Yeah, on POTN, “art” is largely a pejorative term, so other photography sites might provide more constructive advice. As you might have gathered over the years, we like it Archie Bunker around here: museums are anathema.
Even so, most good photography incorporates artistic elements that help enhance the visual esthetic, even if one has no desire to create art.
Composition, lines, angles, geometry, contrast, color, tones, movement, and of course lighting are all elements that can be creatively used to help produce a compelling photograph, and there’s nothing elitist, pretentious, egoistic, cliquey, inflated, or fraudulent about this…inveigling marketing skills need not apply.
One thing that I might suggest is to just closely observe photos to try to identify what appeals to you. And of course, as Tom noted, for some folks, appreciation of the arts in general can help, including music.
As Tom also stated, this is something that you can develop. As with anything else, some people are going to pick it up quicker than others, so it’s a matter of both study, patience, and lots of practice.
Photographer Michael Freeman has come out with some well received books on the matter; they might be worth exploring.
Give Tom’s suggested video a view as well.
And again, just looking at photographs---yours, others, amateurs, professionals, and so on---can prove instructive. Don’t underestimate the value of osmotic development.
To this end, don’t quickly toss away shots you don’t like…try to figure out why the photography failed for you. Likewise, try to identify what visual components contribute to photos that you like. Reverse engineer, sort of...maybe, what do I know...
Anyway, no need to get hung up on creating “art,” per say, but yes, art appreciation, even at a cursory level, can help improve your photography.
