Basics of fine-art photography/Realism, сreating works



Realism is a creative direction, whose supporters, drawing a parallel between art and reality, strive for maximum accuracy, displaying the surrounding world without idealizing it.

General information
Encyclopedic sources and literature on art history use the term to characterize artistic movements. Based on these data, one can classify realism as an aesthetic position based on mimesis.

Sometimes realism is contrasted to romanticism — a direction in art that preaches a poetic perception of the world, the romanticization of being.

Ways of implementation
If realism is about painting, literature, theater and cinema, why should fine-art photography be an exception? The author proves the truth of this thesis in practice. It is possible that the views of creative people from XXI century differ from the vision of the painters who worked 100 - 150 years ago, but realism, as before, exists.

How do you create a realistic photographic work worthy of adorning the walls of an exhibition hall? The root of the word in the title of this article suggests, that your work should not hide the shortcomings of the chosen object. In addition, it is necessary to remember about expressiveness and artistry, which is the difference between realism in photography and reportage genre, which is also intended to depict reality but serves a different purposes.

It is difficult to give specific advice on the choice of space for action. You should constantly be in a creative search: after creating a certain number of test works, review the material and, analyzing the plots, select the best. Chance plays a decisive role: no preparation of the subject should be carried out, otherwise the result of your work will be a staged photograph — the opposite of the concept of realism

As you carefully and thoughtfully contemplate the photo works made by the author of this textbook in different parts of the world, engage your imagination and try to transport yourself with by the power of thought to distant countries of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, where live a people who differ from us in appearance but are similar in their thoughts, actions, and judgments. These specimens will help you make up your mind by serving as practical material in addition to this educational article.