Digital Photography

by Paul Farrier

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Is photography art?

art: the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.

Modern Language Association (MLA):
"art." Dictionary.com
Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 28 Feb. 2007. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/art.
I believe it fits the definition.

Unlike a painter, the photographer has to deal with what is there. A painter gets to create a "reality" whereas the photographer has to deal with reality.

It's more of a skill in "seeing" than it is with "imagining".

A photographer has to know what is visually interesting and then capture it. Timing, lighting, color, contrast, composition, and working within the limitations of his/her equipment makes creating an appealing two-dimensional image difficult.

Perhaps photography is not a fine art, but some who read this may reconsider just how much of an "art" it may really be.

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