Yes a lot of photography is in the eye of the beholder which really means perception in the whole meaning of the word- it's a lot more than simple sight, although it can appear to be that way.
Many years ago in my early teens I had a fixed wheel bike that was given to me by my dad. It had a red Reynolds 531 frame that appearance-wise had seen better days and it had mudguards
A friend of a friend who was about three years older had a Holdsworth frame that was a lovely bright racing green with lovely thin gold stripes and large track type flanges that the spokes attached to. The kind Reg Harris used to have. New white tape on the handlebars, a thinner saddle and no mudguards.
I could never keep up with him for very long on the road but was convinced it was all down to his "better" bike. If I had had a Holdsworth frame( it was the same Reynolds 531 actually) I was convinced I could have beaten him
The fact that the two bikes were essentially the same did not register. His looked the part, mine did not
I have sadly come to the conclusion nearly 60 years later that his being about 3 years older and eating up more miles in the saddle on a weekly basis may just have had a little to do with the difference between the two bikes
I hope you enjoy my little reminisce in a time before the world had turned "lax and sour"and where the summer evenings were always warm and I don't think it ever got dark
Mike