As I See It – Featuring Fine Art Photographers

by Tony Locke

Art implies control of reality, for reality itself possesses no sense of the aesthetic. Photography becomes an art when certain controls are applied. – Ansel Adams

Recently I overheard a landscape photographer say, “I don’t consider myself an artist, I consider myself a craftsman. Mother Nature provided the art, she was the real artist.” As an example he continued, “just because you have a pot, doesn’t necessarily make you a chef.” True. Also true in photography, just because someone has a camera, doesn’t necessarily mean they are a photographer, or an artist. Nor does expensive gear and/or technical skills necessarily make one an artist, they still need to have a vision.

Vision doesn’t necessarily stop after the photograph was shot. Some say post-processing or image manipulation is not photography. But post-processing or image manipulation is another tool in the creation of art. Look at Ansel Adams, he created stunning works of art after manipulating them in the darkroom. Art comes from the vision of the photographer; how they saw a subject, how the image was created, how they express themselves. This is what makes them an artist.

As I See It will be doing a series on Fine Art Photographers; their vision, their skills, and their technical requirements. We will also focus on the artist, after all the artist is the most important element in Fine Art Photography.

Fine Art photography is about expressing oneself as an artist. It is an accumulation of skills, experience, processing, and most importantly, a vision.

Art is not only about beauty; art is about ideas, emotion, deep feelings, and about interpreting all these through the prism of the vision of the artist.
by Julia Anna Gospodarou

by Karla Locke