Fine Art photography – or how the most important part of an image has nothing to do with reality.
Today’s consumer gives you 3 seconds to grab their attention, and it is likely to be even less on Instagram and the likes, where your audience ‘scrolls’ at record speed through content. The question is: “when they are scrolling, what makes them stop”? What is a, to quote my millennial daughter, a “cool image”? What makes them “step into” that photograph?
Fine art photography – balancing technique and creativity
“Photography is not and has never been a completely accurate representation of reality” (Ansel Adams)
The most important thing in my photography, which I consider fine art photography, is to add drama, to add emotion and to create an illusion that captures the audience’s imagination. This requires a different, artistic mindset. If you feel completely satisfied with being a “technical” photographer and have a lot of confidence in the technical aspects of photography, you may be missing out on the creative aspects of photography. Everyone can master those techniques, but the differentiator lies in the creation, the art of the photo. It is important to learn technics (and I love doing this, I really do), which you can then confidently leverage in your creative process. This will give you so much more satisfaction and recognition.
Using emotion to create fine art photography
To create fine art photography, I try to induce emotion with my audience, sell an illusion, offer the viewer an escape from reality. In architecture photography, this comes often down to ‘taking’ the building out of the boring environment and imagining what the architect wanted to express with his design. Then I start exploring what I can express with it. It’s also important to allow yourself to make mistakes. You will learn from your mistakes, and they will make you better. Let the artist in you take over from the tech photographer
To find out more about fine art photography, or the technical aspects of photography, please do not hesitate to contact me.