Fine Art and Photography

Learn from Fine Art Masters

Fine art and photography have a close relationship to one another. There is, of course, the question of whether photography is a fine art. That debate, though, belongs on a philosophical website. Instead, ImproveYourDigitalPhotography cares about what you can learn from the fine artists who have created images without the aid of the camera.

The introduction to Photo Critique and CSE described photography as "painting with light." That leads to the question, "what is the relationship between photography and painting?"

Painting and photography

Technically, the two media, art and photography, couldn't be further apart. Where a digital photograph can be recorded in an instant and printed in a matter of minutes, painters spend weeks and months to create a single painting. While both photographs and paintings may be matted and framed, the painted surface is often rich in layers and texture that gives it added depth. In contrast, your printed photographs are smooth and rely entirely on color and contrast to give the image depth.

But, the final products are remarkably similar. Despite the radical difference in technical approach, both media produce two-dimensional images. They both may be realistic or abstract. And, they both exhibit many similar visual qualities:

• Image balance, perspective, and composition
• Focus and sharpness
• Light, shadow, color, and contrast.

The guiding principles for good image composition and image balance, such as when to follow the rule of thirds and when to rely upon symmetry, had their start well before the advent of photography. Yet, they apply equally well to both mediums.

Painting with pigment and painting with light share many of the same challenges. This is true not only for composition, the subject of this page, but also for the use of light (exposure) and detail (sharpness). The examples on these art and photography pages are intend to show how artists from different time periods use image composition rules to best advantage.

These "photographic" concepts are all evident in paintings ranging from modern works to classical art dating from early Renaissance and before. To learn more, investigate these examples:

	Perspective in Composition Learn about the introduction of perspective into works of art in the fifteenth century and how to take advantage of perspective in your own images.
	The Rule of Thirds in Fine Art Learn about the introduction of the Rule of Thirds into artistic composition.
	Photo Sharpness and Fine Art Learn about classical approaches to focus and depth of field.
	Romeo and Juliet Teach Photo Composition Learn how multiple compositional techniques draw your eye to Juliet