Photography vs Art
The controversy surrounding photography as a form of art.
What is art?
Art may mean something different
depending on who you ask. Many
would consider paintings and
sculptures as popular forms of art. Art
is defined as “the expression or
application of human creative skill and
imagination”. The definition alone does
not limit art to one specific medium
which has given people a difficult time
trying to decide where art can and can’t
be limited to. According to
photography and art scholars, “Its goal
is to express a creative idea or emotion
that is unique to the artist”. Art cannot
be limited because everyone has
different forms of expression and ideas
and if we all viewed art in the same way
we would not have any creativity or
anything new and unique to express to
the world. Art has seen advancements
since its beginning, and it does look to
stop anytime soon as people continue
to find different ways to express their
ideas and emotions.
How Photography has helped art
Photography is defined as “the
process of recording an image”.
Nina Licul wrote in Teachers’ Views
on the Use of Photography that Art and Photography
photography is just another scholars Hudson,
advancement in technology that is
Thames, Kench, Sam,
helping art advance into something
Eden, Gallery, McGarey,
that has not been done before.
Cave art is one of the earliest forms and Jena, Licul, Nina
of art and with time we have Licu, Okpoko, Chinwe
continued to see advancements and Chaka, articles,
and be introduced to new forms of Livingston, Debra, and
art Photography is just another Mumford, Debra were
example of that. Photography, used for information in
being another advancement in art, this newsletter.
has allowed artists to experiment
with new possibilities and expand
their practices and has changed the
way we understand artistic
expression. The scholars also
mention that Photography also
shares this ability through the
detail and execution that goes into
creating a photograph.
Time and effort
The advancement of photography is another example of technological progress, although many others
do not view this advancement as a positive one. Cameras can capture photos in seconds, which is why
some people may see that as cheating or being lazy since it doesn't require as much time and effort as
something like painting or sculpture. While it may be easy to capture a picture there is still much time
and effort that goes into the process of getting a photograph correctly done. Photographs require a
detailed process when done correctly and can have remarkable results. If we shun away new forms of
technology how can we advance at anything?
RESOURCES
Hudson, Thames Is photography art? (n.d.). http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/photography-art.htm
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/photography-art.htm

Kench, Sam (2021, March 10). Is photography art? - both sides of the debate explained. StudioBinder.
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/is-photography-art-debate/ Is Photography Art? — Both Sides of the
Debate Explained (studiobinder.com)

Eden, Gallery What is photography? is photography an art?. Eden Gallery. (n.d.). https://www.eden-
gallery.com/news/what-is-
photography#:~:text=As%20a%20relatively%20new%20medium,fine%20art%20or%20commercial%20a
rt. What is Photography? is Photography An Art? - Eden Gallery (eden-gallery.com)

McGarey, Jena Is photography “art”? AH 331 History of Photography Spring 2021 Compendium. (n.d.).
https://scalar.chapman.edu/scalar/ah-331-history-of-photography-spring-2021-compendium/jena-
mcgarey-essay-1 Is Photography "Art"? (chapman.edu)

Licul, Nina Licul, N. (n.d.). Teachers’ views on the use of photography in teaching arts in Croatian Primary
Schools. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal.
https://www.cepsj.si/index.php/cepsj/article/view/909
https://eds.s.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=07a0c244-ac4c-43f0-9796-
1e24c3d11db6%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=147821
245&db=eue

Okpoko, Chinwe and Chaka, Mpho EBSCOhost Research Platform: EBSCO. EBSCO Information Services,
Inc. | www.ebsco.com. (n.d.). https://www.ebsco.com/products/ebscohost-research-platform
https://eds.s.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=8&sid=3849680c-7bce-4a3d-b14c-
af1f2520c257%40redis

Livingston, Debra EBSCO Discovery Service - Academic Libraries: EBSCO. EBSCO Information Services, Inc.
| www.ebsco.com. (n.d.-a). https://www.ebsco.com/academic-libraries/products/ebsco-discovery-service
https://eds.s.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=92b8f663-5d62-40ca-905a-
b6b9df6f1b1a%40redis

Mumford, Debra EBSCOhost Research Platform: EBSCO. EBSCO Information Services, Inc. |
www.ebsco.com. (n.d.-b). https://www.ebsco.com/products/ebscohost-research-platform
https://eds.p.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=9ed8cbad-60d7-46b0-8cd9-
31791e9edf32%40redis