Photographic Images versus Fine Art Images (December 2021)

The galleries in my website were designed to showcase both traditional photographs as well as images that were digitally enhanced for fine art. I usually don’t make the decision of photograph versus fine art at the moment of image capture; the decision is made during or after post-processing.

Whether an image is better suited for traditional or creative processing is based upon how I want to convey the feeling or essence of the image. Is the image better in color or in black and white? Do I lighten the image or darken it? Do I want the image to have a painterly or abstract effect? Often I will perform multiple processes on an image. Aside from the workflow outlined below, there are no definitive guidelines that I use and sometimes an image is equally pleasing as a photograph or as fine art.

For example, the photograph of St. Vitus Cathedral was taken in Prague on an overcast day. The lighting was relatively flat but there was enough color, symmetry and detail of the architecture that made for an interesting subject. Processing was performed in Lightroom for exposure and contrast adjustments that resulted in an accurate capture of the cathedral façade and the lighting that day. The derived black and white image darkened the clouds and added texture to the architecture resulting in a more ominous look and feel. Both images are equally good and both printed exceptionally well on either regular photographic or fine art paper. Which one is better? There shouldn’t be a clear consensus—it all becomes the viewer’s personal preference.

For those interested in my general workflow: images are initially processed and sorted in Lightroom, editing the image occurs in various Photoshop plug-ins (such as the Topaz suite or the DxO Nik collection) and then any last adjustments are made in Photoshop. I then make 8.5 x11 prints of the final images on my Epson 3880 printer. The proof prints help me decide on the most appropriate media for printing enlargements.