A definition of “Art Photography” can be elusive, but “when photographers refer to it, they have in mind the photographs seen in magazines such as American Photo, Popular Photography, and Print, and in salons and exhibitions. Art (or artful) photography is salable.”*
Fine art photography is created using the vision of the artist, the photographer. It differs from photojournalism, which is more documentary and captures events as they happen. Fine art photography may represent actual-events but are often not captured as the event-unfolds, but staged at a different time.
Commercial photography, while it can be considered fine art, differs because its main purpose is to advertise products or services.