Snapshot vs. Composed

What makes a photograph a snapshot or a composed image? Here are some general distinctions:


Snapshot:

• A casual record of an event, person, object, or place
• Usually a very quick response to a situation
• Unorganized, and no attention has been paid to details
• Only the photographer has an emotional connection to the image

Composed Photograph:

• An artistic interpretation of an event, person, object, or place
• Care has been taken to consider the elements and principles that exist within the frame of the composition
• Organized frame where attention has been paid to expressing an emotion or telling the viewer something meaningful about the subject

Your homework for Thursday (9/23) is to find one example EACH of a snapshot and a composed photograph, tape these into your sketchbook, and write about WHY the images are snapshot/composed.