Snaps, Pictures, Photographs, or Images?
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DougFord
on the good foot
I suppose that I often use pic, photo and image interchangeably. Six of one, half dozen of the other.
Though, pretentiously, I do tend to refer to photographs that cross my subjective demarcation of excellence as ‘images’.
Perhaps just using an adjective, ‘groovy’ photo, would suffice?
In the end, by any other name, good or bad, they’re all just photographs, probably. 😛
Though, pretentiously, I do tend to refer to photographs that cross my subjective demarcation of excellence as ‘images’.
Perhaps just using an adjective, ‘groovy’ photo, would suffice?
In the end, by any other name, good or bad, they’re all just photographs, probably. 😛
newspaperguy
Well-known
What about my pix?
MartinP
Veteran
Someone mentioned that a photograph was a picture made with a camera. Surely it is a picture made with light ? So an enlarged negative on a sensitised surface is a photograph, while the same negative scanned and printed on an inkjet is a print of a photograph....
Oh - and I don't exclude images on a sensitised surface made without a negative. Man Ray's "rayographs" are still photographs in my mind.
Oh - and I don't exclude images on a sensitised surface made without a negative. Man Ray's "rayographs" are still photographs in my mind.
delft
Established
Maybe because I've just read some thick philosophical text referred to in this thread, but for me the snap, picture and photograph have a more physical relation to that which is portrayed, call it an index if you like, where in the image there is a more emotional relationship to the object in it. That may be why there are iconic images (allthough I see there are also iconic photos).
Greetings,
Dirk
Greetings,
Dirk
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johnnygulliver
Established
context
context
Keith, my first thoughts are I think the definition can change with intention and how, why and where the photographer/artist presents the work? To use your example, the Jack Ruby picture could be snap, or reportage. Sorry, that's not the best example.
context
Keith, my first thoughts are I think the definition can change with intention and how, why and where the photographer/artist presents the work? To use your example, the Jack Ruby picture could be snap, or reportage. Sorry, that's not the best example.
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Lilserenity
Well-known
I've called everything I photograph a snap or 'taking pictures', never really thought about taking photographs. I don't tend to presume value on the things I have taken; I take the things I am drawn to, edit out the crap and then I'm left with the snaps and pictures I like. Never really thought about it until you mentioned it 🙂
ederek
Well-known
Sketch.
A quick snap with a photographic intent, as a reminder or prototype of a scene to be captured 'properly' in the future...
Keith, I think your categorization and some others suggested works. There is certainly different intent when mashing the shutter button.
The percentage of each type varies quite a bit - I take a lot of happy snaps with friends and family, but less often go out specifically to "photograph". Not even sure I have any images yet...
A quick snap with a photographic intent, as a reminder or prototype of a scene to be captured 'properly' in the future...
Keith, I think your categorization and some others suggested works. There is certainly different intent when mashing the shutter button.
The percentage of each type varies quite a bit - I take a lot of happy snaps with friends and family, but less often go out specifically to "photograph". Not even sure I have any images yet...
wgerrard
Veteran
Well, they're all photos.
Photos are a subset of pictures, which include the things that hang on the wall in museums, cartoons, sketches, doodles, whatever.
Snap seems to suggest photos taken with an emphasis on the content, rather than an intent to fashion something creative. E.g., kid's party, vacations, stupid cat, brilliant dog, etc.
Image suggests something deliberately fashioned and manipulated as a creative expression. The actual content is often of secondary interest. I think a subset are the photos that Keith calls reportage, i.e., photos that depend on the impact of their content but were also fashioned with at least a degree of deliberate creativity.
Most of the time I apply these labels retroactively: Ooh, look, now that's an image.
Photos are a subset of pictures, which include the things that hang on the wall in museums, cartoons, sketches, doodles, whatever.
Snap seems to suggest photos taken with an emphasis on the content, rather than an intent to fashion something creative. E.g., kid's party, vacations, stupid cat, brilliant dog, etc.
Image suggests something deliberately fashioned and manipulated as a creative expression. The actual content is often of secondary interest. I think a subset are the photos that Keith calls reportage, i.e., photos that depend on the impact of their content but were also fashioned with at least a degree of deliberate creativity.
Most of the time I apply these labels retroactively: Ooh, look, now that's an image.
Spavinaw
Well-known
Chris101-
When I was very young we had a photo album that said "Snapshots" on the cover; however, you could see where it had been changed to "Shapsnots" and back to "Snapshots". I believe it involved my father and my mother in that order. 😀
When I was very young we had a photo album that said "Snapshots" on the cover; however, you could see where it had been changed to "Shapsnots" and back to "Snapshots". I believe it involved my father and my mother in that order. 😀
keepright
matthew
Lilserenity
Well-known
S
st3ph3nm
Guest
I guess I use "photograph", "image" & "picture" pretty much interchangeably, where appropriate (not all images are photo's, obviously, though literally all photo's are images). "Snap" to me is usually (as someone said here earlier) content focused, usually quickly taken without a lot of thought. Sometimes "snapping" a shot gets a great image. I really don't like the use of the word "capture". It's like the photographer had little to do with the end result. I didn't "capture" that picture, I MADE it!
lynnb
Veteran
Suppose I've taken a particularly good photograph, an image I'd secretly imagine framed on my wall, or even a gallery wall (no, this doesn't happen often, I'm just supposing here), and someone comes by and remarks what a good photograph it is, I'd just say "Oh, it's just a snap I took".
🙂
🙂
LeicaFoReVer
Addicted to Rangefinders
my father is a professional photographer. He says they were not allowed to use picture or image words for a photograph in the school. He does not allow me either 🙂
Photograph must be the only word for anything captured by a camera. Picture is painted.
Photograph must be the only word for anything captured by a camera. Picture is painted.
surfer dude
Well-known
I take snaps. If I'm talking to someone posh (eg you lot) they might morph into photographs but this is only temporary.
Arjay
Time Traveller
Divide et impera - who shall have the power of definition?
Or, does it actually matter?
Ever since I got caught by the street photography virus, the way I capture my pictures cannot be described as anything else than snapping. Does that make me an inferior photographer?
I edit the living daylight (pun intended) out of my pictures, both in 'weeding out' and in postprocessing. Now what would you call the result? Photography, snap, picture or image?
It's not the name that counts for me, but the result. And in the end, it often defies its definition.
Or, does it actually matter?
Ever since I got caught by the street photography virus, the way I capture my pictures cannot be described as anything else than snapping. Does that make me an inferior photographer?
I edit the living daylight (pun intended) out of my pictures, both in 'weeding out' and in postprocessing. Now what would you call the result? Photography, snap, picture or image?
It's not the name that counts for me, but the result. And in the end, it often defies its definition.
Michael Markey
Veteran
Snap or photograph...I make little distinction.
An image I reserve for the heavily manipulated stuff I see at the camera club usually with one or more imported elements from other images.
Extra people or a dramatic sky being the favorite components
An image I reserve for the heavily manipulated stuff I see at the camera club usually with one or more imported elements from other images.
Extra people or a dramatic sky being the favorite components
Sparrow
Veteran
Henri took snapshots
ederek
Well-known
How about Coupons?? 😎
