Can photography be art?

  • 74 votes.
  • Started by JimKasson on May 6, 2023.
Yes
69 votes, 94% of total.
  • 69 votes, 94% of total.
No
5 votes, 7% of total.
  • 5 votes, 7% of total.
I don't know
0 votes, 0% of total.
  • 0 votes, 0% of total.
  • Members 457 posts
    May 6, 2023, 9:57 p.m.

    The poll asks whether there are photographs that can be considered art,
    The poll does not ask whether the forum members think their photographs are art.

  • Members 1737 posts
    May 6, 2023, 10 p.m.

    This is not a thread about the quality of photographic art. It is a thread about the existence of such art.

  • Members 2287 posts
    May 6, 2023, 10:01 p.m.

    agree, i have yet to anyone on this site post an image they actually made including the subject and the scene.

  • Members 2287 posts
    May 6, 2023, 10:04 p.m.

    im all eyes , no images posted yet.

  • Members 2287 posts
    May 6, 2023, 10:11 p.m.

    I like to put my images where my mouth is. photographic art of just nice images of my daughter.

    kb2.JPG

    kb3.JPG

    kb2.JPG

    JPG, 69.9 KB, uploaded by DonaldB on May 6, 2023.

    kb3.JPG

    JPG, 62.3 KB, uploaded by DonaldB on May 6, 2023.

  • Members 2287 posts
    May 6, 2023, 10:22 p.m.

    photographic art or a good image ? i created the whole image including the subject .
    Im with leeJay show us an image you have actually created.

    kb4.JPG

    kb4.JPG

    JPG, 58.8 KB, uploaded by DonaldB on May 6, 2023.

  • Members 457 posts
    May 6, 2023, 10:23 p.m.

    This may explain it (link):

    Reading comprehension is the ability to understand the text. Comprehension problems result from medical reasons such as dyslexia and ADHD. Poor grasp also happens when you are anxious or when the text you are reading is complex and unfamiliar.
    Other reasons are difficulties recognizing and decoding words, limited vocabulary, and low interest or motivation.

  • Members 2287 posts
    May 6, 2023, 10:40 p.m.

    i always wondered why most people dont post images on a photography forum. you have explained your comprehension skills well.
    Let me explain ,This is a photography forum not a Book Writing forum.

  • Members 143 posts
    May 6, 2023, 10:50 p.m.

    Thankfully, most people are buying mirrorless these days.

  • Members 16 posts
    May 6, 2023, 11:13 p.m.

    Well, to be fair, while some photos can be garbage, so can literature, sculpture, painting, etc.

    ;-)

  • Members 273 posts
    May 6, 2023, 11:14 p.m.

    Why are we thankful for that? I'm out of the market (haven't spent a dollar since 2017) because of mirrorless.

  • Members 273 posts
    May 6, 2023, 11:34 p.m.

    This is one of my most heavily processed pictures. It's a multi-shot HDR heavily processed to make it look as close as I could get it to what I saw through my eyes with binoculars. So, art because it's very heavily processed? Not art because I made it look as realistic as possible? Why?

    photos.imageevent.com/sipphoto/samplepictures/huge/80D__0863-HDR.JPG

  • Members 369 posts
    May 7, 2023, 5:58 a.m.

    Every photo is created by the person who makes it.

  • Members 65 posts
    May 7, 2023, 6:12 a.m.

    From this side of the pond I consider some work by photographers like Julia Margaret Camera through to some of Don McCullin's landscapes and from your side of the pond Vivian Maier is also definitely art.

  • Members 3346 posts
    May 7, 2023, 6:30 a.m.

    I really don't see the point of your comment because there is nothing in any of the images you have posted that proves you actually made them either, including the subject and the scene. I or anyone else could very quickly and easily download those images, change the exif, post them elsewhere and claim I made them.

    What point are you trying to make?

    To make an image of anything, you don't actually have to make that 'anything', obviously!

    Now, whether that image is art or not is subjective and depends on what one considers to be art or not.

  • Members 3346 posts
    May 7, 2023, 6:33 a.m.

    I voted "Yes", it can be which obviously does not mean it always is.

  • Members 2287 posts
    May 7, 2023, 6:44 a.m.

    pushing the shutter button is not creating the image ,its taking the image. its the farthest from photographic art you could get. and i dont call any of my images art.

  • Members 3346 posts
    May 7, 2023, 6:47 a.m.

    That is just an opinion because the photographer might or might not have done a lot of set up and preparation before making the image.

    But then it also depends if someone considers post processing as part of "photography" when answering the poll question "Can photography be art?"

    Personally I do. YMMV 😎