Photography or Art?

[Brian]

First, let me say "I enjoy my Post Processing"! I wouldn't be without it.

But I do sometimes wonder where the Photography ends and Art begins. This is a case in point. I took this mediocre photo of the wagon at the local art Gallery/Museum. But I've been playing with pencil effect filters lately and found Topaz Impressions do a pretty good job. Is the result still a photo, or has it transgressed into Art. What do you think?

 

[Brian]

[Guest Judy]

Photgraphy is an Art form, Brian. It is even more so now we have better filters.

When I was doing photography in College I used to draw and paint with developer and fix, sandwich negatives and did  all sorts of other things. I later tutored in creative photography.

 

(contd a  few posts down .....)

 

 

[pdcpic]

Both for me is art. Photography is art, some are better at it than others. And I do like both. you could have gone soo many ways in processing the photo, you have clearly your own style. 
But the way you took the photo in the first place means that you have an artistic view,.. just by seeing something in that trailer.

 

[FUJI]

You have made a great job of transforming the original photograph using Topaz Brian.....

'The result really works to the point where it does look like a study drawn with a pencil.....good on you......

'That then , is a manipulated photograph.......

'A real pencil study, done from life, or, from the original would be tending more towards Art, I think.

 

FUJI

[CanonChrissy]

I agree about photography being art. I belonged to another forum a while back which I left because of nasitiness and whenever this topic arose, the were severely heated arguments and mud slinging.....

 

I love the pencil effect, its different and less run of the mill.

[Guest Judy]

Sorry, I got called away in the middle of my reply and hadn't realised that I'd posted t!

What \I was going to say was that there's a whole range of photographic styles, areas etc., some more processed than others but all have the basic requirement of using light on a sensitive surface to produce an image.

I love your pencil effect, Brian - - it has a sensitivity about it and says what you feel about it..

PS - Polly and I swear by Wacom tablets

 

[THELONGMAN]

With the exception of pure recognition use Photography has always been an art form, right from the start plates and negatives have been manipulated in the dark room, and while I loved that so called purity of creating an image I really do love and embrace all that digital has to offer, from improving an image to a standard or style you of your choice, or as you have done and produce an electronic work of art,  right throughout to total manipulation to create abstract forms. This is not to say that although all cameras will do it for you at the press of a single button, its is still worthwhile controlling your base image yourself with the mazing functions todays cameras can produce, and even after all that it is still down to the creative abilities to "see" or frame a great shot of moment.

 

Geoff

 

[Brian]

Thanks for your input folks. It seems that by and large, we all agree that Photography is Art.  

My view is that the filters are so good that some would not know that a piece was digitally produced. I think that provided the viewer is made aware of this, then that's OK.

[colinb]

A photograph will always be a photograph, a painting will always be a painting.  Art is the ability to convey more than just an image in any form and I think the 'viewer' should be who decides what is and what isn't and all will have different views.

But we should not try to convince people that one is the other - that is not art but fraud.

[Guest Judy]

Found an interesting article for you, Brian ~

https://writingcreativenonfiction.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/essay-the-art-of-photography/

 

[Craftysnapper]

To me photography is art and unless you are doing record photography with a lens that equates to the field of view of the human eye then everything else is a distortion of reality and therefor art.

By the way to be argumentative the definition of a photograph is a image recorded on a light sensitive medium so a sensor fits that bill. But once it is recorded on a inkjet printer or viewed on a computer screen it becomes a digital image.

[Brian]

4 hours ago, Judy said:

Found an interesting article for you, Brian ~

https://writingcreativenonfiction.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/essay-the-art-of-photography/

 

That's a very interesting article, Judy. I think I'll need to re read it tomorrow. Very late now!