Fine art photography fundamentally centers around bringing life to a subject through photographs that only exist within the artist's mind and emotions, using the camera to express a feeling or a message.Â
Here’s the 5 most important fine art photography tips to get you started.
1. Show, Don’t Tell
This is an expression most commonly used for writers. But it can be applied to fine art photography as well. The emotional response that a viewer can have is regarded as a key-stone in fine art photography. It’s what helps them connect.Â
Put your unique vision into creating photographs that will associate with your crowd, captured at a very specific moment in time. Try to capture the abstract details, the textures, patterns etcetera.Â
If you’re into a painterly approach, exhibit your emotions by using vibrant colors and blend them with warmer and brighter tones to match the mood.Â
2. Be VulnerableÂ
The most important trait all fine art photographers share is the willingness to get personal with a unique perspective. It’s often the most personal and vulnerable art that moves the audience.Â
Don’t be afraid to shine a light on the hidden and mysterious parts of yourself.Â
Continuously push boundaries and discover new facets, you’d be amazed at how much you find about yourself in such powerful ways through art.Â
But that doesn’t mean that you have to reinvent everything. You simply need to be vulnerable enough to put everything on the line. And what that means is, if you capture a photograph that can reveal a part of your soul, who you are, and can make you feel scared in a way that makes you stand with pride. This is the point at which you realize, you've struck gold.
3. Take Inspiration and BuildÂ
While fine art photography is highly personal, that doesn't necessarily mean that you can’t take inspiration. There is a huge number of compelling fine art photographers that you can take inspiration from.Â
And nowadays, you can access millions of such samples with just a single Google search. Take your time to understand the ideas and techniques used by some of the magnificent fine art photographers like Josefine Hoestermann, Gina Vasquez, Luke Sharrat, and many more.Â
Practice reliably and build your assemblage of work. Having a collection of such samples of your work will help you understand and refine your slip-ups.
Sometimes just one image is not enough to convey the message. Having a decent body of work or a collective of at least 10-15 photographs will help your viewer understand your perspective.
Which will help you connect with other people and find it easier to open up and share your emotional photographs. When you start seeing the world through that vision, you will find inspiration and beauty in everything.
4. Create A StatementÂ
You might wonder what an artist's statement is. It is just a two-liner for the photograph overview. Explaining a bit about how the ideas and techniques were blended to create the picture.
Artist statements are typically mandatory for professional spaces such as galleries and museums. But it helps for informal and personal projects as well.Â
If you’re struggling to clear your mind and finding it hard to focus, having an artist statement can help significantly. It can minimize all the other distractions and help you focus on the main task.Â
Plus it can help your brand or project look more professional. You don’t need to write essays or any of the technical jargon. Just a 2-3 line statement works perfectly fine.
5. Alter RealityÂ
Fine art photography is all about the artist and the artist's vision. You can utilize it anyhow you like. Utilize various techniques and tools to create a unique photograph emphasizing your message.Â
Many top fine art photographers use the shutter speed adjustment technique to alter reality. It’s a very specific type of camera trickery followed by editing and processing. Mainly used for candid photographs.Â
For example, when people are bustling during a rush hour to get to their locations and their guards are down, that’s when you click a picture to emphasize the lonely nature of the metro lives.
A fast shutter speed of somewhat 1/200 of a second will freeze the movement. Turn it too slow and it will add a touch of calmness to the scene. You can utilize this technique for pretty much anything. Moving cars, moving people, rushing water, ocean, rain, etcetera.Â
Taking an ordinary scene or an object and transforming it into something that people are not used to witnessing in real life is how you create meaningful fine art photographs.
Final Thoughts
Fine art photography goes beyond the camera lens. The artist's interpretation of a certain situation or an object is what conveys the message through the photographs.Â
While taking the best shots is certainly priority number 1. You need to be able to do a tad bit of everything to make the most of your efforts. Whether it’s processing, editing, tools, etcetera.Â
Presenting your photographs in a body of work along with your artist statements is not only professional but conveys your emotions and message more efficiently. And the best way to do that is by training your vision to bring out something amazing from conventional situations.