27 August 1999 - photo: distraction

If a photo has you stymied, if it’s “dynamic”, “understated”, and “dramatic”, if it has “tension” and “mystery” and it “captures the moment,” you the critic still have a sure way out. All images contain “distracting elements” which can be accused of diverting attention from the “creative intent” that critics “believe in”. Usually you can identify a light-colored background spot or a reflective highlight as a distracting element. Look, another “snapshot”! That “idiot”!

But don’t worry if you see nothing distracting in the picture. Perhaps the frame is distracting, or the cultural context. Consider that ever-popular subject, the inside of the lenscap: If it has a title, such as “Futility”, that’s distracting. And if it doesn’t have a title, that’s distracting too. Bingo! A “snapshot”!