What makes a great pic?

[davejnz]

In light of the new T/Pic.O.T.M. contest,I would like to hear from the people that voted(other memebers too) as to what they think makes for a good pic.
Here's some things i look for in no particular order of importance.
1.a good subject
2.perfect focus
3.exposure
4.accurate color representation
5.depth of field
6.brightness/darkness
7.how the subject is framed/positioned in the pic

[davejnz]

Depth of Field

I wont go into the detailed explanation as i am by no means qualified to do so.
Basically,its when the subject in the foreground has a blurred background.Pics speak a thousand words.
Another great example of depth of field is ReefNecks picture in the Aug. Pic/tank of the month contest.

[chrisl1]

Ok, time for a little smack on the wrist. Depth of field (DOF) is the amount of distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear in sharp focus in a photograph. You had the concept backwards.

[jojo22]

What makes a great pick???? I KNOW......... Dave's ugly mug isn't in it. LOL / JK Dave we still love you!!!!!!!

[davejnz]

Thanks Chris for correcting me.So,a narrow depth of field would have the subject in the foreground in sharp focus with the background blurred?These types of pics(above) tend to make the subject stand out.
Where as a greater depth of field would have the whole image in focus?Those types of pics would be better suited for a "full tank shot" where the foreground as well as background need to be in focus.Correct?
BTW,I encourage all to post pics and comments here as i hope we can gather some good info with photos for examples.

[chrisl1]

Personally, I think a photo with as much in focus as possible really stands out, when you have less DOF it is nice and does make the subject stand out, but,imo it should be more for a macro shot where you would be trying to express something in greater detail, a smaller part of the subject, if you will.Taking a picture of a whole coral, or fish (whatever the subject is) will still stand out in a photo with a great dof. I feel it gives the photo greater dimension as well as showing you are really trying to take a photo, not just a picture that the point and shoot feature is doing all the work. In a good photo you need to control your Aperature, lighting, shutter speed etc. Make the photo yours. Although some of my favorite pictures I have taken have been in full auto mode.OOOOps.....

[Sweetpea]

Setting my camera manually has always been a little intimidating for me. I have played around with different settings, but I have yet to get the hang of it. I will keep trying and making mistakes along the way. I made a mistake when we were on vacation (forgot to change the settings when I went outside) and took about 25-30 pics that were all terribly over-exposed. However, I think I ended up with a really interesting picture... my favorite from the whole trip!

[graphixx]

tracy, that is a good pic. The washout of the white does make for an interesting picture. tooo cute

[chrisl1]

That's the whole trick, take the time and experiment, see what settings work for what situation, Motion, Stills etc...Thats such a cute picture Tracy, all it needed was the exposure to be corected (ISO) it's nothing that can't be fixed up in an editing program like PhotoShop. Just a quick word on ISO settings.Using 100 for example would be ideal for shooting outoor photos with lots of sunlight, an overcast day maybe use 200 or 400, indoor would be even higher, less light, bigger number.

[mutts]

awww tracy thats such a cute picture