gemlenz Loc: Gilbert Arizona

I belong to a local art club. Every Year they have an art show where you can submit images to be judged for prizes. I am a photographer so most of what I submit is photography.

The problem is that there are people who submit photographs and manipulate them in Photoshop. For example someone takes a flower and distorts it in Photoshop, or changes the original photograph to look like an abstract.

I've asked the group to have more of a distinction between photography and digital art and they asked me to come up with a way to distinguish between the two.

So, I'm throwing it out there to my UHH family to submit your definition/distinction between them.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

here few suggestions
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=difference+between+photography+and+digital+art&oq=differance+between+photography+an+digital+art&gs_l=hp.1.0.0i13i30.1856.30220.0.33381.35.34.0.1.1.0.194.4266.2j32.34.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.2.hp.GResFYUJlSc&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.41867550,d.b2I&fp=4f87d28683822bd8&biw=1366&bih=615

HEART Loc: God's Country - COLORADO

The link might get some surprising views from fellow Hogs on the subject:

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/search.jsp?q=digital+art&u=&s=0

Continued success with your photography!

Acountry330 Loc: Dothan,Ala USA

In my opinion if you distort the image in PS it is digital art.

Trevor Dennis Loc: New Zealand (South Island)

All competitions have rules, and images either comply or they don't. Those rules apply to everyone who enters, and no one has an advantage. If you don't like a particular competition's rules, go enter another one. Don't try and mould the world to your liking.

The PSNZ uses this flickr ID to upload successful national competition entries:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/psnz/

I'd say about 50% are heavily manipulated.

The NZIPP is our professional body, and they have the Iris Awards:

http://www.nzipp.org.nz/nzippweb/Default.aspx?tabid=57

Follow the links and you'll see a similar mix.

It's not about the Photoshop skills. It's about imagination. About seeing the image you intend to create even as you take the original exposure. Or collect a number of images to construct your image.

I have good Photoshop skills. Good enough to have run workshops teaching some of the best photographers in my part of the world on multiple occasions. I can create pretty much anything I can imagine, but I don't have the imagination to visualise the way really good photographers do nowadays. To be fair, they are artists who use photography, but that's OK. If I was better than them I'd win more competitions, but I'm not so I have to suck it up.

Photographer Jim Loc: Rio Vista, CA

In our camera club, the Pictorial category is an open category. Any image, as long as it starts as a photograph is eligible for entry, including images that I would classify as a form of digital art. Composites are not included; they must be entered in the Creative category.

I sell my images at art festivals. I enter shows and market my work under the name of Jim Ludwig Photography and Digital Art. I added the digital art to the name because many of my images are computer manipulated using a graphics tablet in ways that i feel could not be accomplished using traditional darkroom methods. I found that doing so ended customer comments (and attempts to spark a debate) of "yeah, but its not really photography".

Here is an example of one of my "photo-digital art" pieces.

"Ten Dead Soldiers"

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Gem, Jim is correct, I belong to one of his rival clubs. We all enter competitions that eventually get lumped together in all-encompassing competitions. In order to do this, there needs to be a standards set in place for all the catagory definitions. These are spelled out by the "Photographic Society of America", or PSA. All the sanctioned clubs in the USA use the same guidlines. It would behove you to look up their definitions and pass those on to your club. These are the accepted interpretations for all clubs, so that all are on the same page. That's why it's best, when joining a club, to join a PSA club.

Crwiwy Loc: Devon UK

Personally, I like things simple so;
If the image is reasonably close to the original subject I call it Photography.
Otherwise I would call it Photomanipulation of a subject - or Abstract.

I wonder if artists had a similar argument many years ago between the works of say Constable and Picasso?

travelwp Loc: New Jersey

If you look at an image and it looks "natural" to you and you have an impression that under the right conditions you could create the same image with your camera then I think this qualifies as a photo. If the image looks like there is no way to create it with your camera alone, then it's probably digital art.

beautnzphoto

A New Zealand Film Director made a film called Simone the Directors name is Andrew Niccol in the film which asks questions like yours the main character quotes......." Our ability to manufacture fraud has exceeded our ability to detect it"......Personally I use Photoshop to enhance a dull color or use levels to correct contrast or simply to monochrome photo...which is NOT.digital art merely as a correction tool.......once you manipulate a photo by about 15% Which is the same percentage used in legal copyright...then that is Digital Art.....in other words any manipulation of the image over 15% falls into Digital Art...

Rolenz Loc: Tripping around Oz

Make it simple, if it is camera original, only. It is photographic. Otherwise any computer operation involved is digital art. Further to this discussion, is it time to start forming new 'language' for camera/computer details. The camera terms we use have been outdated by the technology we now use. As the camera operators we should be the ones to determine the description of our forms, not the viewers of what we create. My view.

bunuweld Loc: Arizona

Nice manipulation! It reminds me of Cezanne

gonate Loc: sacramento,calif

You dont want to hear my view.

gemlenz Loc: Gilbert Arizona

Where are the PSA definitions?

Photographer Jim Loc: Rio Vista, CA

LOL. It's OK, gonate, I know that not everyone will enjoy any given image I produce, and for a variety of reasons. I usually submit my digital art pieces into my club competitions for the purpose of getting judge and member reactions before submitting them to other competitions or offering them for sale to the public. Often, reaction can be across the spectrum. In this case, the image has won enough competitions and is in my top three images in sales (sold five prints in Sacramento show in Dec, actually) so I'm happy with it, but understand that it might not be everyone's cup of tea. If your comments can add to the discussion concerning what is digital art, please post.