Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

I happened to see an example just now when browsing newest pictures. It's the flag photo by user Patography in this link: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-717040-7.html#12669512

The photo is not about the U.S. flag IMO. It's about a unique pov of a recognizable subject, with the colors all the more eye-catching due to the white of the rest. I call that an artistic interpretation.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Art of any kind is intentional. It has purpose, a statement behind it perhaps, or it evokes emotions. It is crafted, too, in a way that contributes to its message or impact.

Some photographs have purposes completely separate from "being art." Maybe they are simple product illustrations or instructional photos for procedures or training materials. Some photographs are just random snapshots with no particular purpose other than a reasonable likeness of a person or a place or a thing. They may or may not be artful or considered art. They may be as documentary as forensic evidence, yet have no artistic intention whatsoever.

I think the context of "artistic photography" most often implies an artful purpose. The photographer sets out deliberately to compose and to capture and to craft an image that draws the viewer in and rivets attention, if only for a moment.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Yeah, she did a great job of noticing and capturing and composing that.

I remember my mentor back in the '80s saying, "Long shot, medium shot, closeup, bird's eye view, worm's eye view, lighting contrast, color contrast, compositional style, and expressed visual attitude or point of view..."

He was trying to tell me to burn more film on an assignment so he, as a page designer, had choices.

srt101fan

srt101fan

Thanks for the link, lotsa good stuff there for sure.

UHH members, when viewing a posted photograph, often use "artistic" in their comments. I wonder what they have in mind when they judge an image that way.

srt101fan

Even though there's an element of truth in the comment by wide2tele that you are addressing, your take is a bit too cynical for me...

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

You're right -a snapshot can be used to describe street photography, and sports/political/catastrophe reportage, event, paparazzi, and other forms of shooting that are impromptu (unplanned), staged to appear to be impromptu, grabshots, etc. I never bought into the aesthetic myself. I came into photography in 1966, so I was 3 years (plus) behind people like Garry Winograd - who I believed was more of a documentarian with impeccable darkroom technique.

srt101fan

We keep stumbling over definitions, don't we? I agree with your "value added" concept but it does introduce another definition problem....

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Tricky little blighters, aren't they? You can call anything you want "art" and argue that you have every right to do so.

Landscapes are and were a common subject for painters, and most would agree that a painting of a landscape could and should be called art, but what about a landscape photo? Ditto for portraits, and the list probably goes on. Photography has so many uses, and artistic expression is just one of them.

If you're looking for a differentiator, my suggestion would be not just intention but more specifically the intention to make some sort of a statement. Some photos weren't intended to be works of art but were chosen after the event to be offered as works of art. The intention to create a work of art wasn't there at the beginning but the act of offering such a photo as a work of art means that the person promoting the photo is using it to make some kind of a statement.

I can't think of any manifestations of art that don't involve making some sort of statement one way or another, although having said that, it's true to say that in some cases the statement can be lost in obscurity. Alternatively the statement may be so simple and self-evident it may not be immediately identifiable as a statement - for example the exponent of the work of art may simply be saying "This is my idea of beauty and I want to share it with you".

cmc4214 Loc: S.W. Pennsylvania

Whether or not something is "Art" is in the eye of the beholder.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Artistic photography is photography created in line with the vision of the photographer as artist, using photography as a medium for creative expression. The goal of artistic photography is to express an idea, a message, or an emotion. This stands in contrast to representational photography, such as photojournalism, which provides a documentary visual account of specific subjects and events, literally representing objective reality rather than the subjective intent of the photographer; and commercial photography, the primary focus of which is to advertise products, or services.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

I have to be honest, I am a little confused when it comes to appreciate art. Perhaps I do not really know what is indeed artistic. I like the definition of using photography in a creative way but believe me, I have seen what I believe are ridiculous shots called art.
The last image posted by Linda to my understanding is photographic art as I understand it and I want to repeat that I do not really know what art is but I call it art when it is not an ordinary picture and the creativity of the photographer is evident. In Linda's image I see a pattern of repetition broken with the inclined pole. That is a common practice in photography and it always catch the eye. Her image works very well for me.

Perhaps I will understand "art" in photography before I die.

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

It's those "Many are culled and fewer chosen" and one thing it should be but usually isn't is its ViewtyFull.

Iron Sight Loc: Utah

Ineffable\in-EFF-uh-bul\ adjective. 1 a : incapable of being expressed in words

traderjohn Loc: New York City

No. One is a painting, the other is a photograph. Produced and enhanced by various software and editing programs developed by another person's genius. All you do is move various sliders to make something look better than the picture you took.