A lot of people think I'm a good photographer or they're lying to me, he says. "I use imagery every day, but when I'm composing for fine art purposes, it's with a different mindset" He grew up in the film era and had to train his eye to be very precise before shooting. The pictures that the public consumes are the best ones; there are many bad ones nobody sees.
When everyone is carrying a camera in their pocket, what raises the act of taking pictures to the level of fine art photography? Jessica Todd Harper, the award-winning portrait photographer, says that it's equal parts mindset and technique--and lots of setting the stage to seize that perfect light. Listen as Harper speaks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about her desire to capture the complexity of life in a single image, why family relationships and home life are her chosen subjects, and the integral role beauty plays in her images, despite its diminished status in art today.