Discuss the two photos.Guiding question:
What are the differences between commercial photography and fine art photography?
Make 2 intelligent comments. The comments cannot be back to back. Someone must comment after your comment, before you comment again!
This is an online discussion. Respond to other comments, pose questions, research, provide pertinent information, feel free to rebut the opinions of your classmates – kindly.
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ReplyDeleteThe two photos here are very different in purpose, composition and technique. Firstly, both photos have been taken for very different reasons. the first for the sake of being an interesting and enticing work of art an the second as a basic display of the subject. Because of this we see much better use of artistic elements in the first; the pepper has been consciously placed and the artist has used lighting to enhance his image. While the basic photo has minimal thought and preparation, with not use of conscious placement or lighting. Finally the use of post and pre-production has been used heavily in the first. They most likely adjusted the saturation, composition and even the exposure. In the second it appears as though no pre or post-production was used as the photo is lack-luster and dull.
ReplyDeleteQuestion for others- Do you think that even though the second photo is for a simpler purpose, they should have put in more effort into making it more "artistic"?
The two photos that are being displayed here are one that is more of an abstract take on a vegetable, and the full meal on the right is more of a straight forward photo. I think that the photo of the taco meal is more of a amateur photo and it is able for every body to take and people will know what it is. You have to look deeper into the photo by edward weston and it almost looks like a painting. The fine art aspect of this photo is that the pepper is a deeper photo and has more meaning. The taco meal is a commercial photo that you would post to facebook and doesn't have much meaning behind it. Do you think that those fries look good, what type of fries are your favourite?
ReplyDeleteNessie Nankivell^
ReplyDeleteThe photo of the pepper is more abstract and mysterious, whereas the taco meal photo is more blunt and less interesting to look at.
ReplyDeletei like the fries
ReplyDeleteConor: Although the fries do look delicious here, i prefer a lightly salted sweet potato wedge fry. Either that or mcdonald's...
ReplyDeletePersonally I think that the photo on the left looks like a person covering their head and cowering in the corner, while the other photo looks like someone was on vacation and wanted to show everyone the great food they got. What do you peoples think the photos look like?
ReplyDeleteThe photo by Edward is much more high quality with his use of macro, achieving high detail, but also using lighting as a technique to draw in the viewer and make them think. The one of the taco is more simple and amateur that doesn't look very thought through, just a moment they wanted to capture.
ReplyDeleteIn fine art photography you will witness photography that is full of deep contrast and has very strong composition Edward Weston's black and white photo of the pepper is a great example of that. It is a simple shot that is taken at a close depth of field. The photo is black and white to enrich the shapes of the pepper.The pepper's strong contrast draws your attention to it.
ReplyDeleteThe random food photographer is more of a commercial shot if even that. The shot is taken with little to no structure, it is more of a shot that was just taken.
I also really like the shadowing and use of lighting with the photo of the pepper. There is a LOT more detail than the taco one. However the colours do pop with the taco, even though the lighting is very flat. Nothing is really enhansing the look of the taco meal, aside from the angle of the photo.
ReplyDeleteAlso with the pepper you can look at it many different ways and see different shapes in it, it has high contrast and focus, while the taco photo is just a straight shot that was taken at random, probably by an amateur photographer with an OK camera as the taco is slightly out of focus and is just plain boring. It's a taco! Who cares? The Edward Beston photograph actually makes you think of what the photo is really of.
ReplyDeleteThe commercial photo is really cluttered because the photographer is trying to fit all the condiments and stuff in, while the photo by Edward Weston is simple and powerful.
ReplyDeleteThe main difference between the commercial photography and fine art photography displayed here is how they were both composed. While the fine art photo of the pepper is clearly set up that way and uses artificial lighting to highlight its shape, the random food photographer is just taking the picture as a random act and does not use clever angles or lighting to make the food appear artsy. It is important to use aspects of composition in order to make the subjects more appealing.
