Having a good subject will make any photograph a lot easier to take. There is a good reason why the photographs that people are happy to look at again and again tend to center around a particular place, person or occasion. And while no subject is good enough to make a bad photographer look like a genius, it does give you a handy frame for your image.
Some people can get away with photographing any old thing, because they can bring something new to it – an interesting perspective, a unique touch – that makes it worth looking at. But if you are just starting out, then as interesting as you might find a particular building, it can fall flat for others who are looking at it.
Models are among the most notable subjects for photos. It is often imagined that any pretty girl or handsome man can be a model just by standing there and letting someone take pictures. However, we all know deep down that that is not true. You surely know someone who in motion looks good enough to be a model, but who photographs badly.
The most important thing about a subject is that they, or it, need to be the main thing in focus in the photograph, and seen in their best light. The Grand Canyon can look pretty unimpressive if it is photographed badly, from too close, in the wrong light or any number of other ways to get it wrong. What good photo subjects all have in common is that the right light is easier to find.
