Fine art photography was first introduced to me when I started photography years ago & found the work of Erich McVey & Jose Villa mesmerising.
It was something in the simplicity, minimalism & aesthetic of film that drew me in but I still couldn’t really give a good definition.
Now, years later through active engagement with the medium of photography I can say how I define fine art.
Fine art to me is finding a meaning or value to convey through a photo.
Sometimes it’s setting up an image to produce a predetermined meaning.
Sometimes it is recognising when something meaningful is happening in front of you & having your shit together enough with your gear to take a photo in a way that doesn’t get in the way of that meaning. This is what you’d call photojournalism.
These are moments that happen in front of me & as a photographer, my job is to notice them.
Black & white photos are a really good at making that meaning become clearer. I never send a whole gallery in black & white. There are some images that call out to be turned black & white. Like this one
And this one...
These are the ones that normally tell me their name too…
I consider myself incredibly lucky to have found an occupation that in order to become really good at it - you have to become really good at recognising meaning.
This is what photography is to me. Translating meaning through a still image of life happening in front of me.
It is a very beautiful way to not only look through the lens but to go through life