Have you ever heard the quote that “good design is obvious, great design is invisible?”  It’s a quote that refers to several members of the design field such as interior design, architectural design, web design, etc.  I would argue, however, that the sentiment behind that quote extends to more than just the design field.  It extends into photography as well.  Great photography is transparent.  Here’s why.

The idea behind the quote is that you can readily see good design.  You can see when something is well-crafted or well planned.  You can see a great couch, color coordination, and interesting building, etc. with good design.  However, when the design is better than good, say great, you will not notice the design.  What you will see, however, is comfort, utility, etc.  You will look past the surface design and see straight into what the designer wanted you to see or do.

When it comes to photography, things are much the same.  With good photography, you might notice how well the photographer did rendering the subject matter onto film (either metaphorical or literal).  I could even suggest that you are looking at the photograph’s subject matter through a window and you’ve noticed the window along with what’s behind it.  That’s good photography.

With great photography, you will not stop to think about that metaphorical window.  You will find yourself more entranced with the subject matter.  It will draw you in and you will not be able to stop looking.  The work of the photographer will become invisible to you.  It will be you and the subject.  The window of the photograph and the photographer’s skill will completely melt away in your mind.  You will see things as the photographer intended you to see them.

The next time you see a photograph which completely captures your attention, see if you even pay attention to the skill of the photographer.  I bet you will be drawn into the landscape scene, the eyes of the model(s) in the portrait, the event unfolding before you, or whatever else the photo depicts.  If you find that you don’t think about the photograph itself, you might consider the photo you are looking at to be a great photograph.  Great photography is transparent.