To me, photography is a form of art. Art is any product of individual creativity that has the ability to influence and affect the senses and emotions of an audience. Photography, therefore, is art in that it allows a photographer, the artist, to use their own unique creativity and imagination to create an image that appeals to the senses and perspectives of viewers. Photography can capture and create a moment in time in order to document an event or produce a work of art. In capturing an image, there are various elements that need to be taken into account in order for the photographer to be able to create an effective image that will have an impact upon viewing. A photographer must capture in image by choosing and altering a scene, or inserting or removing specific details and objects in a frame of view. In addition, photographers can manipulate elements such as angles and light in order to effectively convey a certain emotion or concept through their image. In this way, photographers are actually creating an image and thus, producing art.
One of the most significant qualities of true art is that it has the ability to communicate something to its audience. Photography is one of the most powerful forms of art in that it is very effective in communicating specific emotions and ideas to its viewers. This is accomplished by the artist manipulating elements such as angle and lighting in order to emphasize certain details of the photo. For example, on exhibition at the MoMA was a photograph captured by Eugéne Druet entitled, The Clenched Hand. Druet’s photo depicts the side view of a sculpture of a contorted hand emerging from a blanket. The dark sculpture of the hand contrasts with the light blanket, which effectively communicates feelings of pain and suffering to viewers. However, not only can art impart certain emotions upon an audience, but it can also communicate certain ideas and concepts that the photographer has intended for his/her viewers to discover. For example, in Josef Koudelka’s France, the photographer depicts a series of statues that display the crucifixion of Christ. In the image, a young boy clings to a statue of the Virgin Mary. Overall, the image communicates the idea of deep religious reverence. Nevertheless, photography is also an impactful art form in that it can be interpreted in various ways by different people. The way a person interprets a photo is dependent on how the image resounds with the viewer.
Although many people believe photography to be technology, I think it is that and more. Photography is art in that it involves some kind of skill and knowledge of elements such as color and lighting from the photographer. To me, technology may only be considered art if someone is able to use that technology with some sort of skill and is able to create something unique and original that will provoke a response in an audience. Overall, I think photography is a very powerful form of art in that it allows an artist the same freedom of manipulation and communication of ideas and emotions as it would a painter or sculptor.
In the visual arts we tend to categorize the artist by the technique he/she uses to create their art: Painter, sculptor, photographer, computer artist. The paint or the brush are not art, just the means to make the painting. The photograph (not photography) can be an art form, like a painting could be one, or the photoshopped image on-line..
The violinist is a performer of the art of music, the violin “technology” (technique) is used to produce sound, and the art of music. The Dancer is the performer of the art of Dance, but since there is no vehicle (unless we refer to the technique used: Ballet, hip-hop), the dancer’s body is the only technology used.
And indeed you are right, what we do with any technique, the idea we use, will dictate if it is indeed art.