An Artist?

Photography, to many of those behind the lense, is an art form. Encapsulating a moment in time to be interred forever on a snip of film, or space on a hard drive. To just as many however, photography has become an afterthought. Are human lives, our memories, considered art? Are those same photos just projections of moments on a screen or on a piece of glossy paper? The difference is thought.

When we pull our phones out for a shot, do we think? Do we point and shoot, or do we take the moment to line it up, to not just take something, but to capture it. Watch an artist paint a picture, look at the dedication to task that is in their watchful eye, their steady hand creating from thought an image that portrays their imagination. All this being said, anyone can do photography, but can everyone be a photographer? Like an artist, watch a true photographer. Watch them line up a photo, and study the subject in front of them. The difference between someone who does photography and a photographer, is time.

The philosophy of photography is a moment and thought. Like the painter, like the poet, a photographer grafts reality and imagination. Do pictures and paintings often purvey change? Maybe not every time. Making the moment, like the painter, like the poet, like an artist takes effort, concentration, and dedication. Knowing and timing are what makes the photographer, a creator.

What Makes the Difference

In photography, like many art forms in the 21st century, sometimes becomes too perfect. Grown callous to imperfection, we find ourselves wanting more. We crave more than just the perfectly tuned and edited photo. What makes a moment worth recording or remembering with a picture is that it was a natural, real moment, and not necessarily a premade sterile plan. There has to be meaning, a conveyance of emotion and in these photos and moments we can celebrate ourselves, and our art form. Perfect photos don’t always make perfect moments.

When I first picked up a camera, I tried to make sure every little thing was spot on. There were no errors, there was no natural feeling between myself and the subject of my photography There was a just an expectation that something would be made of what we were doing. What makes portrait photography amazing is that connection between the persons both in front and behind the lense. To produce a genuine image, there must be trust.

Art demands a personal connection. When Painting, the artist, whether making a portrait or a beautiful landscape must know the subject of their art and the emotion that the person or thing may evict, there is an expectation that what the artist is doing is worthwhile. Photography should be treated no different that an artist at an easel, we must as photographers or artists take the time and know the person or place we are entrusted to commemorate, and hold steadfast to the expectation that what we do will make memories for generations to come.