CJ Chilvers gave a 5-minute presentation based on his essay about how to make perfect photos.
I love his rule for perfect photography:
The only rule in photography is to tell a story with a compelling subject – for you.
Think of it as a Maslow’s Hierarchy of Photographic Needs. Every decent photo needs to tell a story. Telling a story with a compelling subject can make the photo historic (as seen above). But a step above even those photos, is a photo with a subject compelling to you specifically. That’s what makes your snapshots even more important than the most important photos ever made.