by Yvette Depaepe

Good photography is more than just taking pictures with a  good camera. As with other forms of art, well-executed photography always strives to convey an idea or message in one way or another – a good example of this is conceptual photography.

The term Conceptual Photography derives from conceptual Art, a movement of the late 1960s. Today the term is used to describe either a methodology or a genre.

Conceptual photography is basically the art of creating photographs that illustrate ideas. Be it an illustration of a story, a dramatic moment or even just some simple things in life that would bring a smile to your face. A good conceptual image should never leave you indifferent.

It means the photographer is trying to write a story in your head with a single image. Often the message is conveyed in a very abstract way using random objects and props. Although the image may be shot to tell one story, it can very easily be interpreted many different ways by each person who sees it.

With software such as Adobe Photoshop, publicly available all over the world, more and more photographers have been willing to give conceptual photography a go as photo manipulation software has advanced.

Conceptual photography is also known to be one of the most creative genres of photography. Partly because it is harder as compared to other genres, but mostly because it takes a lot of time and patience to get that perfect conceptual shot. 

It appears that 1x has outstanding and talented conceptual photographers among it's members. Enjoy this compilation of outstanding conceptual work and get inspired. Who knows, you may want to give it a go too !!!

"Front the ashes to ashes" by Eldad Pnini