Black and white

Mary · Apr 4, 2008

Hi everyone (",)

Do you believe fine art photography should be in black and white? Also should it be conventionally produced in the darkroom?

I am doing a photography course and one project is fine art photography. Here is the brief which I got word for word from my instructor:

we must research and produce a body of work that explores the styles and working methods of key photographers working within a fine art tradition, whose work defines an era. the study should take the form of a chronological progression of fine art photographers with whom you feel an infinity, and whose work resonates for you. the study should examine choice of equipment, materials and exposure considerations and the factors affecting these decisions. this exporation shud reveal to you a context in which your work can be assimilated. you should then chose two photographers, one historical and one contemporary and explore the connections between these two photographers work and your own. you should be aware of historical and social contexts of the chosen photographers and fine art movements to which they may be connected.

Any help would be great, Thanks

Helen B · Apr 4, 2008

Mary,

From this and your other post about this assignment I gather that you know very little about 'fine art' photography. Maybe it hasn't been covered by your course. As you are within one month of the end of a diploma course, and the only fine art photographer you have heard of is Ansel Adams (deceased) it seems that you need a lot of help - more than your semi-literate teacher has given you.

"Do you believe fine art photography should be in black and white?"

A very large proportion of contemporary art photography is in colour. Most of mine is in colour.

"Also should it be conventionally produced in the darkroom?"

Few people in the art world care whether it was produced in a darkroom or a pigpen.

What sort of work do you do? Are there any other photographers with whom you feel an affinity (sic)? Whose work resonates with you?

Good luck,
Helen
PS Which college are you at?

christopher walrath · Apr 5, 2008

I agree with Helen. Color or back and white is a personal preference and really differs depending on the subject and the photographer's vision. Some subjects might be great in black and white where the contrast is what gets the viewers attention and color might be distracting. Conversely, a field of vibrant flowers would lose its teeth as a photograph when you take all of the beautiful color away. As to should it be in the darkroom for fine art? Well, I have just recently started developing my own film. I don't print yet. Only after I do and control the ENTIRE process after the point of purchasing the film, would I even dare to consider referring to a photograph of mine as a fine art print because at this point I would be including someone else's work in the 'fine art' process that I would be claiming.