WHAT MAKES PHOTOGRAPHY ART?

WHAT MAKES PHOTOGRAPHY ART?

CHARACTERISTICS THAT TRANSFORM PHOTOGRAPHY INTO ART

What turns photography into art?

What are those elements that differentiate fine art photography from descriptive photography? How do we step from the realm of observation and documentation into the realm of creation when we make photography?

I’ve been asked this question many times by my students, and I have discussed it extensively in my mentorships and workshops with many students. But first of all, I am asking this question myself and pondering over it continuously as I am searching for new ways of expression in photography. It is one of the first questions one asks when they think about or want to create fine art photography. As it is such an important thing to consider, I will present here some of my thoughts related to this subject that hopefully will give you food for thought and trigger more ideas for you to help you make the best fine art photography possible.

INTRODUCTION

I have started working on this article thinking, as always, but I’m going to write a short article and, as always, it evolved into quite a long read, so I decided I will split it into 2 parts so you can take in more easily the ideas I’m presenting. I will publish the second part in a couple of weeks and will definitely be back again to this subject in the future since there are so many things to say about it.

Update: If you want to read the second part of this article where I continue talking about the characteristics that turn photography into art, here is a link to it How to Turn Photography into Art. I would recommend you to read it after reading this article which is the first part.

If you want to receive the second part and get a heads up when I publish more about the subject, you can subscribe to my website to be notified as soon as I publish it.

For now, I have gathered eight characteristics of photography that bring it closer to the idea of art. I’ll be talking about 4 of them today, and I’ll analyze the other 4 in the second part of this article. So let’s look at them together.

If you want to learn more about this subject and about black and white fine art photography in general, from the moment of conception to advanced post-processing, I will be talking about this subject and demonstrating everything extensively on the practical side in my next workshop that you are welcome to join.

1.
ORIGINALITY

Originality is one of the first characteristics of art, so if we think about photography as an art, this will be one of the first things that come to mind that connects the two of them.

Artists feel the need to look at the world differently. It is a quintessential part of their being; they need it to feel inner balance. Art in itself is a tool that helps us feel inner balance. For an artist, expression is like food. It helps him or her function and thrive.

Artists do not think differently because they want to be original. They think like that because this is who they are. They see the same things everybody sees but make different connections and have different reactions to what they see. They notice things that others do not notice, things that trigger a reaction that can be different than other people’s reactions. They tend to have a more unconventional approach to life, and even when others perceive that approach as something different, for an artist, that is their nature.

“Artists are people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide.”

– D.W. Winnicott –

Like everyone, artists want to express themselves and do that based on their reactions when they look at the world. However, since those reactions are different, their way of expression will be different than in the case of other people. That particularity can be present to a lesser or higher degree, but it is perceived as a particularity by most people compared to what they are used to, and this is what we call originality.

People are drawn to originality and those expressing themselves in an original way because it inspires them to look at the world in a new and compelling way they may not have experienced before.

This is one of the things we aim to achieve when we create fine art photography and one of the characteristics that differentiates photography created as art from photography created as an observation or documentation of a place, object, person, or situation. This originality will trigger a reaction both in the photographer who creates the image and in the viewer who experiences it as a final image. This expression enriches the lives of both of them, which is why originality as a characteristic and quality is so appreciated not only in art but in general.

As an example of an original element in a photograph, one of the photographs that come to mind almost instantly when I think about an original interpretation of the subject is Edward Steichen’s photograph of the Flatiron Building in New York taken in 1904. It is one of the most original photographs of the Flatiron Building, where Steichen creates an unexpectedly mysterious atmosphere not usual when we think about this subject.

When Edward Steichen created this photograph, his intention was to create a fine art photograph that will be an example of the pictorialists movement in photography that was active at the beginning of the 20th century. The image was exhibited together with other more than 600 photographs in the Pictorialist exhibition organized by Alfred Stieglitz in 1910, which was the quintessence of his intense and continuous efforts to make photography accepted as an art. This exhibition was a major event in early fine art photography that helped promote this new medium as a way to create art. Steichen added color to the platinum print he made of this photo and experimented with different colors, one of the examples being the one I’m showing here. These photographs are now exhibited in New York at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and I warmly recommend you go visit it and see them with your own eyes.

To give an example taken from my work of an original element I incorporated in my photographs, I can talk about a series of photographs I started in 2011, more than ten years ago, of an outstanding pedestrian bridge in Athens designed by Santiago Calatrava.

