The Photography Market Is Moving Closer to Painting — And Here's Why It Matters
Something significant is happening in the fine art photography market — and a recent article in Artnet, one of the world's most respected art publications, captures it perfectly.
In their Spring 2026 Photographs feature, Artnet's head of photographs Susanna Wenniger observed: "Photographs in today's market are moving closer to the painting market by becoming larger, unique, and more costly."
The article traces this shift from the daguerreotypes of the 1830s through to today's collectors — who increasingly seek works with what Wenniger calls "wall power": scale, singularity, and a presence that commands a room.
Reading This, I Recognised My Own Work
When I read the Artnet piece, I recognised immediately the space my work occupies. This is precisely the territory my Shiosai no Sho: Calligraphy of the Tides collection was created to inhabit — and has always inhabited, long before the market caught up.
When I stand at the water's edge on the Dorset coast and watch the sea compose its own calligraphy in the sand, I'm not thinking like a photographer. I'm thinking like a painter — using light, motion, and long exposure the way a Sumi-e master uses ink and brush. The result is something that sits deliberately at the boundary between photography and painting. Not quite either. Something else entirely.
Why This Matters for Collectors
The Artnet article identifies a new type of collector entering the market — one driven not just by aesthetics, but by scarcity. Today's buyers want something rare that also has wall power.
Each image in my Shiosai no Sho collection is a unique moment — the tide never writes the same thing twice. Printed in limited editions on museum-quality canvas, fine art paper, and aluminium, these are works designed to hold their place on a wall for a lifetime.
The Convergence Is Here
"The photography market is moving closer and closer to the rest of the contemporary art market," Wenniger concluded.
For collectors considering fine art photography, that convergence is the opportunity. Works that sit at the intersection of photography and painting — singular, large-scale, emotionally resonant — are precisely where the market is heading.
If you'd like to explore my Calligraphy of the Tides collection, I'd love you to take a look.