ReplyDeleteChristina McLean
Christina McLean
To answer Nessie's first post question, "Do you think that even though the second photo is for a simpler purpose, they should have put in more effort into making it more "artistic"?," my answer is no. I think that as she said before, the photos were taken for different purposes, requiring different styles of photography. The photo on the right was probably taken just to capture a meal that they liked, or a moment they wanted to remember, where the one on the left was taken specifically to be fine art, requiring much more effort.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what conor has said. The commercial photograph seems to give off more of a want or desire based on its direct food resemblance and makes the viewers think about eating the product which is the purpose of a commercial product; to be consumed. On the contrary as conor said, the photo by edward weston is much more abstract, lacking the colours and vibrancy of the commercialized, real food. Both photos give off very different feels and can be viewed in very different ways and for different purposes.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the angle of the taco photo is a bit of center and it gives it a bit of a deeper meaning. But i think that when we say there is a deeper meaning in the photo we are basically just lying, there is no meaning to it, and it has no pertinent point of being taken, it is a cheap meal that someone picked up from a restaurant and was like oh hey lets take a picture and show everybody just what a fantastic meal I am going to be munching on tonight. The pepper actually has a deeper meaning and more thought put into it. The lighting is better and you can see the curves of the pepper, the thing that i like about the pepper photo is that we can interpret it in many different ways. As laura said it looked like someone cowering in the corner. Could this be a deeper meaning for the fact that some people dont like vegetables so they are scared to eat it. It could also mean that they havent had a pepper before and they are scared to try new things. If you see someone cowering in the corner you could have a much better individual interpretation to the photo.
ReplyDeleteThe photo on the left has a much more professional feel to it, and seems to have better composition as well. The photo on the right however, to agree with Haley, looks very simplistic and doesn't look as though it had much thought into it besides maybe the placement and angle. It doesn't seem to have as much of a "professional photographer" quality to it.
ReplyDeleteThere are many differences between fine art photography and commercial photography. An example of fine art is the photo of the pepper by Edward Weston. Fine art photography appears in galleries and exhibitions and if it is good, people can purchase it for a high price. Fine art photography is never used in advertising. Fine art photography usually pays more attention to composition. Fine art focuses on using specific lighting to make the subject look more appealing, different angles to better show the subject, and usually fine art photographers know how to use photoshop to edit photos if needed. Fine art photography does not go beyond the image. The purpose is soley to create an appealing image, that doesn't necissarily need to be used for anything else. Commercial photography is all about taking photos for business use. Magazine ads, billboards, product shots for the web, menu photos, etc. All of these examples are different types of commercial photography. Commercial photography would never be shown in art gallerys, or sold to the public as art. The goal here is to sell a product or a service not to exist for aesthetic reasons alone (which is the case with fine art). Normally, commercial photography involves a client that wants to sell or promote a product for which they need photographs taken. For example the photo on the right, taken by a random food photographer could be used in a menu, or a magazine to promote a specific meal at a specific restaurant. The photo is reaching out to customers, and trying to sell something commercially.
ReplyDeleteFine art is art that is created for the principles of art, rather than for selling. Fine art is art for art itself usually to be displayed in galleries and or museums. When commerical photography is more for selling for a purpose. You can clearly see here that the first photo taken by edward Weston is fine art, it was not taking for someone to sell it was taken for
ReplyDeletepure art itself while the second photo looks like it could be for a menu for a restaurant.
Anna Servedio
I agree with Natasha, the full meal photograph is more of a basic photo that looks like it could be taken by anyone, as if the person who took the picture just meant it to show a friend what they had for lunch that day. Also the photograph of the pepper is clearly in a more thought out environment, and if it weren't for the title it might even be difficult to make out what the picture is of. Question: Edward Weston is known by being one of the most influential and innovative American photographers, but does everyone think that by taking black and white photographs of still lifes, portraits, and landscapes really make him that?
