Photography did not used to be considered an art form, compared to mid-century and contemporary art. After all, in its earliest years, it was mostly rather rudimentary in its execution. In today’s usage, it is something that has certainly changed quite drastically.
Today, we wanted to place a bit more focus on the topic of photography as art. We’ve received quite a few questions about which particular components matter most if you’re making photographs specifically for art. We asked some of the professional hobbyists and these are a few of what they had to say:
Composition
The term ‘composition’ is a rather catch-all word for everything that you could use to make a photograph look its best. This will have to do with the angling, the temperature of the shot, the lines that you take advantage of, and so many other things.
The composition of the shot will greatly determine how much drama you can add to it. If you’ve ever seen a place look bigger than it actually is, you can highly thank the composition of the shot for that. Composition is all about what you want to place your focus on and how you are going to make sure that your photo is able to convey it and highlight it to its best capacity.
Lighting
One of the principal components of an artistic photo would be the lighting. It greatly affects what sort of emotion will be conveyed by the shot that you’re taking. For example, if you’re thinking of conveying something that is happy, the lighting should suggest that with warm or bright tones and hues.
If you happen to create a “happy” photo which has dark or even menacing hues, an odd disconnect between the subject and the message ensues. Lighting is something that is always worth paying attention to. If there is too much light, it can over saturate the shot and ruin an otherwise good subject.
Subject
Every photo needs a subject. Basically, what you are planning to use as the focal point of your photo is your subject. It can be scenery, an object, a person, or even another piece of art. Photography is a great artistic tool because it is not restricted by its medium.
To Wrap Things Up
Components matters a lot in photographs. You can have a rather mundane subject but if you compose it right, you get some pretty interesting and wholly captivating images. One of the reasons why photography is one of the more popular forms of art is the fact that it is highly accessible to a great number of individuals.
Have you tried your hand at photography? Which components would you say matter most in making artistic photographs?