In this blog I’m going to be talking about 5 must have skills for Fine Art Photographers and also share with you what books have really helped take my photography to the next level. 

Before I get into that..What is Fine Art Photography?

Fine-art photography is photography created in line with the vision of the photographer as artist, using photography as a medium for creative expression. The goal of fine-art photography is to express an idea, a message, or an emotion. This stands in contrast to representational photography, such as photojournalism, which provides a documentary visual account of specific subjects and events, literally representing objective reality rather than the subjective intent of the photographer; and commercial photography, the primary focus of which is to advertise products, or services.

I would define it in simpler terms as Photographic  works which are exhibited at curated venues such as Art Galleries, Museums and Art Fairs.

There are the 5  essentials skills you need to become a master of your craft and also the books I have read and referred to time and again to improve my photography.

These are 

1. Photography - The technical side..The Exposure triangle, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, Depth of field etc. Im Assuming you already know this stuff so I’m not going to recommend any books for this but if you are interested in books to learn the basics then do watch my video about Photography Books for Beginner and Intermediate Photographers.

2. Photography - The Soft side. Developing your vision , your ability to spot a photographic opportunity, .composition, deciding what you want or don’t want in your frame, layering of different techniques to create something out of the ordinary.

3. Post Processing - during film era this was done in the darkroom..today this is done in the digital darkroom. If you understand the technical side of photography you will know why there is a need for some post processing with all digital photography. There are several Tools available now for post processing. Like Adobe Photoshop. Adobe Lightroom, Capture One Prop, Aurora etc. The most popular being Lightroom and Photoshop. You need to understand how to manage, edit and archive your digital files

   4.. Displaying your work : Printing and framing. Printing is a almost a separate art in itself. You may eventually end up outsourcing your printing to a professional Fine Art Printer if your budget allows it but you must know enough to be able to communicate with the printer so you can get the your vision for the photograph come through properly. Framing according to me is best outsourced because there are several framers who are really good at it and can reduce your workload to focus on what makes your work unique which the photography itself. But you should know and keep yourself updated about what types of materials and frames are available at any given timeto best showcase your work.

1. The business of Fine Art Photography : How to contact galleries, Participate in Art Fairs, Marketing your work online.

Here are a few books that can help you immensely reduce the learning curve.

Books to help you learn the Art of Printing Your Fine Art Photographs and Prints

1.Fine Art Printing for Photographers ,2nd or 3rd Edition- Uwe Steinmueller and Juergen Gulbins

Buy 2nd Edition here - https://amzn.to/3miDwtL

Buy 3rd Edition here - https://amzn.to/3mpKptp

Books to Improve your ability to process the digital Negative

1. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC Book for Digital Photographers, The - Scott Kelby-https://amzn.to/3mk6PMH

2. The Adobe Photoshop CC Book for Digital Photographers (2017 release) (Voices That Matter) - Scott Kelby

https://amzn.to/3wyOi47

3. The Digital Negative - Jeff Shewe

https://amzn.to/3ukxKea

Developing Your Vision - Inspiration

1.Hasselblad Masters Vol.4: Evolve - https://amzn.to/3mqrvmk

2. Hasselblad Masters Vol 3: Evoke - https://amzn.to/3uq0ORv

3.Hasselblad Masters Vol 5: Inspire - https://amzn.to/3dyG2bj

4. GENESIS - Sebastião Salgado - https://amzn.to/3cKjsNU

Book on Marketing and Selling Your Photographs

Marketing Fine Art Photography - Alain Briot

Buy here - https://amzn.to/31KoGCV

See my YouTube Video here