Arguably unique amongst the visual arts

Photography is arguably unique amongst the visual arts. It can be categorized in two parts, or steps, each with its own technical and creative hurdles which have to be combined to make the final art work.

The first part is the creation of the image- the click of the shutter, that nano second captured that was important for you, was it a look or the light, an event that you had been waiting for or planned. The aperture selected, does this have an artistic element to this image and the lens choice.
The second part of this production of the art work, is the interpretation of the image, the post processing, are you going to print or is the image destined for the web only?

Ansel Adams famously compared photography to music when he said" The negative is comparable to the composer and the print the performance".
What does this mean to the artist photographer, it means that for every image we create we have two opportunities to be creative and interpretive. It does not matter if the image is Black and White or Colour. Before pressing the shutter we make decisions about subject matter, composition,  lighting and exposure. When we edit and post process in whatever program we have, we make decisions about, tonality, lights and dark, remember that dark is as important in an image as light.
As Matisse said, "Black is the queen of colour".
We remove distracting objects and emphasize the main subject.
Unfortunately the second part of the process is often neglected by the artist photographer who see post processing as time consuming and difficult. They often will say to you that their images are pure or unmanipulated. I wonder if what they are saying is there images are boring and unfinished!
Are you going to print your art work, have you considered the paper to use, not all papers are created equally or printers for that matter. I have been studying paper for a portfolio I want to print, I think I have found a unique paper with excellent credentials, now to find a printer equal to the task ahead.
There is no such thing as distortion or fakery in art. Art and that includes Photography is not real to begin with. It's a creation of our respective hearts and minds.

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