What is fine art photography and how does it differ from other forms of photography?
Photography is the art of capturing light, colour and emotion of a single second, sometimes the 1/500th of a second. The worlds first camera in 1816 worked by light exposing a thin piece of silver iodine, treated in a mercury vapour and heated saltwater in a dark room. While through technology advances this is no longer required there is still so much more than simply pressing a button.
Wedding photographers and documentary photographers capture the days as they unfold, Portrait photographers often pose their subjects through flow posing capturing a large number of beautiful images and their subject within a landscape.
So how does fine art photography differ from portrait photography? When I first started following this path I too had this question. Turns out there isn’t really a defined and clear answer, because I guess art is subjective to the viewer and the creator.
Personally the difference is the intent and vision. Where a portrait photographer will capture the subjects as they are within the landscape, a fine art photographer has a vision, a purpose, a story or a reason behind each individual image or series of images.
Take the above image as an example, Mum wanted to remember her children playing together, she wanted her children to remember they had a beautiful childhood.
Fine art photographers are often called story tellers, because they listen to their clients as they share their life and experiences. They ask their clients if there is a particular message or meaning they would like to convey through their images. Perhaps it is a memory, an emotion they want to convey, a particular characteristic they want to preserve for all of time.
A substantial amount of time is dedicated to designing the details and specifics of each and every image.
Including:
Creating poses to convey the emotions,
Styling to create a cohesive look
Drawing out specific story details, grandma’s scarf, favourite foods, cultural specific and important items, heirlooms,
Creating props and backdrops that set a storybook, timeless scene.
Fine art Photographers will photograph until every detail is perfect.
Editing each image with timeless and exquisite design.
Finally the end product. I started by saying that Fine Art is the vision and intent behind each image, right down to the material that
images are printed on is considered when creating these masterful photographs.
Timeless, heirloom images should last a lifetime. They should become their own heirloom to be handed down. The HD Fine Art matted archival prints from Graphistudios provide a timeless, vibrant and aesthetically pleasing print with a lifetime quality.
in closing, fine art photography is deeply rooted in the vision, intent and story being conveyed through vibrant and emotive imagery.
