The answer depends on how you define ‘artist’. Is the artist a person who paints, sculpts, writes poetry, plays music or dances? Or is the artist simply the person who creates images – photographs, paintings or prints?
Most people who take photos or make prints are not called photographers. We’re not talking about the type of people who have formal training and go on to make a career out of taking pictures. Instead we’re talking about someone who snaps away on their smartphone, takes a few self-portraits and has fun with the process.
As a general rule, however, the term photographer does mean the person who is creating images. They are called photographers for a reason – they create art. There are people who specialize in photography, but this isn’t always the case. In the majority of cases, however, you need to understand the basics of photography before you can go on to make a living from it.
What does a photographer do?
To begin with, a photographer creates images by using a camera. A camera is a device that allows light to fall on a piece of film or digital sensor.
Photography began around the end of the 18th century, with the introduction of the daguerrotype. This was a large, heavy box-like object, which used glass plates, mounted on a wooden frame. The glass plate was covered with black cloth, and when the box was opened the light shone through the glass to expose the cloth. When the box was closed, the cloth was replaced by a negative image of the scene, and then a new plate was put in place. The result was a large print made from the negative.
Photography in its modern form was developed by the Frenchman Louis Daguerre, who invented the photographic process now known as the daguerreotype. Instead of making a physical copy of the scene, he used an emulsion of silver chloride on a sheet of copper to make an image which he exposed to light using a camera. The result was a print of the scene.
After that came other photographic techniques. For example, the calotype, which produced a positive print, rather than a negative, and the ambrotype, which used the photographic process to produce a wax-print from the scene.
As the century progressed, various advances were made in the development of the photographic process, with the invention of new types of camera and different methods of exposing the emulsion. By the early 20th century, it was possible to make small, portable cameras and use them to take pictures.
Photographers today are a diverse group, ranging from professional fashion, lifestyle and wedding photographers, to amateur, hobbyists and amateurs.
How to become a photographer
There are three routes to becoming a photographer. Firstly, you could start with a camera and buy your own pictures. Then you could buy a camera and join a club, or become a member of a society. You could also purchase a camera with a range of accessories, such as lenses and filters, and use the kit to photograph things in your locality. If you have taken up photography as a hobby, you could try selling your work online.
We also have a lot of articles on this website about getting started as a photographer, you can check them out here.
What does a photographer do?
There are many ways in which you can become a photographer. One of the most popular is the professional route.
Professional photographers work with clients who commission them to make photographs. A client might ask a professional to photograph their children, a wedding, their business premises, a product they are launching, a model for a shoot, a portrait, or a company product.
A professional photographer usually carries out a number of tasks as part of a job. These may include:
• finding and negotiating with the client
• preparing the shoot
• capturing the scene
• delivering prints, negatives, and digital files to the client
• providing advice and guidance, and
• working with the client to ensure they are happy with the results.
Are photographer artists?
There is no clear definition of what a photographer is or what an artist is. Some people might say that a photographer is an artist who uses photography as their medium, while others might say that a photographer is someone who simply takes amazing photos.
In general, photographers can be considered as artist. A photographer is a person who takes pictures using a camera. But a photographer is not just a person who takes pictures. He or she is a professional artist who has years of experience and training to develop their skills.
A photographer creates his or her art through a process of careful planning, execution, and interpretation. There are many different types of photographers. Professional photographers specialize in different types of photography.
Professional photographers work in a variety of fields and can be found in many areas. They are found in advertising agencies, museums, newspapers, magazines, television stations, fashion houses, retail stores, weddings, sports events, portraits, and even in law enforcement.
A professional photographer is a master at taking photographs. To become an expert in the field, a photographer needs to devote countless hours learning to use a camera and perfecting the techniques of lighting, composition, framing, and exposure. They must develop an artistic eye to find beauty and meaning in the world around them and translate these ideas into images.