ReplyDeleteI would agree with the post above when Laura said the photo looked like a human form. This could be the artist's intent and why they chose to use such a misshapen pepper. Maybe he's trying to make a try between food and people, and the reliance people have on basic needs. It's a commentary saying that it's hard to tell where the need for food and man's ability to manipulate the earth's resources. This can be seen in the way that the shape of the pepper can be seen as a person or a vegetable, interchangeably. And the fact that without either symbol in mind, the picture would be indistinguishable.
ReplyDelete^Nessie Nankivell
I also really like the shadowing and use of lighting with the photo of the pepper. There is a LOT more detail than the taco one. However the colours do pop with the taco, even though the lighting is very flat. Nothing is really enhansing the look of the taco meal, aside from the angle of the photo.
ReplyDeleteTo agree with Natasha's comment I also really like the shadowing on the pepper because of the detail within the pepper. I also agree that the taco picture is "nothing special" because of the simplicity of it. Everything is flat lit and nothing pops. Good observation Natasha!
What do you guys think Edward was thinking when taking the pepper photo?
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ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Natasha that the Beston photo is very mysterious and abstract, and I think that that is partially due to how the lighting gives it this dark look while the taco photo, like Emily said, is really flat and doesn't enhance the taco meal, plus it just makes the taco look kind of not appetizing.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to what Sarah said, I don't think Edward is a good photographer just because he takes black and white photos of still lifes, portraits, and landscapes. There are many people who do that who are not as famous as he is, which is why it is clear that his work is famous because of his skills in photography. Edward focuses on his lighting, and position of the subject. He has an eye for doing this, which is what makes him such a good photographer. Anyone can take a picture, but being able to see what lighting would work the best with a specific position of the subject matter is what seperates the amateur photographers with the famous professional photographers such as Edward Weston.
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ReplyDeleteI think edward took the photo to display a simple object in an abstract matter. The photo is quite detailed and dark, so viewers would have to look at the photo in a new way. I also agree with the intent of human form, as it does look like that.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Natasha. I personally think that the photo of the pepper is more appealing to the eye because it draws you in with the shadows and the movement. And the photograph of the taco meal is very bland and boring.
ReplyDeleteHanna
The photo is called Pepper No. 30. How many photos of peppers did he take?
ReplyDeleteIt's clear that a lot more planning and work went into his photo then the shot of the taco. The result is an interesting photo that draws the subject in and entices them to explore it's minute details, rather than merely provoking a baser instinct like hunger.
Although the commercial photography doesn't use interesting angles to connect to the viewer, it does show a lot more detail and has more subjects. At first sight, the fine art photo's subject is hard to distinguish, but the fact that you have to decipher it and study it is what makes it such fine art photography. It is because of this that I agree with Natasha that “The photo is quite detailed and dark, so viewers would have to look at the photo in a new way.” Despite the fact that the pepper is disfigured, do to the composition and other techniques used, it seems more appealing than the dull configuration of the commercial photo. One thing I do disagree with though is that the commercial photography is actually for commercial use. I don't think that the second picture looks enticing enough to create a desire for the subject. I feel that the term 'commercial' is used lightly in this case. Nowadays, commercial photography has become a fine art itself. Commercial agents hire professional artists to make and decorate the food and then they meticulously use lighting to enhance the photo yet still make it appear natural. In this case though, the difference between this fine art photo and commercial fine art is that this one is not being used to sell a product or make the subject appealing. This fine art photo is created using many pre and postproduction techniques to get this desired outcome, whereas the commercial photography has no production process at all prior to, during or after the picture was taken. It is for this reason that I prefer the fine art photography to the commercial photography.
