Which of these Vernacular Photographs is higher art?

Vernacular Photography the name when amateur photographs reach the quality of art.

Out of these, which one do you think does that the most?

 

The second picture wants to be art. The blur and exposer makes it lack in quality like the third image, a typical "snapshot".
The first image is nicely composed. We could also say that the graduation precession itself is performance art.
The last image captures some action. It make me wonder what they are looking at.

So, if I had to choose one, It would be the last image. It's engaging.

 

De gustibus non est disputandum,

 

The hat and the procession: that's pretty good focus on both. Must have been a bright day. I'd crop it to eliminate that white sky, but I don't know that there's anything to be done about that head in the left foreground.

The second one is a bit blurry (not convinced it's soft focus), and the highlights look washed out. Some fiddling with contrast might help.

The third looks pretty much a standard snap. Some cropping, fiddling with brightness, contrast, and what my editor calls gamma might help.

I'd say the fourth looks best to me, though the subject matter is wanting. It has a good range of tonal values and sharp focus at least. Too bad the foreground girl hadn't moved her head just a bit more either left or right.

 

I am just guessing but the wedding one looks more arty to me.

 

Exactly my perspective on this question...

 

Gotta love that hat in the 1st pic !

 

I took a shot, but frankly I'm unenthusiastic:

 

I liked the wedding photo the best. The two little boys in plaid short sets make it.

 

I was out and don't have my password saved on my phone, but I really enjoyed reading the responses.

The two boys photo I picked because of the dappling effect of the light going through the leaves. It's a common theme in poetry, and I find it very beautiful. So, I wouldn't have trimmed the photo as it would exclude some.

 

And here's another one of the same two. He's firing a warning shot, lol

"No more pictures. These caps are real loud!"

I'll try to get another group and see which you think of those is best.

 

But then it was fun to just kind of 'posterize' #1

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Anyone interested in a "Rate this Vernacular Photo" thread?

 

I vote for the wedding photo because of the juxtaposition of the plaid outfits and the standard wedding outfits. I have been reading about this subject recently and have been purchasing large photo collections. I have spent quite a bit of time looking at final auction results trying to come up with a formula for the most desirable images.

 

I like this idea

 

I'd love to hear what conclusions you've drawn on the topic.

 

I had to split some firewood and ponder on the subject a bit.....this is what I came up with.

There are varying definitions as to what vernacular photography is, to the extent that almost every photo ever taken falls under one of those definitions. The emergence of the category of vernacular photography has not made all photos suddenly valuable. Most people in their lifetime will only take a few photographs that will eventually be considered worthy for a collectors collection. Photos become vernacular photos when they become detached from their original meaning and purpose and are reevaluated by the collector.

In terms of what photos seem to be the most popular or hold the most value:

1. Photos of people at the beach.
2. Photos that have transportation elements.( Plane, car, motorcycle etc.)
3. Photos that capture architecture that may or may not still exist.
4. Old photos of cultures where photography was not common place.
5. Photos where people are not directly looking at or posing for the shot.
6. Photos that capture Mid Century activities and clothing styles.
7. Photos of vintage hunting or sporting activities.
8. Photos that document African American life, the older the better.
9. Photos that document military activities or people in uniform.
10. Photos with documentation or notation. (considered an artistic element)

The prices can vary widely I saw groups of 100 photos that sold for $10 and single photos that sold for $400. I think the best strategy for buying is to get big collections and if you get them for around 25 cents a photo, you should do good. As
a side note if I get family photo albums I will try to track down relatives and see if they want copies or originals I don't want to keep. Sometimes estates just get rid of everything and don't realize some other relative may actually want the photos.

 

Thank you for taking the time to write all that out.

When you say "10. Photos with documentation or notation. (considered an artistic element)" do you mean that which is written on the photo? At first I thinking you mean photographs that have some kind of writing being photographed, but that doesn't make much sense. Do you actually have much experience seeing these items making docuemented sales? Maybe in combination with the other 9 elements....

 

In terms of vernacular photography, the writing on the photo is considered an additional artistic element. From my experience documentation brings a premium, especially if there is a historical significance.

 

As in: it helps to know where it came from or whodunnit. Random anonymous snaps aren't too useful, but there seems to be a market for the negs. I had a family's negatives dropped on me once with zero identification. The negs went to a local art school, whose assistant dean fell on them like a wolf on a t-bone.