A certain type of confusion about the relationship between scientific
discoveries and art, leads to a frequently asked question: Is photography an
art? The answer is: No. It is a technical, not a creative, skill. Art requires
a selective re-creation. A camera cannot perform the basic task of painting: a
visual conceptualization, i.e., the creation of a concrete in terms of abstract
essentials. The selection of camera angles, lighting or lenses is merely a
selection of the means to reproduce various aspects of the given, i.e., of an
existing concrete. There is an artistic element in some photographs, which is
the result of such selectivity as the photographer can exercise, and some of
them can be very beautiful—but the same artistic element (purposeful
selectivity) is present in many utilitarian products: in the better kinds of
furniture, dress design, automobiles, packaging, etc. The commercial art work
in ads (or posters or postage stamps) is frequently done by real artists and
has greater esthetic value than many paintings, but utilitarian objects cannot
be classified as works of art.