ReplyDeletei agree with natasha comment above. By changing the light of that photo it also changes the mood of the photo. He could of easily changed the lighting to lighten the mood a little by making it darker he was trying to prove a point. He must of meant to do this. rather than the other photo where lighting is not a major concept in that photographers mind
ReplyDeleteAnna Servedio
I think Edward was trying to arrange the pepper so that you could really see the lines of the pepper and the detail of it, and how intriguing the shape of it is. With research I know that Edward was always fond of taking pictures of vegetables and fruits because of their shapes, and how he spent almost four full days taking pictures of peppers. I guess that's why the title of the photograph is "Pepper No. 30" because it was possibly the 30th pepper that he took a picture of, or the 30th picture of a pepper. This just shows even more of a difference between these two photographs, and other than the subject matter being similar, they're like night and day compared to each other.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jason also, he must have put in a lot of work just to stage the pepper, instead of just taking a random photo like to taco photographer did.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jason in that the photographers for the taco meal were just trying to get a quick shot for a menu or advertisement. There was probably not a lot of experimentation in the taking of the taco, but most likely a lot of experimentation and trial and error on Pepper No. 30.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Emma, anyone could take a picture of a pepper and post it but Edward knows the right kind of lighting to add to the picture, and designs the photo in a way that makes it fine art. The taco image is just a picture of food with natural lighting, the only thing the photographer did to make this photo interesting was angle the camera. thats the difference between fine art, and commercial photography, a fine artist knows how to light a photo and position a subject and photograph it in a way that makes it beautiful and a commercial photographer just takes a photo to show the food or subject for what it is
ReplyDelete^the post a few before this last comment and the post at 11:02am were by sarah collier
ReplyDeleteThe biggest difference is that, contrary to commercial art, fine art's main purpose isn't economical. Fine art is very much like all art in general- intended to sometimes please the eye, conduct a message, register a specific time, indulge and provoke the audience.
ReplyDeleteCommercial art is a a fairly new term, ''art-vertisment'' is a way to combine art with a commercial purpose; such as selling or showcasing a business. You could say you pamper yourself with fine art and you bring home the bacon with commercial art!
Kelsey Rayner
Fine art is art that is created for the aesthetic principles of art, rather than for selling. Fine art is classic and will rarely go out of "style". When one creates a fine art piece they are creating a timeless work of beauty that will be enjoyed and interpreted through out the generations. Fine art is portraying an emotion or feeling that artist wanted to express that can be dissected by different people. On the other hand commercial art is for selling purposes. The seller of a product wants to appeal to the viewers senses making them yearn for their product based on its aesthetic value. The photo by Edward Weston exudes Fine art in all its integrity, using abstract strokes and shapes, while the photo of the real food is very commercial showing the consumer what they can themselves receive. Both fine and commercial art have very different purposes but both are essential to the world of art.
ReplyDeleteThese two photographs are similar in subject matter but are different in their execution. Westons photograph is a demonstration of fine art photography. It has very dark tones and a lot of contrast. Effects such as these make the photo of more then just a pepper, it gives the photograph deeper meaning. The random food photographers picture is more commercial. It makes the food look appetizing but has no deeper emotional meaning. It's purpose is to make the food look attractive and is mediocre in comparisn to the Weston photograph.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the purpose of these two photographs are different they both successfully achieve their own desired outcome.
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ReplyDeleteDo you think commercial art can be interpreted in different way like fine art can?
ReplyDeleteThere are many apparent differences between commercial photography and fine art photography. Commercial photography is done for commercial and business purposes, such as magazine advertising, brochures or restaurant menus. Commercial photography wouldn't appear in art galleries or be sold to the general public. Edward Weston's photo of the Pepper is an example of fine art. Fine art can be best described as photography purely for the sake of expressing the photographer's vision or feelings. Fine art photography focuses on the aesthetic and inspirational values of an image. This style of photography's subject matter tends to focus on natural elements, landscape, architecture and even images that subtly include fine details.
