After a couple of weeks of reading about the basic principles of art I have not found it easy to see how these can used to create a "better or more artistic" photograph. I have started to think I should concentrate on reading articles about composition and ones by highly regarded photographers whose work I like. I have found lots of good articles on Facebook and also found that I can read a digital Amateur Photographer Magazine for free by using my Library Subscription. Maybe I will return to basic principles later in my journey.
Re Part 4
ReplyDeletePhotography is recognised as art, but personally I can separate the two i.e. If one draws and paints then one is an artist. If one takes a photograph, then one is a photographer. Words and medium separate the two. If the artist and photographer work side by side in order to produce a picture of the same composition, the results will be similar but not the same. The artist will create from scratch his or her interpretation of what he or she sees by way of colour and texture over a period of time. We photographers on the other hand capture the scene in a fraction of a second and do not have the ability to place any radical changes of our photograph until we place it on the computer for editing. Our mediums are completely different yet we are legitimately in our own right artists. We both produce a pictures.
Time separates the photographer from the painter. Photographers capture a moment in time whereas painters view an ever changing scene and can choose which moments to to freeze in time. The line is blurred a bit because photographers have the possibility of modifying their negative whether physical or digital before producing the final image.
DeleteOne real problem in reproducing a scene using any medium is the fact that the human brain directs the eye of the viewer to flit around the scene viewing individual elements in sequence adjusting focus and exposure every time. When viewing a photograph or a painting the viewer can only look at what is there on the page, frozen in time.
One big question is . what is Fine Art Photography?
"What is Fine Art Photography"?
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine-art_photography
In summary :-The goal of fine-art photography is to express an idea that ONLY exists in the photographers mind.
DeleteThat is exactly my interpretation. That then leads me to wonder, why have a category labeled 'Fine Art'?
ReplyDeleteUnlike fine dining which as we know, can justify that label in it's own very distinctive culinary way. Where as 'The Sunday Roast' for me has the label 'wholesome food'.
Would you then agree with me with the following example?
An artist such as Wassily Kandinsky recognized as a famous Russian painter creates a master piece called 'Cossacks' which is categorized in the world of art as abstract. Who decided that this masterpiece is abstract? I very much doubt that Wassily Kandinsky at the time was familiar with the term 'Fine Art'. As I now understand it unless I have it wrong, Cossacks could be categorized as 'Fine Art'.
For the life of me I cannot see how the Cossacks painting has any relation to the Cossacks. I just see a random colourful design, design being my choice of word. In my opinion Cossacks has no true skill.
I am not sure if I have explained myself clearly enough for you to understand how I see and categorize art.
I have looked at the painting (for the first time).I see an electric kettle, a jumbled city scape, a surface to air missile fired from mountains and a pair of eye lashes. All things not around in the early 20th Century.I see no Cossacks!I would agree it being put into the category abstract and it is not at all unpleasant.I call it an arresting image because it grabs my attention and makes me want to look again and again.I see no Cossacks.
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