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What constitutes a photo being a 'photograph' vs it just being a 'snapshot'


9 years 4 months ago #416507 by KenMan
You surf enough photo sites and you see a blend of terms getting used.  What I would like to know is what separates a photo from being a photograph vs snapshot?  Snapshot seems like it might be something fired off quick, but some comments and post that I have read would suggest that isn't correct.  Same goes for the term photograph.  

It seems many terms in photography are very ambiguous.  I might be wrong, it's just an observation.    
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9 years 4 months ago #416509 by ThatNikonGuy
How I see it, snapshots ARE photographs, it's the other direction the sloop get's slippery.  I don't see all "photograph's" falling into the snapshot bucket. Obviously some do, and some don't.  
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9 years 4 months ago #416524 by ubookoo
It is kind of like asking "when does a painting become a work of art".

My feeling is that although there are "rules" to follow in shooting a "professional" image (posing, thirds, lighting, exposure, etc) the old saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" could never be more true when it comes to photography.

For example, I have seen some true snapshots that I love and also have seen some professional images that are technically correct that did nothing for me.

For me, the final determining factor is whether I feel a connection to the image regardless of the lighting, posing, exposure, etc.

So....having said all that, in answer to your question...I have no idea. :-)
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9 years 4 months ago #416532 by Joves
Well you are correct in that it is a term that is over used, and not in a good way. Yes both are photographs in the purest form in that they are an artificial image of something in real life. Most people use it to describe a shot that appears to have no form, or forethought put into it, hence just a snapshot. It is akin to the selfie, which is also a photograph, but is just another snapshot. There is nothing wrong with snaps,I do them all the time when all I want is a quick memory jolt for something I might want to get back to at a different time. They are poorly exposed for the most part, mainly because I was there at the wrong time of day, or I had somewhere else to be that prevented me from being able to get it right. But those are not anything I would display a my work. So you either have fine photography, snaps, or anything in between. 
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9 years 4 months ago #416547 by John Landolfi
The term"snapshot" seems to be used in a derogatory sense, to indicate that a shot was taken without much thought to basic values, as ubookoo says. At the opposite end of the "scale" would be the sort of shot that involves a tripod, a choice of lens, perhaps several exposure readings, and much thought of fundamentals. In fact, it ought to denote what it literally means: a shot snapped quickly, on the fly. There are many examples of street photography that fit that description, and are widely considered masterpieces (you know the list...). The difference is probably just experience and skill that allows a snap to be a great image.
Easier to shoot snaps now...in the manual days, hyperfocal focusing was essential, and film speed often an issue.
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9 years 4 months ago #416607 by Ben Vanderbilt
:agree:     
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9 years 4 months ago #416637 by Roblane
Snapshot is more of a quick on the fly shot.  Photograph is something with more thought into it. 
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9 years 4 months ago #416650 by Stealthy Ninja
I dunno, but it kinda irks me when a client says "Just take some snaps of XYZ" when I'm getting paid $150USD a hour.
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www.aevansphoto.com
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9 years 4 months ago #416651 by hghlndr6
Hah!  If someone's paying me, he can call it whatever he wants.  :)
www.bobmitchellphoto.com
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9 years 4 months ago #416657 by effron

hghlndr6 wrote: Hah!  If someone's paying me, he can call it whatever he wants.  :)


Ditto that....:dry:
Why so serious?
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9 years 4 months ago #416755 by Joves

effron wrote:

hghlndr6 wrote: Hah!  If someone's paying me, he can call it whatever he wants.  :)


Ditto that....:dry:

:rofl:
Add me to that list. I will even go into Instamatic mode for them if they want snapshots.
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9 years 4 months ago #416815 by Josh Jofoto

John Landolfi wrote: The term"snapshot" seems to be used in a derogatory sense, to indicate that a shot was taken without much thought to basic values, as ubookoo says. At the opposite end of the "scale" would be the sort of shot that involves a tripod, a choice of lens, perhaps several exposure readings, and much thought of fundamentals. In fact, it ought to denote what it literally means: a shot snapped quickly, on the fly. There are many examples of street photography that fit that description, and are widely considered masterpieces (you know the list...). The difference is probably just experience and skill that allows a snap to be a great image.
Easier to shoot snaps now...in the manual days, hyperfocal focusing was essential, and film speed often an issue.



Good answer John
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9 years 4 months ago #416819 by Stealthy Ninja

Joves wrote:

effron wrote:

hghlndr6 wrote: Hah!  If someone's paying me, he can call it whatever he wants.  :)


Ditto that....:dry:

:rofl:
Add me to that list. I will even go into Instamatic mode for them if they want snapshots.


You guys have no pride. :P

I won't complain or anything, just irks me.  Honestly if they ask me to "take some snaps" I think "Well then I don't need to put much effort in then."
img\def

www.aevansphoto.com
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9 years 4 months ago #416961 by GWS

hghlndr6 wrote: Hah!  If someone's paying me, he can call it whatever he wants.  :)


I got a good chuckle from this!  
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9 years 4 months ago #417099 by KenMan
Well this turned out to be a good thread. Insightful, thanks everyone. 
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