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Photography Is Art

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Submitted By marisa0517
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There has been an ongoing debate if photography is a form of art or not.
Photography is a form of art though because the photographer controls the camera, captures the image with the perfect amount of lighting, and captures the image at the right time. Elliot Eritt, who is a great photographer that we studied in class, said, “To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” I really enjoy this quote because anything that you observe can be art, but the way that you observe a photo and the process that took to get that photo is the real art form. The definition of art is the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance. Photography shows beauty therefore it is art. The way the photographer controls the camera is a very important process that helps make photography considered art. A photographer will get a whole lot more out of their camera if they understand how it works. With a firm grasp of aperture, shutter speed, sensitivity and focal length, the ratio of truly great to merely mediocre shots that are downloaded at the end of an expedition is all but guaranteed to get better once they are able to learn how to control their camera properly. There are many books and websites that give information as to how it works, but practice is the most important key to success when you are trying to create art. Photography is considered art because of the process and time that it takes for a photographer to use and find the perfect amount of lighting. There are three basic characteristics of light that determine how your shot will look: how harsh or soft it is, the direction and the color. Harsh light can

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