What makes a captivating image?

Eric Engbretson · Issue 126, May/Jun 2022 · pp. 56

Imagine you’ve invited some friends over for dinner. You spend all afternoon preparing and cooking a well-planned meal. After dinner they proclaim it was one of the best meals they’ve ever eaten and then they ask “What kind of stove did you use?” In this context, it would be a nonsensical question but as a photographer, I’m frequently asked what kind of camera I use when well-meaning admirers view my images The implication is that all the magic happens inside the camera, and the photographer is merely the lever puller who simply manipulates the marvelous technology that’s really responsible for creating the magical images. The question usually comes from novice photographers who are looking for a shortcut to propel their own photography to a higher level and it may seem like an innocent and relevant question, but it fails to identify the secret that’s the real foundation of stunning imag…