Edward Winter, "Boy at the Market, Mysore" Digital C-Print, "20x30".
Photography is perhaps the most egalitarian of visual art forms. Almost everyone hotography is perhaps the most egalitarian of visual art forms. Almost everyone owns a camera and camera manufacturers have spent millions of dollars and many decades telling consumers that anyone can be a photographer. But while the photo snapped in the desert on a hiking trip with friends is a striking and valid archived moment from a special trip, most would agree it’s a long way from Ansel Adams.
“Photography is a huge, huge field,” comments Kristen Hileman, curator of contemporary art at the Baltimore Museum of Art. “It encompasses any person with a camera interacting with the world around them taking family photos, the whole field of photojournalism, and this idea of fine art photography.”
“What’s common in the fine art field is that the artist is asking philosophical, theoretical questions about aesthetics, beauty, and how images appeal to our senses, or large questions about social justice, how the media shapes our social stereotypes and expectations and the way we see and judge the world,” she explains. “They’re artists who engage beyond snapping a picture to have very thoughtful questions behind that act of taking a picture.”
Baltimore-based photographer (and curator and co-director of Gallery Four, galleryfour.net) Edward Winter describes his photos as ranging from sneaky public portraits to ambitious studio-based set building. His interest in photography sprang from his study of sociology.
“I tend to work ideas through a series of photos, rather than one particular image,” he explains. For example, in his series “The Living Box” his inspiration was Gaston Bachelard’s book The Poetics of Space. In addition, he used the series to explore the presence of the photographer’s intention and manipulation in the photograph instead of passively making discreet observations in the world, as could be said of his “Exciting New Positions!” series that captures unwitting bus passengers dozing. “In this way,” he adds, “these photos might feel more akin to painting or sculpture rather than documentary pictures.”
A. Aubrey Bodine (1906-1970), "Baltimore Harbor," 1955" Courtesy Kathleen Ewing Gallery, Washington, DC © A. Aubrey Bodine Estate
Like fine art painting, there is a lot of variation in fine art photography and much of the value, both aesthetic and monetary, depends on the photographer’s credentials, says Kathleen Ewing, director of Washington, DC’s Kathleen Ewing Gallery. “Why is a photograph valuable? Because of all the factors that go into the creation of the images and the reputation of the photographer,” she says. “A lot has to do with the intent of the photographer; those that are highly regarded have made a serious commitment to the craft.”
It takes much thought, time, and money to create a photographic composition and print it on quality paper, perhaps several feet in size. Sometimes because of the intricacy of composition, set-up, lighting, camera adjustments, and other technical processes it can take hours to produce one photograph—so even though your average amateur shutterbug may create beautiful photographic images, the level of artistry that goes into family vacation photos is vastly separated from that which goes into a fine art photograph. “It’s more about knowing what tools speak what dialect and knowing how to apply them to translate your vision,” says Winter, who uses film and digital cameras. “Large 4 by 5 cameras and most medium format cameras require a lot of manual adjustments, which slow the whole process down a notch. This can be good or bad, depending on what you want, but either way it intrinsically changes how you have to approach whatever you are photographing and how the resulting photograph feels.”
Winter’s work would be classified as “contemporary” photography, and as such, there are many who came before. According to Ewing, a “vintage” photograph (versus a print) means the photo was developed by the photographer within a relatively short time of the picture being snapped. For example, there are Ansel Adams vintage photographs made by him in the dark room, though he made many prints later. These details are important to determining value, which is why a dealer can help match a buyer with a photograph. The Association of International Photography Art Dealers maintains lists of members online.
Prices can range from $1,000 for a new, contemporary artist, $5,000 to $15,000 for A. Aubrey Bodine vintage pictures, to upwards of $75,000 for a rare Diane Arbus; so it’s important to be educated, both about price and aesthetic. “Go to museum shows to educate your eye by looking at the great photographers,” suggests Ewing.
Hileman recommends finding an artist with whom you share a philosophy. Start a collection by purchasing from a local photographer, who you can talk with about the artwork. If you are buying from someone deceased or out of the vicinity, review auction records to get a sense of fair pricing for the artist’s work. But, cautions Hileman, like all art, buying fine photography is more than an investment.
“The value of the artwork is not simply all the physical components added up together,” says Hileman. “It reflects someone who spent time thinking about their medium and is exploring the broader questions about our world. When you purchase an artwork like that, you are purchasing the philosophical statement and aesthetic exploration as well as an object.”
Christianna McCausland is a Contributing Editor for ChesapeakeHome.
To purchase Sun photos by A. Aubrey Bodine, visit the Photos section of BaltimoreSunStore.com.
Contacts:
The Baltimore Museum of Art: artbma.org or 443-573-1700
Gallery Four: galleryfour.net
Kathleen Ewing Gallery: kathleenewinggallery.com or 202-328-0955
