«Essence» definition. Picture individuality and uniqueness.

      This article is continuation of the discussion classified as “masterpiece button”. Here I will try to superficially explain the meaning of key concept - product essence. Remind you that in the last article we regarded picture as a product. We stated “three-level product analysis” definition and divided the product into added product, main product and essence. You can find the article here: Masterpiece tab. Marketing basis of the demanded picture creation.

      I regard as a family album not pictures which we are keeping in albums and show our relatives, but pictures stored at your PC which we do not want to look over and can not remove (I have tones of such pictures).
According to this article family album will keep also good pictures. It is a pity but now we tend to tight picture quality control and left perhaps only one picture to show, but this picture will be potentially masterpiece. We have such categorical judgment because we want you adjust your mind exactly to SUCH kind of picture and exactly SUCH kind of composition we will look for in the viewfinder.

      I looked over tones of pictures and found this picture. Trying to do its three-level analysis I tend to answer the question: why this picture could not be a masterpiece, what it has and what it is short of?

By three-level:

o product essence
o main product
o added product

      Main product. For sure the picture is not a trash! Picture technique is well, framing is competent, composition, colours are good… But in general this picture is a middle level picture, ordinary, trivial.
Moreover its essence is grey too, pastel, unmemorable, it is short of dramatic.
      Resume: middle content, added product – middle and essence is absent. Essence is absent because the picture do not have individuality and uniqueness! Even if we take into account that 20% of our audience prefer pastel colours, they do not keep in their mind this picture idea more than a minute, therefore they will forget it – critics will not pay attention. As a result the picture will go back to “tones” of PC storing.
      Let us get back to essence. We should not confuse essence – essence is not the subject, essence is emotions viewer get when he look at the subject. Additional characteristics as well as main are only subsidiary elements in image sensing. While essence is a primary. Even if picture has a poor quality but it has something that touch you sense when you look at it – this is a victory!
If this victory will be supported by main product quality and comfort of additional – this is a masterpiece!

Also we can go another way. Let us take “masterpiece”, name it such a way for convenience.

Then we perform its three-level analysis.

Essence – make us look at, draw our emotions. There is no red Phoenix, Phoenix is could not exist if general. There are no red gulls in generals, clouds look like narrows, water black colour with red shade, “…Oh, how people could soot a picture!!!”, “Oh what a way they photpshopped!!” While you are thinking about it – you feel emotions subconsciously. Memorize it!
Added product – it is exist even in the name “St.Petersburg Phoenix”
Actual product - exposed in a full way.
      As a result three components work each other increasing effect! That is what we want.
      By the way I noticed an interesting fact or regularity. If essence and added product are brightly expressed, but main product is a poor so this is a good reportage picture. If essence is absent, but main and added product features are high so picture will be top in glamour or advertising etc.
     And final, I tried to visualize my feelings about “touching essence”. It was made only for demonstration and idea visualizing. So please do not pay attention to mistakes.

“Grey essence”:

“Emotional essence”:

Suppose that some visitors could not share my appraisal of two last pictures.
I do not want you totally create picture in Photoshop. This example is only to demonstrate essence brightness.

To be continued.
D.I.Zhamkov 2007

See also:

"Masterpiece tab" part №1
"Masterpiece tab" part №3