Is Photography Really an Art?

Is photography really an art? It seems to me that artists who use a paintbrush are the ones who most often question the value of photography as an art form. And, although I am a photographer, frankly, I would rather purchase an extraordinary painting (in most cases) than I would to purchase an extraordinary photograph! I have tremendous respect for paintings that are done by a true artist…after all, my father and sister were and are artists (painters, sculptors, etc.). I’ve seen many ordinary paintings over time that put a damper on my enthusiasm, but so have I seen many “snapshots” and works straight out of the camera without any artistic merit to them whatsoever.

Using a camera seems to be more of a function of the brain: mechanical and technical. So does using computer software to achieve photographic (or digital) results. And yet, in the hands of an artist who can envision what the camera and software can do together, the end result may be anything but technical and mechanical. The camera and/or software may be used to create impressionism, expressionism, abstraction, design, surrealism, and almost anything a paintbrush is capable of, in the right hands.

Painters may spend days, weeks, or years to create one painting. A photographer just “snaps” a picture and then uses software to process it. The whole thing may take 30 minutes, an hour, or whatever. But probably would not take more than 24 hours, no matter how many versions of the work may be created from the same photograph. And it is possible to create different versions with different moods. Painting takes much longer. This may be at the root of some artists’ resentment of photographers, as well as the fact that there are so many ordinary photographs out there in the world. Competition is fierce and the public doesn’t always know enough to recognize true artists (whether photographers or painters). I am often appalled by what sells, aren’t you?

Let’s use Ansel Adams as an example of an artist with a camera. Today’s photo-artist uses software instead of chemicals. Different process, takes less time, takes a certain intuitive skill as well as technical understanding ….and there’s nothing wrong with that. To be an excellent photographer one needs to know about certain artistic principals, at least on an intuitive level, such as composition, light and shadow, color combinations (to establish mood), etc.

I admire great artists, whether they are painters, sculptors, actors, singers, photographers, or whatever. I don’t put anyone down because they don’t or can’t do what someone else does in the way of art. Everyone has a place. Is photography really an art? My response is: only if the camera is in the hands and heart of an artist. Art is after all the result of someone who has a unique and personal vision to share, someone who sees beneath the surface of things, and someone who has the ability to portray what they envision.

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The illustration I use below is not because I think it’s my very best piece, but to demonstrate some features of traditional art that can be used in photography and in the processing of photographs: