Photography.  Is it art or just taking pictures?

Many of you who are close friends know that, besides writing (which I will begin after the holidays) I enjoy photography.

I am self-taught, as I am with most things.  When I got my first DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex camera), I learned a few basic rules about composition and lighting.  Things that put an official label on what I was doing anyway, it seems.

But it was when I joined an art group that I surmised that many artists (painters, sculptors) did not take photography seriously as an art form. It was just taking pictures. So I volunteered to do a presentation on photography at the Appleton Museum in Ocala. If you're interested, here is a link to my presentation in a PDF format. Please excuse the duplicate frames. Photography- Is It Art? This is one of my favorite portraits. Why? Because we've all been there, and as we've gotten older, we've forgotten the joy of being pulled on a sled by mom or dad. It captures a single moment in time. Hopefully, this photo made you smile, just a bit. Is it just taking pictures?