For example, if the subject is just your family at Disneyland, you have to work pretty hard to make it a non-snapshot.Īlso, I think three parameters are missing here: the uniqueness of the photograph, the context, and the viewer's perception. Also not all parameters are weighted the same. You have to combine a few of the parameters listed here (subject, intent, composition, etc.). It's like how many grains of sands does it take to make a heap of sand? There's no definitive answer, except it takes a few. I see the "snapshot to real photograph" graduation as an emerging property of the picture.
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Images by mentatdgt, Pok Rie, and Snapwire via Pexels. If there's a lot of thinking behind the shot, such as choosing the right angle to shoot from, being aware of lighting, the technicalities of camera settings, and being precise with composition, then in my mind, it's likely a photograph. Then, I think it relies on the explanation of the photographer to discern whether it's a snap or photograph. But the gray area in this argument occurs when the photographer takes a camera "just in case" something pops up, or such as happens on holiday, to capture a moment for posterity. Whereas, in my mind, a snap occurs by happenstance and could look technically fantastic, but was not preconceived by the photographer. Even if the photo looks bad, the photographer had intent behind it and made plans to create what they desired in the frame. Planning a landscape photograph based on weather, lighting, and camera angle would never count as a snap to me, regardless of whether it was in focus or underexposed, etc. Rather, it must be defined by its preparation and the photographer's intent behind it. The definition between snapshot and photograph doesn't quite correlate, as all snapshots by definition are photographs, but not all photographs are necessarily snapshots.Īlthough "snap" has a negative connotation, I don't think it is defined by its quality. In my head, the snap is of lower merit both artistically and technically, whereas a photograph has been planned and is taken with care and concentration, but with the counterarguments I've mentioned, I'm rather contradicting my own opinion. It's difficult to define what makes an image a snapshot or a photograph. So, defining the "small handheld camera" part of the definition is imperative. There are some bridge cameras that weigh more than a small, entry-level DSLR or mirrorless camera.
SNAP MEANING FULL
Perhaps it's not the behemoth large format analog cameras with glass plates and whatnot, but something around point-and-shoot to entry-level DSLR level.īut that said, mirrorless cameras have smaller form factors, and some of them are full frame, with all the high-end technical specifications you'd expect to find on their larger DSLR counterparts. So, what size does a camera have to be considered big? Is its mass or its dimensions? A small handheld camera, in my eyes, is probably something a child could pick up and shoot with. If a snapshot is defined as being taken on a small, handheld camera, then how big does a camera have to be in order for it to be classed as a snapshot? Does a bigger camera mean that any picture taken with it cannot be classified a snap? Let's explore this in a little more detail. So, does that mean snaps can't be taken on a big camera? What is a big camera, anyway? How do you make a landscape "formal"? And how much time must elapse for it to be considered "quickly"? As for the definition of the photograph, well, that's pretty much any camera and even covers snapshots in this definition. The definition for "snapshot," for example, addresses the formality, speed, and size of the camera. The two dictionary definitions above outline some basic assumptions that I'm not entirely convinced by. Photograph: A picture made using a camera, in which an image is focused on to light-sensitive material and then made visible and permanent by chemical treatment, or stored digitally. Snapshot: An informal photograph taken quickly, typically with a small handheld camera. However, we don't know if the photographer planned to capture this scene before they set out. Here, the photographer has purposely tracked the subject and deliberately used a slower shutter speed in order to blur the background as the camera panned through the scene.
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