Nature photography turning to art?

I love macrophotography in my garden. It is about noticing small details. This time, I photographed something I first thought was a bee, but it was a fly that looked like a bee. It is called a hoverfly—most likely from the genus Sphaerophoria, the globetails, which has around 60 known species worldwide and 15 here in Norway.

The flowers were orange, and the fly was also nearly orange with a little yellow, so they looked great together. The colors were warm, and they reminded me of summer, not autumn. But it is autumn now. I took these pictures a few days ago.

Is nature photography art?

I ask myself: Is this art? Can we make art from flies in a flowerpot? Is photography art? It is about seeing, and it is about having a vision. It is also about finding my own voice in what I am doing, not copying other photographers. It’s not about thinking, “Is this good enough?” or “I don’t make it.” I think my art comes from something inside me, and it is about how I see the world around me. My tool for making art is a camera; in this case, my mobile phone with some Reeflex lenses. Other people may choose painting, music, or something else as their tool for making art.

But can we make art out of nature?

Yes, I think so. I think that nature photographers should be proud of their work. They are not just documenting nature; they’re also exploring how a landscape or a fly on a flower can stand out and make a beautiful picture. They look for textures, light, and patterns, and try to create a composition that brings these elements together. That is how I work as a nature photographer and as a street photographer.

Not only take pictures, but make pictures!

Yes, that’s correct. In our language, we say I take a picture, but if we think of photography as art, we don’t take the picture; we make it! I think this makes a big difference to the question: Is nature photography art or not? It’s about how we feel, how we see, how we take time to bring the elements together. It’s about the time we spend on composition.

Do you see the difference between making and taking?

Suggestions about books you can read about the theme

One of the nature photographers who says something about this is Kim Grant. I reccomand you buy her book From shooting to Creating. I attended a five-day workshop with her in Scotland in April 2025, and I learned a lot about creating instead of just capturing.

Another photographer I also admire is Karen Hutton, an American landscape photographer and artist. I’m currently reading her book, “Finding Your Artistic Voice in Photography.”

Both of these books inspire me to make pictures in my own voice. And I think this is what I am doing in the flowerpot or in the bigger landscape. My photography is becoming art when I try to make a picture instead of just taking one. It takes a little more time than a snap, but it is worth it!