ReplyDeleteJackie Prange
I think commercial art is taken for one purpose only, and that is to advertise and promote a product.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Nessie on that comment, I believe that Edward was trying to show how the pepper has the same shape and movement as the human form. I love how it's so simple but has a great impact on viewers but compared to the taco photograph it is very different. I personally do not like that picture and think it is very weak when the two are side by side.
ReplyDeleteHanna
Do you think that by altering the taco photo in any way, you could enhance the meaning, or make it more powerful?
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Emily's comment about the shadowing and use of lighting in Edward Weston's photograph. The exquisite use of detail makes it a much more appealing photo than the one on the right. However, she is also right about the colour scheme in the second photograph being appealing as well.
ReplyDeleteAll things considered, it is clear to see that the photograph on the left represents fine art, and the photograph on the right represents commercial photography. Each have their own respective qualities which fit them into their categories of art, which is why they are so different. It isn't necessarily that we would consider one photo to be lesser than the other, but rather that they are each so different that it's hard to make a comparison because you have to consider that they aren't the same type of photograph.
in response to natasha's question, i don't know how you could alter the taco photo to enhance the meaning or make it more powerful. i think the photographer took the photo for one purpose, to show the food and there is really no other meaning that could be portrayed by the photograph
ReplyDeleteI agree with pretty much everything that has been said so far.
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of commercial photography is not to be appreciated from an artistic point of view. Instead, it is meant to be an efficient way to display a product (in this case, food). Fine art photography, however, is meant to be recognized for its composition, among other artistic elements.
If you think about it, the subject matter of a fine art photograph is not always important. The format, and aesthetic values are what catch people's attention. A commercial photograph though is all about subject matter. For instance, a commercial image of a sidewalk isn't going to be very interesting, but if it was taken in an artistic way, it could be appreciated much more.
I agree with Emily that "There is a LOT more detail than the taco one. However the colours do pop with the taco, even though the lighting is very flat." but I think that if the photographer had tried to use lighting and composition, they could have made the colours pop even more and made the picture better. The fine art one appears to have more detail simply because it uses carefully placed lighting.
ReplyDeleteChristina McLean
To be entirely honest I wouldn't just say that the two images are in different fields of photography, but entirely different levels. I cannot consider the random food photographers image an artistic image, it seems merely to be a quick snapshot. The image is lacking any depth, or any real composition. The frame is cluttered, lacking clear focus, and does not really pop in any manner.
ReplyDeleteHowever looking at the Pepper photo this is not the case at all, though this image was merely treated as a study by the photographer, I find that it still has the contrast, depth, clear focus and beautiful composition I find necessary for an image to have to be considered an artistic photograph.
Does anyone agree that the second photo does not seem to be a commercial photograph? I agree with many of the points about the divide between commercial and art photography, however, I find that commercial ideals are lacking in the second image altogether.
- Connor R.
I feel that commercial photography's single purpose is to sell a product or to promote an image. Fine art photography can be interpreted in many different ways because of different subject matter, emotions/feelings evoked, and the lighting used that can also play on these emotions. Commercial photography cannot be interpreted in any other way because of the distinct purpose it serves.
ReplyDeleteJackie P
Well i agree with Laura as well as Connor r. the image of the pepper does look like a person that is shielding themselves in a corner. Connor was right in saying that the pepper photo has much contrast and depth, which clearly the taco does not. Commercial photography seems to be in my POV blatant and only focusing on the subject. Fine photography is more thought through and focuses on more of the rule of thirds and flow of the photo.
ReplyDeleteSam
'The photo on the left has a much more professional feel to it, and seems to have better composition as well. The photo on the right however, to agree with Haley, looks very simplistic and doesn't look as though it had much thought into it besides maybe the placement and angle. It doesn't seem to have as much of a "professional photographer" quality to it.' said by Ali Ryan
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ali in that the photo on the left really does have a more elegant and professional feel to it. Although it is a lot harder to figure out what the photo on the left is of, it has much better composition and the use of lighting is great as well. The photo on the right however looks like a simple point and shoot picture. I do not feel like there was much thought put into it and there is no real focal point.
