For long there had been a debate as to whether photography can be termed as an art form. Thankfully for fine art photography, this issue came to an end. Fine art photography, in its myriad form, has sold consistently well through both traditional and an increasing number of specialist photographic galleries for long enough to reach the conclusion that photographs also find a place on the walls along with the traditional art forms.

Fine art photography is high quality photography with archival essence, created in order to fulfill the creative and innovative vision of an individual photography with a high artistic sense. Fine art photography prints are mostly reproduced in order to be sold to big dealers, collectors or to advertising magazines. Fine art prints are mostly exhibited in art galleries.

The history of fine art photography can be traced back to the Victorian era practitioners such as Julia Margaret Cameron, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, and Oscar Gustave Rejlander among others. During the twentieth century, art photography became accepted by the English-speaking art world and the gallery system. Throughout the twentieth century, there was a noticeable increase in the size of prints. Small delicate prints in thin frames are now a rarity, and hi-gloss wall-sized prints are common. There is now a tendency to dispense with a frame and glass altogether and instead to print onto blocked canvas. There is now a trend toward a careful staging and lighting of the picture, rather than hoping to "discover" it ready-made. Photographers such as Cindy Sherman and Gregory Crewdson, among others, are noted for the quality of their staged pictures.

Since fine art photography is considered to be an individual perspective of an artistically inclined photographer, sometimes nude photography is also termed as a work of fine art.