In your first paragraph, you're assuming that there are predetermined rules for what a good photo represents. You even mention a mysterious "mood." In the seco

In your first paragraph, you're assuming that there are predetermined rules for what a good photo represents. You even mention a mysterious "mood." In the second, you hit the nail on the head. The only thing that truly matters is whether the photographer likes their own photos, and if the people important to him like their photos. If this doesn't happen, in the first case, they will seek to improve their images, and will naturally come by the same information that you and me consider defines "good" photos. In the second, they may either care that others dislike their images (in which case, see above), or they may disregard their opinions and keep taking the same quality of photos (which we may subjectively judge as "good" or "bad," among other nuances).