What is “Fine Art” Photography?

Fine Art Portraits

First of all, I must say, I am in LOVE with Fine Art Portraits. I find that creating a Fine Art image is an absorbing and moving experience. I view this process as a creative challenge, from the planning, posing and capturing to the final artistic editing of each and every image. I’m not certain that there is any one definition of a “fine art” portrait, but I’d love to share what this style means to me.

I consider a portrait “fine art” when I am reminded of a classic painting or a timeless piece of art, when the lighting, styling and an individual’s expression come together seamlessly. I am often drawn to the subject’s eyes and thus, they become a focal point in my fine art sessions. I feel that an amazing fine art photo captures so many things through the eyes; the subject’s vulnerability, their uniqueness, their character.

Fine Art photography captures and evokes emotion. You won’t find cheesy smiles in most of my fine art work. But more importantly, we will aim to capture the subject’s genuine emotion (and the reality is yes, we will likely get a few smiles, but my goal is to always capture genuine and not forced emotion).

Creating a fine art image is like creating a piece of art. The work is not complete during the session. After the session begins the process of artistic editing, creating an image that captures the vision of the photographer. Following my Fine Art sessions, I spend a considerable amount of time hand editing each image, to create the art I have pictured in my mind.

If you are interested in a Fine Art portrait session for your child, you already appreciate the difference in fine art work from traditional portraits. You not only see the difference, but you feel the difference. You also value the skill that is required to capture and create these images and recognize quality when you see it. It is also my hope that should you pursue a fine art portrait session with me, that you envision our art on your walls (and not just stored on a digital drive in your computer).

During a Fine Art Masterclass, Paulina Duczman, one of my Fine Art Photography idols, showed the little girl we were photographing with her Mom, the back of her camera. The child literally gasped and exclaimed, “We look just like a painting!” THAT reaction is what I feel when I look at Fine Art images that I love and that is exactly what I want my subjects to feel when they see their final images!