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The home of enthusiastic supporters of Fine Art Photography. We respect its history, admire its present form, and look forward to its future.

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Is That an Artistic Photograph? Or Just a Lousy Shot?

Mark Ali
5 min readJun 6, 2024

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A merry-go-round, depicted with motion blur
“Merry-Go-Round” (© Mark Ali)

It should go without saying — but I’ll say it anyway — sometimes photography can get rather “artsy”.

In other words, not every photograph needs to be perfectly exposed and tack sharp.

I know what you’re thinking — “Yeah, no kidding — artistic photography isn’t exactly a new concept there, genius.

And you’d be correct. (Though I could do without the attitude.)

What I want to talk about is differentiating between an artistic photo and a bad shot. How can you tell which it is?

Two ways — you could ask the photographer, or you could just decide for yourself.

There are Always Two Answers

The image above of a merry-go-round (or “carousel” or “roundabout”, depending on where you’re from) is not “sharp”.

Obviously. At least not all of it.

Did I screw up and not use a shutter speed that’s fast enough? Or did I do it on purpose? Can you tell?

In other words, is this an artistic image? Or just a photographic mistake?

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Full Frame
Full Frame

Published in Full Frame

The home of enthusiastic supporters of Fine Art Photography. We respect its history, admire its present form, and look forward to its future.

Mark Ali
Mark Ali

Written by Mark Ali

I’m a writer, a photographer, a music lover, and a professional ice sculptor. I’m kidding about that last thing. (View my portfolio at: markaliphotos.com)

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