‘Shooting the single picture, On being a photographer’, by Bill Jay and David Hurn makes some interesting points about being a photographer and what tends to make a successful image.

Jay and Hurn compare painters to photographers. A painter can ‘compose the main elements and then add the significant details in precisely in the right places’, whereas in photography you cannot do that. They suggest that in photography you are more or less hoping that the image turns out to be good.

they go on to make valid points about ‘good’ and not so good images and what makes them this way. ‘If an image looks good you’ll want to look at it more than a poorly structured one.’ This highlights just how important structured images are. Rather than just getting a camera and snapping an image or two, to get the best image it is better to focus on the different visual elements such as lighting, composure, etc. They also point out that good design is essential.