Photography has become an essential part of our lives, with smartphones coming with cameras, social media, virtual meetings, and our desire to capture every important moment. In the article, we will discuss photography, its journey, and how it makes one express themselves.
In simple terms, photography is the process of capturing light through a device called a camera to form an image. The first cameras in history may have been used for documentation of life or objects. But modern-day photography has risen above this and its artistic capabilities are being explored.
Is it even art? Why and why not?
For long photography has not been considered Art, or just a visual Art. Let’s be a devil’s advocate and discuss both sides of the argument. Those on the opposite side say that photography captures reality, thus there is not much artistic value to it. The second argument is that multiple copies can be made of a photo whereas a painting or other form of art is one of a kind piece and cannot be replicated thus more valuable.
The notion that photography does nothing but just capture objective reality is reductive of photography as an art. A photo can tell a story, capture a moment in time, push the bounds of objective reality and it can evoke emotions. The sheer amount of artistic choices a photographer has to make: subject, lighting techniques, camera framing, lens choice, symbolism, technical settings, post-processing among other things make it no less than other forms of art.
Photography: Art or Science
When the question comes up, of whether professional photography is more of an Art or Science, um we would say both. It can be said that photography employs science in the creation of art. The science of photography is the physical operation of the camera, lighting adjustments, etc. The science part is about how to capture the shot and the art part is about what to capture. Present-day art galleries and museums exhibit photographic artworks.
It must be noted that though painting or sculpting or any other form of art needs some amount of inborn talent (genius), any person with a camera and with a story in their heart can capture a fantastic image. Even most photos on the internet, memes, videos, etc were not shot in studios with light settings and leisure at hand but by common people with a camera in hand. The contributions of photojournalists, sports photographers, and fashion photographers cannot be ignored, they have changed perceptions and brought revolutions.
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