Can you see the difference...

There are so many different types of photography out there today. Each type captures a different part of our life. To name a few we have: landscape or scenic, still life, portraiture (this would include things like your wedding photos or visiting your local portrait studio), or photo journalism (found primarily in your news paper or news like magazine). Someone once said to me that not all photography is art - this set me back for a moment as I needed to take some time to think about this and even ask the question - "Is their a difference?" I am happy to say that after looking over some of the different pieces I've seen I can still say that all photography is art. Here is why I think so.

I've included a few examples of different types of photography. They are all of different subject matter. But now I ask you the reader, "Is any one of these pieces not art? Can you see the difference? How are they the same?"

Let's answer these together. First I believe that they are all art. I didn't include any photojournalism as this is not my strong area, however I do include it as art. You see art is not whether it looks good on a wall. Art will tell a story, even encourage one to use their imagination. Take the picture to the left here. Do you look at it and say, "Oh, that's kinda cool" and just leave it at that? Or do you look again later and ponder things like "I wonder what she's thinking about?"

So is their a difference between these three photos? The obvious answer is yes; but why are they different? What makes them unique to themselves? The first picture of the sunset I'll admit has to do with timing. The colors change so fast at sunset you do need to be ready and have an idea of what you want your finished product to look like. However, it falls into the category of landscape/scenic. This is art because it takes time to compose the view you want to show. And how about the angle it was taken at? I could go on and on, but I won't right now. The second picture is under the category of portraiture. Not all portraits are taken in a studio. Studio portraits though take just as much time and creativity as those in natural habitat. Some would say it takes more. And finally this last photo to the right. I have to say this is an area I like to play with. You see I am a portrait photographer in a family studio and I don't get to do this kind of work as much as I would like to. Still life takes the most time of them all. You see not only do you have to decide on what your subject is, but you also have to decide on how you are going to set up the entire piece. You ask yourself, "What message do I want to send to the viewer?" You take about three to four times more time just dreaming, conceiving and setting up the "pose" than you do making the image with your camera.

But are the same too? Yes, in their differences they are still art.