A great photo has a purpose beyond covering the stock event- it captures a moment the client may miss or only notice in a fleeting way otherwise. It freezes the details of that moment to give them a crystal clear, revisit-able memory. A good photo can even use the technical skills of the photographer to create a mood otherwise unseen thanks to selective DoF and enhanced lighting. It can pluck out an individual from a crowd to represent that moment, or it can record a scope beyond what the human eye can catch, encouraging the client to home in on the details and the see them in the whole.

For some time, my thought has been that a camera is a tool to record what isn’t seen by most people, but what your eye and mind can pick out or envision and then readily share. A good photograph finds the rare, important, or even everyday vision and displays it in a way the intended audience will come to treasure.