[Leica] artistically, what is GOOD photography?

["Harrison McClary" <hmcclary@earthlink.net>]

Five Senses Productions wrote:

> My philosophical question is, artistically, what is GOOD photography?
> A 6 year old with a P&S could just as easily win a prize as an old, bitter
> photographer who has been perfecting his craft for 50 years.  So who is better


Good photography, artistically speaking, is that which YOU react to 
with emotion in a favorable manner, or possibly in a disturbing 
manner.  Whichever the case the photography should create some 
reaction in the viewer to impress, otherwise the viewer will glance 
over the image as we do so many snapshots.

Of course if you a are a commercial photographer good photography is 
what the client is paying for and they will accept as a job well 
done. ;)    Sometimes their idea of good photography and mine are so 
far off it is ridiculous, but heck, if they are paying me dayrates for 
a photo I'll shoot what they want. :0)

People often refer to contests and awards to impress that they are
good photographers, or to define what was a great photograph. 
Well....I have judged many photo contests, state clip contests for
newspapers, and I can say it has been my experience that all a 
contest shows is what the judges liked, not which photos were 
necessarily better.  I may have thought one photo was best, and 
another judge thought another photo was best and someone else still a 
 third pic was best.  Also I sometimes think many photographers are
bad judges of good photography because they try to impose their
particular way of shooting onto the photos they are looking at. 

 All just my opinion and hardly worth the ether it is written on.

As far as which is better the 6 year old kid or the jaded 50 year 
professional...probably the 6 year old kid as he has not become an 
egotistical maniac like all of us pros are.  :)
Harrison McClary
http://people.delphi.com/hmphoto