Photographer or Artist?

Do you consider yourself a photographer or an artist? Perhaps both? In my experience, many photographers hesitate to call themselves artists, believing they are unworthy or undeserving of the title. I understand the reticence. The title “artist” does sound a bit highfalutin, reserved for those rare few blessed with extraordinary abilities. Da Vinci, Cezanne, Monet, Picasso, those were artists. How can we consider ourselves in the same company? It brings to mind the movie Wayne’s World and the line, “We’re not worthy, we’re not worthy!“

Being an artist has nothing to do with fame or recognition. It has nothing to do with the quality of what you produce. Bad artists are still artists. Being an artist is not about your artwork but about how you live your life. Artists observe and pay attention, feel deeply, contemplate the world, and then aim to express their feelings about the world in their work. It’s a life filled with curiosity and wonder. As a creative and self-expressive photographer, isn’t that what you do, regardless of whether you do it professionally or as a hobby? If so, then why not call yourself an artist?

What I find more interesting are those photographers who resist the title “artist.” Edward Weston's writings and actions suggest a preference for the term "photographer" rather than "artist," emphasizing the technical skill and precision involved in his craft. Al Weber, a photographer of whom I only recently learned, was also uncomfortable with the title “artist.” I believe some of the resistance is in response to photography’s struggle to be recognized as an art form on par with other mediums, a sort of backlash against the “establishment.” I wonder, would a painter or sculptor resist the title of artist? I tend to doubt it.

Photographers (at least those who photograph the natural world) are a weird lot, riddled with insecurity and doubt about photography's place in the greater art community. To be fair, much of the doubt is due to the inherent reality of photography and its myriad genres. Many styles are interested in visual fact, whereas creative photography is a translation of reality through the mind and imagination of the photographer. 

Ultimately, none of this is of any real consequence. It matters only to us whether we call ourselves photographers or artists. It’s a label, nothing more. What matters is that we live our best life and create work that is authentic and honest and done with integrity, uncompromised by external forces. Seeing and feeling deeply and expressing your individuality in your photography- that is what makes an artist. And a photographer.

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