I have been asked numerous times what distinguishes quality photoart images from “nonquality” photoart images. The question inspired me to begin a blog on the topic. I’m sure that my blog will evolve based on your feedback.
Please note, it may be argued that one’s choice of quality art is personal and subjective. What one person likes may be true art for she/he and not for another person. I’m not disputing individual preferences. I’m speaking to what factors attribute to the actual quality of photoart images and prints.
Photoart is now recognized as an art form just like visual art paintings. I would like to create a process of formalizing key factors that may be used in appraising photoart just like paintings have standards for appraisal.
I. Key Terms
What is Photography ?
The definition of Photography is essentially, “drawing with light”. In the process of capturing an image on a sensor or film, quality of light for a photographer is equivalent to an artist’s paint strokes. The quality of drawing with light improves with the quality of the equipment such as the camera, lenses, sensors, accessories and memory card. However, in-and-of-itself the equipment will not necessarily produce quality images.
Quality of an Image
The quality of an image refers to such characteristics as: composition, quality of light, managing dynamic range, how well it was edited, the quality of the bits of information which comprises the image, the message the image portrays and the surface the image is embedded on/printed on.
Types of Photography/Photoart (Most General Categories)
landscape, portrait, wildlife, impressionist, abstract, astro, night, fashion, product, architectural, wedding, food, underwater, sports, photojournalism, fine art, street, etc.
II. How does one know that one’s “drawing with light”(photo) is of the upmost quality ?
Before we address the question, a buyer needs to understand that photography has evolved into a true art form. Recent digital camera equipment and editing software allows photographers to be significantly more creative or at the least have greater options. Professional photographers are also intentionally working towards creating art as opposed to snapshots and unedited images - just like artists who use paint. They have the same inspiration as artists who uses paint – to create an inspiring piece of art !
A buyer needs to distinguish between merited creative work and the pseudo use of quick fix filters. That is, look at the details of the photograph. Beware of images, for example, that have a brilliant blue sky and the rest of the image has a blue hue. Critique photoart in the same way as visual art – such as composition, quality of the brushstrokes/quality of the light, use of shadows, use of colours, use of negative space, creativity, how it is displayed and the message the image portrays.
Photoart can also be printed on high quality surfaces and on the same surfaces as painted visual art such as on canvas. Quality photoart is generally printed on high quality paper, metal, acrylic and/or canvas.
III. How the image is captured and printed affects the quality
Current professional digital cameras have capacities of 40 to 80 plus megapixels, which reveal every little detail. The advantage is in properly using the tremendous amount of detail. The drawback or opportunity for enhancing the quality, is that proper editing is definitely required. More pixels means more details and a potentially more refined image. Less pixels means potentially more noise/grain and more difficult to edit and enlarge if the resolution is low. Thus, when examining the quality of an image the amount of noise/graininess plays a significant role.
The jpeg vs. raw conversation is ongoing. Raw files are non-destructive and contain significantly more detail than jpeg files. Jpeg files are significantly lower in resolution and lose quality with the use of the file. There is nothing wrong with shooting in jpeg depending on your purpose for the image. If you want to refine the details and have an end product of a print that can be enlarged and hung on a wall like a painting you need to retain the detail. Capturing the image in raw format, then editing the image in raw format and finally printing it in 16 bit TIFF will produce a higher quality print than capturing the image in jpeg and processing/printing the image in jpeg.
Skilled and creative photoartist will make sure that their images are printed in high resolution such as 16 bit TIFF files. This provides less noise and brilliance in the details.
A photoartist can go to all the trouble of shooting and working with a raw image, but if the image is not printed properly the end product will be compromised. The quality of the printer that is used and how it is printed are also critical. The better the printer the better will be the end product just like a painter needs good paint and proper brushes.
It takes a professional photoartist many, many hours and sometimes days to properly complete a piece of photoart.
By viewing images side by side and looking at the difference you will be able to tell which is of higher quality. The more often you examine photoart images in detail the better you will get at determining the image's quality.
IV. You need to realize that what the eye sees and what the camera “sees” are different.
A skilled photographer learns what the camera “sees” in order to know how to capture a quality image. There are two main factors that distinguish the camera from the human eye.
They are, (1) the fine details that the camera captures and (2) setting up and positioning the equipment for composition.
Capturing an image in high resolution allows the photoartist to address the inevitable imperfections that the camera captures. If you want the details of your image to be at a high quality it needs to be edited. How the image is edited plays a large part in determining its quality. For example, if you take an image of someone, with a high end camera and lens, in a studio that has been perfectly setup the high level of detail shows features on the skin that the human eye does not normally see. It needs to be edited. Even a landscape image will capture features that need to be addressed that are not normally seen by the human eye. How well it is edited plays a role in determining its quality. Anyone can click a quick smoothing feature via a portrait image, however, how real an/or creative is the end product ? As some photographers state, if the skin looks like plastic it’s low quality.
You can stand in front of a beautiful lake and visualize a spectacular scene. If you take a picture of what you are seeing the recorded image will likely not be as spectacular. A skilled photographer can look at a scene and know how to set up the camera so a quality image is captured. It takes practice to learn to “see how the camera sees”. To get the image to look what the eye was intended to see requires talent and skill. Also added quality and creativity requires talent and skill.
Please note that billions of photos are taken every day. There are amazing images captured using smart phones. Being at the right place, with the right light goes a long way. In landscape photography, for instance, a professional photographer may spend days or return numerous times in order to “get the right light”. Great pictures can happen quite easily sometimes or even with a smart phone, however, the majority of times it requires skill, talent, patience and editing.
Thus, there are many factors to consider in evaluating photoart. People are trained as curators to evaluate paintings and the same level of scrutiny will help heighten the photoart industry.
This blog looked at how to examine photoart for end product quality.
With your feedback I’m hoping that this blog evolves into a valuable resource for photoart shoppers and promotes the well deserved status of photoart as a true artform.
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