One of the characteristics of this series of photographs was the bright light I had created on the cables of this bridge, as you can see in the photograph below. I did that because the cables of this bridge were an essential element in the image that defined the story I was telling.

The name of the series is Like a Harp’s Strings and what I do in this series is compare the cables of the bridge with the strings of a harp that creates music as a metaphor for how similar the art of architecture and the art of music are. To achieve this goal, I wanted to highlight against the background the cables/strings, which were the element that creates the music. What I did was to darken the sky, which initially was bright, and brighten the cables selectively to bring them to attention. This was an element that, after 2011, when I started this series, was adopted by many other photographers shooting cable-stayed bridges. This technique and manner of processing became one of the signature elements of my work. If you look around, you will see many photographs where the cables of a bridge are highlighted like this, and I can’t even remember how many times people asked me how I created this effect. Now you know where it all started.

This example can show you how important originality is in art. It shows you how much power creating something different has. so you can communicate with the viewer by awakening their attention. This series has won over the years many international awards and is still one of my most popular series.

2.
PERSONAL STYLE

Your originality is your personal style. This is why it is so important to find a personal style in photography and a unique artistic signature that differs from others.

A personal style is lacking in many of the photography we see around us. Many of the photographs we see are mainly replicas of a certain style or approach that the photographer liked or thought would be successful. When that happens, the danger here is that, when you don’t have a personal style, you cannot innovate, and your work will look like someone else’s, making it less impressive than the original.

One of the first things I always tell my students is to be very diligent in finding a personal style and not be tempted to do something that somebody else did just because they like it or because it is appreciated.

When you do something somebody else does, you will not know why that person did what they did, so you will not be able to move forward independently. In that case, what you do is to use either the same subject or the same approach for editing, trying to have the same results, but all these things are only small ingredients for what it means to create a fine art photograph. After a short while, during which you will feel delighted because you were able to replicate a style you liked, it will become boring, and you will not be able to find satisfaction in what you do. That would be such a loss. By then, you will have invested so much time and energy in replicating a style that is not yours. But that time and energy will be spent in vain if the result is not something that can give you artistic satisfaction for a longer time.

I have seen many cases like this, just like I have seen many instances when photographers understood the dangers of replicating a style that was not theirs and moved forward, working on creating an original style. Those moving past this phase are truly happy artists because they know they can express themselves in a way that is particular to them, which helps them tap into their true qualities and talent. They become a creator instead of being a follower.

Now I think you understand why creating a personal style is so high on my list of what makes photography art.

“I have a vision of life, and I try to find equivalents for it in the form of photographs.”

– Alfred Stieglitz –

A few examples of photographers that have created a strong personal style for which they are recognized are the following. This is not a complete list, only some suggestions you can research further.

Sebastiao Salgado

For his work about marginalized populations and his series Genesis about natural conservation. Sebastiao Salgado is considered by many a documentary photographer, but in my opinion, he is essentially a fine art photographer because of the strong emotional effect his work has.

Michael Kenna

For his peaceful zen landscapes. Michael Kenna’s style is one of the most replicated styles at this moment and for the past years in the black and white fine art photography community. So his style may not be new for you sicne you have seen so many replicas of this style. But at the moment he created it, many years ago, this style was original and is his authentic personal style.

Alexey Titarenko

Especially for his motion blur series City of Shadows. This series is what made me aware of the power of expression of long exposure photography in 2003 when I first discovered it. Back then, it was much more difficult to shoot long exposure since everything was done with film, but this is one more reason why this series by Alexei Titarenko is so inspiring.

Jerry Uelsmann

For his surreal darkroom collages and his vivid and brilliant imagination that made these images possible. Jerry Uelsmann, unfortunately, passed away recently, but his work is some of the most inspiring examples of fine art photography I know.

Hiroshi Sugimoto

For his very original projects working with different subjects from ethereal seascapes to indoor artificially created lightning fields. Hiroshi Sugimoto was trained as an architect, and you can see his inquiring mind and imagination blending art and science in his work as a photographer too.

All these artists are great examples of creativity and strong personal style in photography, and they are always a rich and precious source of inspiration.

3.
SURPRISE

Related to originality, or rather resulting from it, is also surprise.

Surprise is what sparkles the interest of those looking at an object of art or a photograph. Surprise makes us want to come closer and spend more time with the image in front of us. It is a promise to discover new worlds and new ways of interacting with them. It comes very close in terms of effects to the act of discovering something new in life. It makes us want to give our full attention to what we see in front of us and understand its meaning.

