There is a huge discussion/argument in the art community as to if photography is real art. Consider that a painter takes a long time to bring forth something with brushes and paint. Sculptors work very hard taking an odd shaped something and find inside of it some new incredible shape.
Recently I heard a discussion about photography and fine art. The presenter had a very interesting pairing of words that I think embrace the difference if photography is art. My take on the words is creator vs technician. I think these two words fully embody the tension in the discussion. But what do the words mean? What do they communicate in the discussion of art and photography?
Well what is a technician? A technician is the photographer that can manipulate the camera to get the settings right. They can get the proper exposure. They also might know how to set up lights in a particular setup, typically a standard setup like three point lighting or clam shell lighting. They can go outside to take a landscape and do X, Y, and Z and pull off a shot. The technician can do very formulaic work. They can pull off senior portraits all day long. They can do landscapes easily. But there is nothing unique that someone else could not easily do as well. It is hard to tell who did the photo because it looks like something a lot of people do.
Recently I heard a discussion about photography and fine art. The presenter had a very interesting pairing of words that I think embrace the difference if photography is art. My take on the words is creator vs technician. I think these two words fully embody the tension in the discussion. But what do the words mean? What do they communicate in the discussion of art and photography?
Well what is a technician? A technician is the photographer that can manipulate the camera to get the settings right. They can get the proper exposure. They also might know how to set up lights in a particular setup, typically a standard setup like three point lighting or clam shell lighting. They can go outside to take a landscape and do X, Y, and Z and pull off a shot. The technician can do very formulaic work. They can pull off senior portraits all day long. They can do landscapes easily. But there is nothing unique that someone else could not easily do as well. It is hard to tell who did the photo because it looks like something a lot of people do.
So what is a creator then? A creator is someone that has a concept in their mind. They might start with inspiration from another photographer or a famous painter maybe. Then they take that inspiration and reach inside their mind to develop the idea into a new different image or concept. They then work with models and makeup artists, hair stylists and set designers maybe. Eventually they come up with a unique and different image. One of the biggest complements I can get is that people can tell out of a group of photos which ones I did because they can tell my style. Another complement is when another photographer tells me they are impressed with something I did and how they struggle with trying to get something like that. So a creator is someone that masters the technical then is comfortable enough with their tools that they can use those tools to create something new and different and interesting.
One thing I love is working with other creatives. The photos in this blog post were created at an incredible studio space in Grand Rapids called Madd Hatts and is part of GRvintage Thrift. I got to work with Perian who did wonders helping set up the "stage" for the shoot. I was able to work with a number of incredible models in both shoots. We had some incredible makeup artists and hair stylists. Some models I had worked with in the past. Angela Pearl had the initial idea for the Alice in Wonderland themed shoot and was in a number of the shots as the Queen of Hearts. Angela and I have worked on things several times. Taryn, Paul and I have worked together before too. Others, like Jesten, Chelsea, Roger, and Candy were new to me in these shoots. They all did wonderful. Behind the scenes were so many others too. To have wonderful creatives working on the project just gives a certain energy that everyone can feed off to build incredible images.
You don't have to go as extreme as I have in these photos. You can bring the same intense creativity to portraits or to nature photos. What the best thing you can do is to take time to look through paintings by famous artists. Look at how they do landscapes. Look how they paint flowers. Find the artists you like the most. Is it Van Gogh? Maybe you prefer Renoir or Manet or Monet (yes those are two different artists). Wanna get crazy? Then take a look at surrealists like Salvadore Dali. Also do a Google search for fine art photographers. How are they doing their work? How do they light it? How do they process it afterwards?
Another thing is to start shooting things other than what you normally shoot. Be willing to stretch into new places. And for models that might be reading this figure out how you can go for it too! Take a look at the photo of Chelsea as a mad hatter. She wore me out with intense and incredible poses. She took the character and took it to the edge. In the process she created memorable! The worst thing that can happen in being creative is to be tentative. Tentative will give weak images or performances. So go out and don't be tentative. Go out and be great.
Another thing is to start shooting things other than what you normally shoot. Be willing to stretch into new places. And for models that might be reading this figure out how you can go for it too! Take a look at the photo of Chelsea as a mad hatter. She wore me out with intense and incredible poses. She took the character and took it to the edge. In the process she created memorable! The worst thing that can happen in being creative is to be tentative. Tentative will give weak images or performances. So go out and don't be tentative. Go out and be great.
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