Beyond the obvious

All photos copyright of Renee C. Byer and The Sacramento Bee I wanted to share this interview with you. Award-winning American documentary photojournalist, Renée C. Byer, is best known for her in-depth work focusing on the disadvantaged and those who otherwise would not be heard. Her ability to produce photographs with profound emotional resonance and sensitivity earned her the Pulitzer Prize for feature photography in 2007 and dozens of other national and international honours, including that of Pulitzer finalist in 2013. Well worth watching. Thanks. Paul www.indigo2photography.com

What makes a great photograph great? Now there's a big question. I bet if you asked 20 curators and 20 photographers that question you'd get a different answer from all of them. I will try to distil the answer. You tell me if it resonates with what you feel and think too. The usual text book answers to what makes a good photograph revolve around the composition, the lighting, colour, the action in the photograph, the content, story and emotion, but we all know that technically perfect photos, even of great subjects, can be uninspiring and uninteresting. I think a great photograph goes beyond the individual elements. The sum is greater than the components. All the elements work together, and as you look, something deeply personal unlocks in your brain. You have this moment when everything connects and makes sense. You go 'aha' I see it. You identify with the subject. If you don't get that feeling from a photograph then it is just another snapshot. Crea...