Op-Ed: Is Astrophotography Fine Art?

We went to the state fair this last week and visited the Fine Arts Building to see the entries. I'd been told one astro image had been accepted and particularly wanted to see it.

If you follow the usual flow of people that turns right upon entry into the building and then winds around the pictures, you come to the image just before returning to the entry. Go look!

After you've seen it I'm sure you'll agree with me when I say it's a beauty of a picture, with a gorgeous capturing of the Lagoon Nebula and surroundings. Everything about it is technically excellent. What you might not agree with is my opinion that it doesn't belong in the building.

I haven't always thought this way about AP at the fair. I once entered a decent-quality image for consideration; it was rejected, and rightly so.

So why did my mind change about AP in a display of popular art? Let me begin by showing you the way art entries are judged for acceptance, as described by Google AI, which I think gets it about right. Following each factor I'll include a few comments of my own in italics.

Before I start, let me make a distinction between deep-sky object (DSO) imaging and landscape  photography. A DSO image contains only sky; a landscape image contains sky and element(s) of landscape (landforms, buildings, and perhaps even people). I'm going to talk almost exclusively about DSO imaging, mainly because that's what I do.

And also please note: what I write here is not a knock on the Fine Arts judging rules, how they are implemented, or the judges themselves. I think the entire system works quite well to provide fairgoers with a diverse taste of the local art community.

Factor 1. Individual Definition of Artistic Quality

The Minnesota State Fair explicitly establishes artistic quality as the fundamental criterion for selection. Because "quality" is inherently subjective, the fair empowers each category's specific juror to interpret this based on their own professional expertise. Judges evaluate how successfully the artist has utilized the core elements of art (such as line, shape, color, and value) and the principles of design (such as balance, contrast, and movement) to create a compelling visual statement.

The judges change each year, meaning that the working definition of  "artistic quality" changes as well. The need to utilize the listed core elements is problematic for DSO imaging that attempts to faithfully interpret reality. DSO images have little flexibility regarding line, shape, color and value unless the imager is willing to make a break from reality. 

Factor 2. Mastery of the Medium (Technical Craftsmanship)

Judges look for a rigorous command over the material used. Each of the eight competitive classes demands proof of technical skill:

• Painting, Watercolor, & Drawing (Classes 1, 3, & 4): Mastery over brushwork, blending, color theory, layering, and line precision.
• Sculpture, Ceramics, & Glass (Classes 2 & 6): Structural integrity, spatial awareness, and handling of form or glaze.
• Printmaking & Textiles (Classes 5 & 7): Intricacy of the pattern, clean execution of the print process, and material manipulation.
• Photography (Class 8): Control over lighting, depth of field, exposure, and sharp composition.

AP clearly falls into Class 8, and certainly offers a wealth of options like exposure time, color channels, number of frames, degree of stretching and dynamic range control, composition, etc. Composition is more than simply location and orientation of the field, it also includes the choice of focal length. 

Whether or not the judges are aware of these factors may vary from year to year. This year's accepted AP entry without a doubt demonstrates "Mastery of the Medium."

Factor 3. Originality and Diversity of Expression

The exhibition explicitly seeks a wide diversity of artistic expression within each medium to demonstrate the full breadth of what can be accomplished.

• Uniqueness: Works must be completely original and completed within the designated recent timeframe (e.g., executed since the start of the prior year) without the assistance of an instructor.
• Creative Voice: Copying existing works or relying heavily on tired clichés is often ground for quick elimination. Jurors favor pieces that show a distinct personal narrative, innovative concepts, or an unexpected manipulation of traditional mediums.

Where DSO AP has a serious problem is creative voice. How does one give a distinct personal narrative to, for example, the North American Nebula? Can a traditionally-processed image of the Orion nebula be innovative? The goal of most DSO AP is to follow accepted norms of processing and not indulge in unexpected manipulations. 

To put it harshly, a straight-up DSO image is soulless. It's a fair point to suggest that a beautiful image reveals the intrinsic beauty of the heavens, but is that good enough to take the place of the missing creative voice? I don't know.

Factor 4. The Digital Submission Quality (The "First Impression")

Because the preliminary elimination round occurs entirely online by reviewing submitted digital images, the quality of the digital entry photograph is practically treated as a criterion. Professional artists and past participants note that otherwise excellent art is routinely rejected if the submission image is blurry, poorly lit, incorrectly cropped, or shot at a low resolution.

If AP teaches us anything it's attention to detail. Blurry, poorly cropped low resolution images would not make it past our own desktops. Digital image quality should not be a hurdle for anyone doing high serious DSO imaging.

Factor 5. Physical Presentation & Framing Compliance

Once a piece passes the digital phase, it faces final in-person evaluation for awards. At this stage, professionalism in presentation becomes a harsh filter. The fair enforces strict presentation rules:

I'm going to skip these rules because they don't really differentiate between AP and non-AP entries.

It suffices to say that anyone who is a serious DSO imager already knows to take their images to professional printers and framers.

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What this all comes down to is that the art of imaging -- and it is an art, given the complexities of data acquisition and processing -- is not really what the fair is looking for. The fair wants a personal touch, something of meaning to the imager beyond technical excellence. 

Can a DSO image convey an emotion? I don't know, but it's an interesting thing to ponder.

Can you think of some way to add feelings or thoughtfulness to an image? 

For myself, I might consider creating artistic overlays for images had I any talent of that sort.

While writing this post I thought of a way to add my own personal spin on the state of imaging. As it turns out others have had the same idea; I'm also hardly alone in thinking about acting on the idea. But I will, because I think it will be fun and possibly even be thought provoking for the viewer. 

Skies willing I'll have an entry for the 2027 state fair, and I'll find out if they agree it's worth acknowledging with acceptance.

Your comments are invited.

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It's almost time to make reservations at Lac Qui Parle!