I agree with Connor. The second photograph doesn't really show much skill in taking the photo that the photographer did. Anyone could manage to take a picture like that, there is nothing special about it. However, with the fine art photography, you can tell right away that it took a lot more time, effort and thought. You can actually get a feeling by looking at the photography and it doesn't look like anyone could take it.
ReplyDeleteKelsey Rayner
Many people have been saying that these two photographs are not similar at all, and some even go far as to say they are on "entirely different levels."
ReplyDeleteI would like to pose a question that might change your views / opinions. Say the photograph on the left were to be taken at a slightly different angle, and was in colour. Say, perhaps, the photograph on the right was taken at a more 'artistic' angle, and was in black and white. In other words, what if the elements that make these two photographs commercial or artistic were switched? Could it be argued that these two photographs are not actually so different from eachother?
-Sarah Hardy
In response to Sarah, I really do appreciate the question you pose for everyone, it is quite insightful, and caused me to breifly rethink my views on these two photographs. However, it has not changed my view.
ReplyDeleteTo me photographs are often times, at least in the case of still lifes, based upon the technique and style, more so than the subject itself. The point I wish to promote however is that these photographs are on completely different levels in terms of how they are composed, ignoring subject matter all together, there still is a large divide between the two, and this is caused by the photographers, not the subject matter. The way the photo is taken is what matters, to me at least, in this regard.
For instance, if the photographers were to switch places, these photographs would be drastically different. I'm sure that if Weston were given that random food photographers subject, he could greatly improve the quality. Technique and ideas are the essence of a photographer, the subject is merely what they use to extend these ideas to the viewer. In this way a master could turn an otherwise meaningless subject (such as a pepper), into something with much more depth.
These two photographs are not actually so different in terms of subject, however I find that this matters very little in comparison to the technique behind them. I appreciate the question you posed, as it greatly helped me see, infact, that you are correct, however I find that this correctness matters not as much as the points I have stated.
- Connor R.
In the photo on the left its more of an abstract photo because it doesnt necessarily look like a pepper, it looks more like a sculpture. The photo of the pepper also has deep contrast and detail within it. It also has a professional look to it.
ReplyDeleteBut on the other hand the photo on the right looks like amateur took it, but not in a bad way. Because this photo does have good composition. But when you do compare it to the other photo on the left, the photo of the pepper on the left is that much better looking because of its professional look to it.
holly
the photo on the left is a much more "proffesional" photo compaired to the one on the right. The one on the left has beautiful studio lighting and the one on the right just looks like someone took a picture of their meal with a coolpics camera, in a responce to sarah hardy's comment i think that these pictures are too different from eachother due to technique these people use to argue that these are not so different from eachother, the only similarity is that they're of food.
ReplyDeleteTheo Laan.
In response to Sarah Hardy, I think that even if the angles and colours were changed, the photograph on the right would still have no focal point and would not be as 'professional looking'. the photograph on the left follows the rules of having a simple background and the photograph on the right, although the 'taco salad' could be the focal point, there is too much going on in the background of this photograph.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, (going back to my point and defending Sarah's in a way) a focal point is not something that exists is space, it is created. Composition is something that only exists in a still, not in subject matter. Photographers are meant to capture stills, it is there job to create a beautiful, or interesting image, with this they impose their own technique, and compositional ideas.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore rules of photography are meant to be broken. A professional image could easily be cluttered, or unbalanced. What creates a look of a professional image is artistic intent. One could create an artistic, professional image, using any subject, including the random food photographers image, in my opinion.
- Connor R.
I agree with natasha's comment about the taco being less interesting. The taco just looks like a picture taken by anyone at anytime, in any restaurant. There pepper picture makes one think. It has depth and extreme contrast.
ReplyDelete^
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