Good Enough?

The great Welsh rugby fly-half, Barry John, once said, "There is no point in kicking the ball ten foot over the bar. You get the same number of points if it just makes it." Well, those may not have been his exact words, but you get the idea. I think that us photographers can learn a lot from this statement.

If you have want a photo to make a 6"x4" print, does it matter that it falls apart at 7"x5"? Of course it doesn't. Your image is good enough for what you want it for. If you look at a 100% magnification in Photoshop and it is noisey and not quite sharp it does not matter. No-one else will ever see it like this anyway. If the image works at it's intended size then there is no point in looking at bigger versions and finding fault.

The next question is, good enough for whom? I am certain that any image only ever has to be good enough for one person, or at the most a very small group of people. If you are a professional, it has to be good enough for your client. If it is a competition photo, it has to be good enough for the judge. If you are an amateur, it has to be good enough for you. This is the way you create your own style and make images to fit in with other people's perceptions.

At the end of the day, you will know if it is good enough. 
Copyright © Greg Wright 2005-14 Photography from Frome - All rights reserved
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