The 1st Fine Art Photograph Beleived to be Taken

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Ist Fine Art Photograph Ever Taken

When did Fine Art Photography begin, and who was credited ? 

 

Alfred Stieglit's photograph of 'The Steerage' in 1907 is considered by many historians to be the most important photograph ever made. Stieglitz was notable for introducing fine art photography into museum collections.

Any one of us could pick this photo apart on numerous points in the world as great or even good photography. It looks mistakenly disheveled, even messy, the subjects aren't particularly interesting, it is not level, the best focus is perhaps on an empty plank which does not indicate or highlight much interest, there are no vessel markings, no way to tell if passengers are continuing to embark or disembark on some kind of journey, literally the composition is sloppy at best, and no single point of subject  which is clear in our minds as we attempt to clarify the meaning of the photograph. However it does something at that time, that no other photo has ever done, at least to many historians. It offers a particular photographer's artistic expression. 

Many of us continue to argue against that specifically when viewing photographs such as the one above, or, quite honestly millions of other photography supposedly deemed Fine Art. Why? Quite simply because photography used to be referred to as a craft, not an art. And here begins the legacy of the argument for which we all wonder, 'What is it that makes a photograph not a craft, but an art'. 

If it is exclusively that a photographer in planning their shoot, their subject, their technique, is to be something they created, as a style, then indeed any one who picks up a camera can claim that, but only if they can demonstrate that it is their own style. I can buy into that, but can anyone who copies a style then claim that their photography is fine art? 

That's a question that can only be answered by the buyer. 

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 Certainly this shot I took of a streambed well below a waterfall is considered fine art, merely since I took creative license to enhance beyond what mother nature presented when I took the shot. That is clear. If you could see the original you would immediately recognize muted colors. Composition and all the other photographic factors aren't enough. They help quite a lot, but they cannot alone make a photograph fine art. Below is an example. 

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It is merely a bird in flight. Now how one could make this a piece of fine art to hang on a wall, is then up for discussion. Which then leaves us with the struggle to find photography as a Fine Art.

I am offering up my interpretation of my photography, as an example, and it is up to you to judge how well I have done in creating pieces which you might consider as a work of 'fine art'.

Rich Collins Fine Art  I'd enjoy hearing your thoughts once you return here.