Is photography art?

1. 60

   cindybarrymoreposted 14 years ago

   Is photography art?
   
   If so/not, please support your argument.

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2. 62

   Richard Craigposted 14 years ago

   Yes.  There are many photographic artists that manage to pull out the beauty in strangest of places.  Art is about colour, shapes and emotion.  If a photo can contain that, it is art.

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3. 0

   SilverGenesposted 14 years ago

   I agree with Richard. Art can be created with any medium. If the photographer evokes a response in the viewer by creatively communicating an idea, it is art. We are not talking about simply recording images, but doing it with an eye that understands the medium and manipulates it to create a statement.

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4. 66

   sugzposted 14 years ago

   i have to agree with the other two..
   photography is about seeing through another's perspective the detailed light, shadows luring a stubborn mind to see what it may or generally may not..
   a glimps of something unique that often would not have been portrayed in a single glance.. yet captured for eternity such a statement that makes you go.. ahhh...
   
   photography is one of the strongest most incredible art forms of history... without it, we would have no buildings of ancient times to study for modern architecture, or of children to study playing chasing butterfly's, a ship docking in a storm, a ripple on a pond left by a duck that had managed to score a breadcrumb, an oar that dips gently into a stream as lovers glide effortlessly by..
   
   it causes the imagination to visualise something we all desire.. a piece of beauty.

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5. 60

   justomposted 14 years ago

   Well, it used to be an art and maybe in some cases it still is but digital photography has everyone thinking they are a photographer and an artist without really learning what either means. It's all been diluted.

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   MalcolmKlockposted 14 years ago

   It certainly can be. I mean a point and shoot picture of you and your friends will probably not have much of an artistic interest for people, but something with thought to composition and color and exposure will.
   
   It has as much potential for artistry as any visual artform, and is both conceptual and technical in its execution. I disagree with those who think digital photography has taken the art out of the field, as the rich possibilities for post production work in Photoshop and its ilk is just as artistic a process as toiling with 35mm in a dark room and can produce equally stunning results.
   
   I don't think digital photography has resulted in less artists, it just means that more people (including those without access to a darkroom) can be photographers and try for art.

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7. 69

   FCEtierposted 13 years ago

   Yes, photography is art.  Altering images that began with a photograph is also art.  Some people question the ethics of highly altered images, but whether digital or negative based, the final result is a product of the photographer/artist.
   
   Sure, the availability of digital cameras has put the tools into the hands of more people to become artists, but just because you can punch a hole in a can of paint and drip it onto a canvas, it doesn't make you Jackson Pollock.
   
   Photography is just another medium with which artists work.

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8. 60

   PierAllegroposted 13 years ago

   Photography is painting with light. First of all it is an act of seeing -choosing a subject matter. Then it is an act of interpreting - framing and choosing the right exposure (the combination of aperture and shutter speed) and more. Thirdly, it is the actual finishing work, which is painting with light. The digital technology changed some of the ways of going about it but essentially photography is the art of seeing the world, recording it and transforming its image into a work of art.

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   Sustainable Sueposted 13 years ago

   I was attempting to shoot outdoor Christmas lights last year with my digital camera, looking for something to use as wallpaper on my desktop. I wasn't satisfied at all with what I was getting. The flash made them look flat, but without it the photo was shaky. I finally set the camera on the top of a car to hold it steady and voila! The most beautiful, artistic photo of Christmas lights at night I've ever seen. The car top created a reflection of the lights that could not be duplicated in Photoshop. I took many more as I made my way down the street and was really happy with them.

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    TheMonkposted 13 years ago

    Of course it is! Most of the professional photos you see on magazines and expositions are made. They didn´t happened by chance. The photographer pondered the light, depth of field, composition, pose of the model, etc. Photography goes beyond the simple press of a button.

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