Fine Art Photography. Who me?
Here's the Place to Find Out

I'm not sure what the definition of "Fine Art Photography" is, but as a wise person once said, "I know it when I see it."

I think creating Fine Art Photography has something to do with seeing in a way that's not ordinary ... something to do with feeling, first, the desire to interpret a scene or an object (or an idea) in your unique way, and second, developing the technical skills that must go along with the aesthetic sensibility to produce a piece that is singularly "yours."

And, finally, wanting to share your vision, your particular way of seeing, with others.

At various times in my "artistic" life I've been a songwriter, a novelist, a humor essayist, a poet, a sculptor ... and a photographer.

Today, I seem to have left all those others behind.

And I expect to spend the rest of my days trying to live up to the Fine Art Photography side of me ... although I reserve the right to jump back into any one of those other disciplines whenever I choose.

Actually, I've recently decided that calling myself a "fine art photographer" isn't really accurate either. Because the work I'm currently doing is more "image making" than photography. So I've started calling myself an "Image Maker."

Why the distinction? What's wrong with being a photographer?

Clearly, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. But we're living today in a world where photography is being called into question simply because the growing use of digital cameras and computers running image management software is causing many people to question the "integrity" of the images they see - especially in the realms of photojournalism and news.

I had a conversation recently with a friend who's been a newspaper photographer for many years. Of course he and his fellow staff photographers all use digital cameras. He told me that if any one of them should ever be caught "manipulating" an image they submitted for publication they would be dismissed immediately.

That's as it should be.

An "Image Maker," or fine art photographer, on the other hand, labors under no such restrictions, as long as he or she doesn't put forward a "photograph" claiming that it is "pure." Because when it comes to the art of image making we obviously include painters, sculptors, and the like - in fact, all the forms of artistic expression that have been celebrated throughout human existence.

I don't do photojournalism. I create images - first in my mind's eye (Ansel Adams called it "pre-visualizing), and then using a digital camera to capture the information before me with as much skill and accuracy as I can muster.

Once I download the original image into the computer, I open it in Adobe Photoshop to analyze it for quality and usability, make cropping and density adjustments as I see fit, and then do all I can to optimize it - according to MY idea of what I want it to look like.

Many of my images are pretty much realized and completed "as is." I'm good at that. After all I've been serious about taking photographs for more than thirty years - I should certainly know how to use the tools by now!

But if an image I've "captured" photographically could also be realized in a different mode - as, for example, a black and white photo, or sepia toned, re-colorised, converted to an "etching" or made to look like an old style black and white photo that's been hand-painted - well, as an "Image Maker" I can do it.

Today's technology makes it possible. My creative senses make it interesting. And my imagination makes it FUN!

So call it Image Making or Fine Art Photography. I suppose it really doesn't matter.

What does matter is that you enjoy it and get as much creative satisfaction out of it as you want.

I have a couple of companion sites where you can take a look at some of my work - other than those images I've embedded in these pages.

One is a special web page I created recently to feature a series of 8x10 images I'm calling "Escapes ... In My Own Backyard."

Fine Art Photography - "Escapes"

My two Shutterfly fine art photography galleries can be found here: Shutterfly/Hawaii

... and here: Shutterfly/Flowers

And - my most recent venture - a brand new Shop at Cafepress - posters, framed prints, calendars, mouse pads and mugs - all featuring some of my very best images.

Just click on the box below:

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