I captured the photograph above as I was walking on a footbridge over a creek in the woods on an island off the coast of Washington. I was heading toward a waterfall I wanted to photograph. It was chilly out, but the hike was keeping me warm. It was a thick deep woods with lots of bright green moss covering everything and the smell was absolutely wonderful. As I stepped up onto the footbridge, I looked down at the creek below and instantly the artist in me saw something beautiful. (The waterfall could wait.) The colors of the rocks below were highlighted by the way the light was hitting them. The creek was flowing at just the right pace to create this mosaic looking effect. It was really beautiful. I stood and watched for such a long time. I'm sure many people walked over that footbridge that day, I wonder how many looked down to see this. I really hope they all did!
So back to this photograph and why I see it as art. A photograph itself is not necessarily art, but if the photographer is also an artist, an artistic photograph can be captured. I think there is a real difference when you see a photograph that is art, verses one that is not. When I am capturing photographs I am going through a process of actually creating a photograph. I have a vision of what I see and what I want to capture and it takes a bit of talent and a bit of luck to get it just right. Capturing the beauty that my eye sees onto a photograph is an actual art form to me. This is what I do as a photographer. Setting my aperture, shutter speed and composing a composition is part of the artistic process. Some of my fine art photographs also go through a more extensive post process, which I absolutely love doing. However, this one did not, as I was able to capture just what I wanted to in the camera. A slight adjustment of the exposure and bit of sharpening was all that it needed.
As I continue to experiment with all the different genres of photography, I am finding myself drawn to fine art. It is almost therapeutic and the results are so enjoyable.
I hope you continue to follow my journey as I grow as a photographer and any kind comments are always appreciated.
Blessings,
V