When you add the element of surprise to your images, you know you have gained the attention of the interest of the viewer, and you can tell your story. Especially in the fast-paced world we live in, when we see maybe hundreds of images every day, gaining the attention of the viewer is one of the most challenging things for a photographer. With so many images showing the same subjects, many times in the same way, the element of surprise is what will differentiate your photograph from the hundreds of other photographs that someone sees every day, making them stop in their tracks and look at it. This is the first step in the process of connecting with the viewer in fine art photography.

There are plenty of ways to create surprise in a photograph. From photographing a subject that is rarely seen or less known, to photographing a subject that is well known but in a different way, you have many ways to create surprise. It may be a particular angle of a scene, a certain structure of the image, an interesting composition, or a juxtaposition of elements, or it can be an original editing technique that will sparkle the curiosity of the viewer, making them want to come closer and find out more.

4.
MEANING – STATEMENT

If surprise is what will sparkle the attention of the viewer, the meaning is what will hold them inside the image, trying to decipher its secrets.

Sometimes you are the only one who knows exactly what the meaning of your work is, and your role as a fine art photographer is not necessarily to make that perfectly clear. You don’t always need to say things clearly, all you need to do is suggest.

What you need to do is create an image that will invite the viewer to research, explore, look for that meaning and interpret it according to his own sensitivity while bringing together his own experiences.

While a good or unexpected composition can be the element of surprise in an image, many times what brings meaning to a photograph is the way we process it. This is where you can intervene to modify and sometimes radically change the reality in the photograph and adapt that reality to the story you want to tell. Most of the time, merely capturing the image will not be enough to add the meaning you want to communicate in its entirety. By modifying what you see in front of you and adapting it to your story, you make more than a photograph, you make a statement about the world.

My experience, which I fully apply to my photography style, is that editing a photograph is where you can truly manifest the meaning you want to give to the image.

When you edit a photograph, you can play with light and shadow when you make black and white photography; you can play with color when you create color photography; you can play with intensity and contrast or with shape and form. You are free to do everything your imagination tells you. You can use different techniques to highlight specific elements in the image that will express the meaning you want to convey. You can transform a capture that may not be more than a good composition of an interesting object or situation into a visual story full of meaning and emotion. All that, done in your digital darkroom. If you ask me, that is your magic power as an artist.

So now you know why I give such importance to post-processing of a photograph and why I am always saying that you need to find your own way of editing a photograph. It gives you freedom as an artist.

As an example of what I mean about transforming a photograph through editing, you can see below the before and the after versions of my image Komorebi III – Inner Light. You can see superimposed the two versions: the image I captured and the processed version and the way the post-processing transformed it.

This image has a particular meaning for me as it was the witness and manifestation of a very powerful existential/spiritual experience I had in this place called Koya San, which is a small town in the mountains in Japan, where you can find some of the most inspiring Buddhist temples and communities. In a way, I can consider this place my spiritual anchor, and I wanted to convey this in the image. Maybe I will tell you the story of this image in more detail in a future article, as an example of creating photography starting from your personal experiences.

CONCLUSION

I hope that my analysis of these first aspects of what transforms photography into art gave you some food for thought that you can use to take your photography further on the path of creating art. I hope it inspired you and that it made you think about your photography and generally about photography in a different way.

If you want to read a related article, this article about the 10 main principles of fine art photography will be an interesting one that will add to the things I analyze here.

In a couple of weeks, I’ll be back with the sequel of this article, where I will talk about a few more characteristics. Some of the characteristics we will be analyzing in the next article will be the following.

Update: If you want to read the second part of this article where I continue talking about the characteristics that turn photography into art, here is a link to it How to Turn Photography into Art. I would recommend you to read it after reading this article which is the first part.

EMOTION

There is no fine art photography without emotion, is there?

SINCERITY

Artistic sincerity is what will help you connect with the viewer.

OBVIOUS-NESS (EVIDENT-NESS)

I’m still working on how to call this concept but the idea is that you need to be clear as far as what you want to express.

CRAFTSMANSHIP

Of course, craftsmanship is fundamental, but why? You will find out why in a couple of weeks.

If you have more ideas about what can make photography art, feel free to share them in the comments for everybody to get more inspiration. And if you’re curious about my further thoughts on this subject and many other photography-related subjects, subscribe to my website and join our community, where we talk extensively about these things.

If you are interested to know more about black and white fine art photography, inspiration, (en)Visionography, long exposure photography, architecture fine art photography, and many other subjects, feel free to read my other tutorials and have a look at my books and courses.