

I really enjoy this picture. I think that it would be more "photography"-y if the other balloon and other people in the background were not there. Because you were kind of capturing the moment and not really able to set up the shot, perhaps this would be a snapshot.

...but a _great_ one! LOL. I love it!

Rob 8)

Nikon AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f2.8D

08/25/2002 12:56:07 PM · #4

I sent the people home and it made a big difference, I think it could be a photograph now.
Autool

AutoolNo more Onlookers

David Ey

Nikon D80

08/25/2002 01:30:15 PM · #5

Wow Richard, that really did make a difference. I was going to suggest that perhaps if you had been behind the man with the burner and included the flame shooting into the baloon it might have been more of a photo. But then I looked at your other challenge submissions and realized you don't need help from me. Nice stuff sir.

Ronin

Sony DSC-S85

08/25/2002 01:44:56 PM · #6

This is most certainly a photograph, It has close croping where as a snapshot would more than likely be a wide angle shot of the whole baloon or a close up of the people blasting them with a flash while they all look and smile at you. This is a great shot for many reasons, it show interaction with others and a sence of excitement. The modified shot in my opinion doesnt have the same excitement and seems posed.

Niten

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

08/25/2002 01:46:04 PM · #7

The second one is alot better, seems clearer too. It must be nice to wield the power to just send all those people home on a whim. Nice shot.

Tim

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

08/25/2002 01:46:26 PM · #8

David Ey,
What a nice compliment, but you are wrong my man, I need help as much as anyone else.
Thanks,
Autool

Amphian

Nikon Coolpix 880

08/25/2002 01:46:54 PM · #9

Cloning out the onlookers and backing up (or not cropping in this case) made a huge difference. I like it much better, so I guess it's a matter of opinion.

mci

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

08/25/2002 02:19:21 PM · #10

I think this is definitely a photograph. It has great lighting, great cropping, and a real sense of action and "being there". A snapshot might have captured this event, but it wouldn't have done it so artistically.

And, for what it's worth, I agree with Ronin regarding the edited version. It take a lot of the sense of action out of it and looks very set-up and posed. The first one works a lot better for me.

Great shot.

KarenB

Canon EOS-70D

08/25/2002 04:07:41 PM · #11

Before even reading all the replies here, I thought the same way as mci and ronin apparently do.
Taking out the people in the background makes a viewer lose that sense of chaotic excitement found at such a fair. It puts them in a reference of time and place to have the onlookers in the shot. Also, a snapshot, in my opinion, would be more like the balloonist taking time to look at you and smile, or many other equally unartistic things. I prefer the first shot: action, bright colors, tells a story, good composition.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

08/25/2002 04:28:59 PM · #12

Thanks to all of you. I had taken it to be a photograph, and then thought I would try to improve it. I also feel that it lost most of its feeling when I cloned out the people. Sometimes you just got to know when to leave things alone.

Autool

chrisab

Canon EOS-40D

08/25/2002 04:59:12 PM · #13

I like the picture. I think it might have had more impact if you'd tried to get in closer, and a little behind the guy.. you know, get more of the 3 balloon handlers and their expressions, centered around the big open mouth and shooting flame. I can imagine how neat the colorful balloon in the background must have looked, but I think this is one of those cases where less is more. The second balloon spreads the viewers focus a little too thin, in my very humble opinion.

Chris

muckpond

Nikon D200

Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX Diagonal Fisheye for Nikon

08/25/2002 07:13:09 PM · #14

Originally posted by autool:
Thanks to all of you. I had taken it to be a photograph, and then thought I would try to improve it. I also feel that it lost most of its feeling when I cloned out the people. Sometimes you just got to know when to leave things alone.

Autool

I like it much better without the people, but that was my original suggestion.

Great work either way!

Rob

lionelm

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

08/25/2002 07:23:42 PM · #15

I think it is better now.
That's a really once now.
If you haev a portfolio .... put it there !
GREAT JOB ! I like it more and more ...
Lionel

just-married

Nikon AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f2.8D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

08/25/2002 09:12:48 PM · #16

I like the second one better in that you lost the people. I found them distracting. However, I miss the tighter crop of the first -- the height of the multi-colored balloon and particularly the flag drag my eye away from the much more interesting detail of filling the balloon on the left. One thing I DO like about the cropping on the second photo is that I get the whole basket and I liked having more of the balloon on the left also. Perhaps this would work cropped as a panoramic - let's you lose the multi-colored balloon without losing the basket/balloon filling detail. Just an idea.

Dawn

David Ey

Nikon D80

08/25/2002 09:32:31 PM · #17

Hey JUST-MARRIED-------I noticed my monitor said"just-married 15 minutes ago"
What the heck you doing here?

just-married

Sigma 18-125mm f/3.5-5.6 DC for Canon

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

08/25/2002 10:56:55 PM · #18

hee hee. Honeymooning on dpchallenge...?

Dawn

Kavey

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

08/26/2002 06:57:41 AM · #19

Now THAT photo would be great in the Candid challenge!

:)

just-married

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

08/26/2002 08:24:59 AM · #20

I thought the same thing after I saw the new challenge unveiled.

Dawn