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Marcin Krawczyk – upside down, completely different :-) It’s not a memory it’s something the photographer thought about and then executed artfully.įilip Patock – just married – still life photography They show a special location, dish, or moment in time the photographer wanted to capture and share.īy contrast, in fine art food photography, the photographer’s imagination is clearly evident in the picture. Are you taking the still life picture because the subject is special, and you want to show it to others? Or are you experimenting with an idea or technique to create art?įor instance, you can find countless images of food on Instagram, but the majority are spontaneous and documentary in style. The difference is, again, the purpose of the photo and the importance of the subject. Still life photography is another genre with a large gray area between fine art and documentary photography. Isabella Mariana – My fears are surrounding me Heather Graves – -25/365 Project- Darkness is here- Self Portrait The difference is that a conceptual portrait represents a specific idea, such as fear or curiosity, while a fine art portrait may have no specific meaning.įor more inspiration, check out these 40 outstanding examples of conceptual photography. However, fine art is a broader category than conceptual photography not all fine art is conceptual, though all conceptual photos are fine art.Ĭonceptual pictures may also resemble fine art portraits. For this reason, the two are often confused or used interchangeably. Just flip through some high-end fashion magazines to see this!Ĭonceptual photography is, by definition, a type of fine art. Unless the shoot is highlighting clothes and accessories instead, fashion photography tends to cross over into fine art photography. This focus on art is perhaps most clear in fashion photography, where the models’ personalities are often irrelevant and eclipsed by the concept of the shoot. They’re a good example of how important the photographer’s vision is in fine art.
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For instance, look at these faceless portraits by Patty Maher. The art you want to create – your ideas – are more important than the model’s personality. In fine art portraiture, it’s the reverse. You’re trying to highlight their personality rather than develop your own ideas and art. However, with documentary-style portraits, creative planning is focused on the model’s identity. Most portrait shoots require some creativity and forethought.
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The party may have no significance to you beyond that idea or the imagined picture you’re creating. On the flip side, if you’re photographing the party because you see an opportunity to develop an idea or create something you’ve imagined, then the art is more important.
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In this case, it’s documentary photography. If it were a different party with no significance to you, you wouldn’t take the photo. When you’re taking a photo, ask yourself, “What’s more important, the subject or the art?” Obviously, both are important, but which one inspired you to take the photo?įor example, if you’re photographing a birthday party because it looks cool and you want to remember it, or because you want to share pictures of it with others, then the subject is more important. Here’s one way to simplify the fine art versus documentary question. Giuseppe Milo – Girl on Garda lake – Sirmione, ItalyĪsk Yourself This Question Before You Capture The Shot For instance, if you care about aesthetics and photojournalism, how do you know when you’re creating fine art versus documentary photos? Documentary and fine art photography are clearly different in theory, but in practice, there’s a large gray area.
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