Vic Mitchell Photography - Photographic Basics

Photographic Basics

With thousands of Web sites dedicated to photography, why add to the cacophony? Simple, they are not grounded in a thorough knowledge of the craft nor are they dedicated to the arts. Most of them exist only to offer "tips and tricks."

This page intends to introduce the elements of photographic craft utilized by Vic Mitchell Photography to produce his traditional photographs. In addition, resources for the student of the craft are provided.

Photographic Craft

Photography like most other art forms requires both mastery of craft as well as the creative spirit or art. Some embrace only the creative side of photography which ultimately limits their ability to create satisfying work.

If you haven't studied art it may come as a surprise that in the art community there is a clear distinction between art, craft, and design. This is reflected in the names of what the layman would call "art" institutions: Oregon College of Art & Craft, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, and California Design College

The separation of craft from art and design is one of the phenomena of late-twentieth-century Western culture. The consequences of this split have been quite startling. It has led to the separation of ‘having ideas’ from ‘making objects.’ It has also led to the idea that there exists some sort of mental attribute known as ‘creativity’ that precedes or can be divorced from a knowledge of how to make things. This has led to art without craft. -- Peter Dormer, The Culture of Craft

This distinction is clarified in R.G. Collingwood's Principles of Art. He describes craft as a skill which is knowledge of the means to a specific end. The significance here is that the craftsperson knows in advance what the end product is and uses the required skills to produce it. A common example is a piece of furniture created by a woodworker. Collingwood differentiates a predesigned chair from the artist who has no design for the work ahead, simply an idea. A further distinction between art and craft follow the line of thought of what is the purpose of the final result of the process. A chair serves a purpose or has utility. Art typically exists only to inspire.

So the photographer employs both art and craft in the process of creating a photograph. It is this blend that has inspired a long running debate in the art community as whether photography is art or craft. (Of note towards this end is that the recent shift towards use of digital machines clearly moves this branch of photography back towards craft.)

Enough about the ideology of the art world, let's talk about the craft of photography. Ansel Adams, both a great photographer and a great photography teacher, wrote his now seminal books about the craft in three parts: The Camera, The Negative, and The Print. This seems like an excellent basis for a basic understanding of photography.

Next see Light, Camera, & Film.

Then see the discussion of my print material Ilfochrome.

Basic Reference Sources

Schaefer, John P. Ansel Adams Guide, The: Basic Techniques of Photograph, Book One, Revised Edition and An Ansel Adams Guide: Basic Techniques of Photography, Book Two Little, Brown, and Company, 1999. An update of Ansel’s basic ideas by a close friend. A very good place to start or update your photographic knowledge.

Upton, Barbara London, Photography (9th Edition), with John Upton. Prentice Hall, 2007. Thorough but brief coverage of all major photographic topics with lots of pictures and illustrations.

Technical Reference Sources

Adams, Ansel. The New Ansel Adams Photography Series, with Robert Baker. The Camera; The Negative; The Print; Little, Brown, and Company, 1995. Photographic creative control through full technical control of the process. A must read for all serious photographers . A masterpiece of photographic reference.