Photography Is A Fine Art

Photography’s journey to being recognized as a fine art was long and often contentious. When the medium first emerged in the 19th century, it was largely seen as a mechanical or scientific process rather than a creative one, since the camera was viewed as doing most of the “work.” Early photographers like Julia Margaret Cameron, Alfred Stieglitz, and Edward Steichen had to actively argue for photography’s artistic merit, emphasizing composition, lighting, and the photographer’s vision as essential elements that elevated a photograph beyond documentation.

The Pictorialist movement in the late 1800s and early 1900s played a critical role. Pictorialists deliberately created photographs that mimicked painting and printmaking, using soft focus, special printing processes, and careful staging to show that photography could evoke mood, emotion, and artistry. This helped photography begin to enter galleries and salons as a legitimate artistic medium.

Stillwater Grain Terminal ©2025 Eric Wells Hatheway

By the mid-20th century, photographers such as Ansel Adams and Edward Weston moved toward “straight photography,” asserting that the inherent qualities of the camera—sharp focus, tonal range, and detail—could produce art unique to the medium. Museum exhibitions, including MoMA’s photography shows curated by Beaumont Newhall and John Szarkowski, were critical in cementing photography’s place in the institutional art world.

When I earned my B.F.A. in 1991, photography was still transitioning into full acceptance. Certain works, particularly those by recognized fine art photographers, were considered collectible and shown in galleries, but the broader art market still heavily favored painting and sculpture. Over the last three decades, several factors have propelled photography into the mainstream of fine art: the rise of conceptual photography, the influence of major contemporary artists who use photography as their primary medium, and the global reach of photography exhibitions and fairs.

Sunday Morning Coming Up ©2025 Eric Wells Hatheway

Today, photography is widely accepted in museums and galleries, and its conceptual and aesthetic value is rarely questioned. However, its market prices generally remain below those of traditional painting and sculpture. This is partly due to the reproducibility of the medium and the perception of lower rarity, although limited-edition prints and experimental processes have helped bridge that gap in some cases.

Photography’s inclusion in fine art required decades of advocacy, innovation, and demonstration of the photographer’s role as an artist rather than a technician. While its market value may never fully match that of traditional fine art, its cultural and artistic legitimacy is now solidly established.

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