Writes Nick Melidonis, "My 20-year retrospective exhibition The Light, Heart and Smiles of Greece is still on in the large PSAS Gallery in Fremantle, WA. It celebrates over two decades of photographing and leading tours to the Greek Islands and Mainland Greece.
"Invariably, during the evening and a couple of artist talks I gave, some of the discussion centred around the artistic merits of the prints on display and what constitutes fine art photography. This is always a difficult topic as the camera is objective, but art is subjective. There have been volumes written about what constitutes fine art photography with as many different opinions as there are artists.
"In this article, I have condensed my collection of fine art photography tips to just ten and not in any order of importance. I discuss these points in the photography classes and seminars I conduct and they are not in any way designed to be definitive.
Tip1. Art is more than the arrangement of elements. "Impact is essential. What grabs a judge in the first place is always impact, so your choice of subject is critical. That is why so many photographers spend a great amount of time researching their subject matter to capture images; whether it’s people and events or extraordinary landscapes to create an image with impact.
"Of course, great moments of impact are also potentially everywhere to be seen if we’re ready for them. Spending a lot of time in readiness to take that great shot when it presents itself is never wasted. That photo of mine of the camel train in the Himalayas that has been my signature image, took a couple of decades of readiness to see and capture the image in the few seconds I had available.
"Important as the placement of elements is in an image, what helps to create impact is also the careful use of colour or monochrome, tonal values, quality of light, contrast, shadow and light and anything else that makes the point of interest stand out from everything else in the image. If the viewer’s eyes aimlessly wander around the image, then the photographer has failed to communicate the main subject matter or the reason for taking the photograph.
Nick continues with 9 more great tips - read them all in the current issue of Better Photography (Issue 105). Click on the link below to subscribe - plus you get immediate access to 50 back issues full of informative material and inspirational ideas! Use coupon code BP40 to get 40% off - just $29.88 for an annual subscription.