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What is Fine Art Photography

by Anna Lens

What is Fine Art Photography?

Inquiring minds want to know. In a world where everything seems to be labeled as fine art, what's the difference between regular art and fine art? Especially when it comes to photography.

When you think of fine art, you probably think of someone wearing white gloves, in a fancy gallery depicting the work.

The main difference between art, and fine art, is purpose. Anyone can grab a camera and fire the shutter of whatever's in front of them. Sometimes you might get a nice picture, sometimes it looks worse than the way it does in real life.

Fine Art Photographers have an idea behind it, perspective, a message. The artist is creating an emotion, feeling, and capturing it in a way that makes it stand out to the viewer on purpose.

It's the same thing as an artist writing a song. You can write a song about absolutely anything, and use words that rhyme so it sounds good enough.

The musician that writes a song from the heart and means something to them is going to hit you in a way the other wont. It's the same thing with fine art photography.

Each time I pick up my camera I know I want to tell a story through it, or capture a feeling instead of just capturing something that looks nice.

Fine Art should speak to you, connect with you, and make you want to look at it over and over again. It earns a place in your heart and in your home.

In addition to that, fine art should be a completely different product in terms of quality. It's easy to order something from "Fine Art America," where the quality is virtually non existent, despite their name. My fine art photographs are made from the highest quality materials, and are of the same quality to which you would find in a museum.

There's no worse feeling than ordering something that looks of quality online, and when it arrives you think about just dumping it in the trash.

Fine Art America sells cheap artwork and the quality is...well you get what you pay for.

Fine Art Photography elevates the setting it's in. It can define a room, or enhance it. My awarded photograph "Power" transforms the walls it is displayed on, and creates a certain energy in the room. It's one of my favorites, one that I get lost in each time I look at it.

Art created without thought behind it...is there a point? Just because something looks nice, doesn’t mean that there’s any thought that goes into it. If no thought goes into it, I find it hard to believe much thought will come out of it.

Fine Art should have be a viewing experience. When you look at it, you should get lost in it for a moment. And you should be able to have the same feeling or emotion evoked time and time again, without it ever getting old.

Your art should transport you to another place.
Take you away from reality for just a second, and take you where you need to go.

It’s exciting to find a piece of art that speaks to you. You can’t help but look at it, memorizes the details, and find new ones each time you look. It’s a total experience that happens in just a few seconds. Much like a dream.

What about the quality?

I believe there should be a massive difference between fine art photography pieces and regular prints.

There are many places you can go that will say they are selling “museum quality” works. The easiest way to figure out if it actually is, is to see if they are mass producing artwork. Places like art.com and Fine Art America mass produce art at an extraordinarily cheap price. They can easily pump out tens of thousands of pieces of art each day. There is no way these pieces are museum quality when produced at that quantity at that price.

While there is nothing wrong with buying generic art of mediocre quality, ask yourself if you’d rather have average pieces of art on your walls, or a few museum quality fine art pieces.

I always say surround yourself with beautiful treasures.

I would rather have one amazing treasure, than a bunch of junk.