Is Photography an Art form?

I have participated in several debates over if Photography is an art form or simply a craft. It is really difficult to answer before you have defined what is art?

I am sure there is several ways you could go about defining art, but for me it is something that plays a large part in making our lives infinitely rich. Art is what causes thought and emotions, for me it must move the spectator as well as the creator. Sure; the importance of art varies from individual to individual; for some people, art is the entire reason they get out of bed in the morning, and indifferent for others. My claim is that “Art is something that makes us more thoughtful and well-rounded humans.”

I am going to argue; that some photography is an art form, and other an outcome of a craft.

• Can a wedding photography shot by a commercial wedding photographer be art? I am going to argue, yes… in some cases. If it moves the creator or the viewer in some way; into a thought pattern, an emotion then it must be art.
  
• What about the hobbyist; his photographing certainly moves him creatively; he learns to reflect reality though a photography. Owning an expensive camera can seem like more of a lifestyle choice than anything else these days, by itself it has for me nothing to do with art. In the moment the hobbyist starts to consider how he can change the perception of reality, or the reality itself then, something magical happen, and photography changes from a technique to art.
  
• The professional photographer; shooting stunning portraits, for me they are not art. Though technically perfect, they are nothing more than craft. The necessary skills to deliver a product. I know a number of photographers that through their actions agrees on this, after hours they do have their own photography art project.
  

You might even say “Art is subjective, and means something different to every single person on earth.” No doubt, this argument is true, but because just because you recognize your own work as art it doesn’t make it so. Try to argue through the simple criteria’s I outlined.

Now, I have stated my opinion, I would like you hear yours, I urge you to comment here in my blog for all to see…