Photography: Telling a Story
It doesn’t matter what artistic profession that you are in. Whether it’s Graphic Design, Illustration, Web Design, etc., the majority of us use photos in our work. We use photography to set a mood, or to tell a story. The saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words, and it’s true. For the sake of art, though, are there any boundaries or rules to the way that we should use photography?
Right off the bat, artists for the sake of art say no. We should be able to manipulate photography and create what ever type of imagery that we choose. We should be able to take our images into Photoshop and do whatever we like to them. Photographers should be able to get the basic idea of an image, and then take it into Photoshop and perfect it. We should be able to paint out any blemishes, fix lighting issues, change colors of eyes, hair, perfect facial features and more. This is fine from a commercial standpoint, where time and money are key factors, but what about the artistic value itself?
Photography purists feel that the image should be perfected as shot, not on the computer or in the lab. They feel as though photography is only considered real photography when someone can capture the right pose, the right lighting, and the perfect moment with the photographic talent, not software. Is this even possible? I can’t imagine trying to create the perfect anything, let alone a photograph. With this argument, it makes photography sound almost impossible. How could someone consistently photograph a subject in the perfect lighting, in the perfect scene, with no blemishes and at the perfect pose? You have so many outside factors to consider, and if you are shooting at a location, it makes it even more difficult. You have to deal with weather and nature and you have to wait for the perfect time of day. Another thing that bothers me about this thinking is where to draw the line. How do you determine what is “Pure photography” and what has been staged? If a photographer uses their own lighting, or their own props, or poses the subject themselves, haven’t they manipulated the scene? What is the difference between posing a person and altering their position inside of Photoshop?
If you go to the extreme on the purist end, then you have to consider the graphic side of the matter. Can something altered to the point that it is no longer recognizable as the original photograph be considered as photography? I would have to say no. It is another form of art. For example, if you choose to photograph a castle, and then take that same castle into Photoshop and make it float and have laser beams coming from the windows, it is no longer photography, it is a fantasy illustration. It may be based off of photography, but a lot of artistic works are these days.
So where do we draw the line? How do we decide what is photography, what is illustration, collage, photo manipulation or something else? Are you a purist? Or do you use all of the tools available in order to create the best piece of work possible?
