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Artistic photography pertains to images that are created in compliance to an creative perspective. They are used to show a feeling, state or concept instead of contacting attention to a latest event or a product like popular alternatives do. This design of digital photography is all about introducing normal things in outstanding ways and directing out different viewpoints on a actuality. What makes it very interesting is the truth that it can be recognized exclusively by different individuals, like they would artwork and music, and create them question what the topic is or what the undertones are.

Artistic Photography

Historical information would show that the first concept of “fine art” digital photography goes back in 1851 with Bob Edwin Mayall’s daguerreotypes showing the Lord’s Prayer. In the Victorian times, the art was further researched by photography lovers such as Julia Maggie Cameron and Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. In the U.S., this design of digital photography was recommended by companies E Steichen and Alfred Stieglitz, making their way into collection and collection shows around the nation.

By the Seventies, several artistic digital photography designs started to appear, namely images, natural scenery and nude images. It was during this time that performers such as Bob Mapplethorpe and Sue Mann created their level, harking back to womanliness and the body system. These days, most of the fine-art digital photography that can be found as inventory images are location with cautious illumination and establishing. Instead of taking natural photos, photography lovers today who are into this type of press concept trigger the situation and even modify their takes with technology to create it bigger, more powerful and more significant. With regards to reputation, artistic images are now becoming more commonly approved and used outside of exhibits and exhibits – either as attractive parts or mementos. They are even marketed in the U.S. as much as artwork, both in sales locations and online, with a constant increase in prices every year. Some of the more significant art photography lovers of the Twenty first millennium are Carleton Watkins, Jordan Beaches and Jimmy O’Sullivan.

One amazing progress in excellent art digital photography is the truth that it has transcended from a traditional, traditional strategy to one that holds commercialism and literature. More than just showing an sentiment, art digital photography now wants to tell a tale and beckon visitors to believe or act on something, rather than just appreciate. If you look around the internet, most of the art inventory images now have sophisticated style, professional, travel, action, documented and newspaper factor to them. It is this the actual of designs that has created current digital photography designs more attractive and motivating – so much so that thousands of individuals have taken the freedom to go to short programs and buy expensive equipment to try things out themselves.

Currently, colleges are also offering artistic photography as a part of their excellent artistry program and even as a stand-alone program, having founded its importance in contemporary lifestyle and community. And with this, the job possibilities have also increased, due to the adaptability this concept has shown over the years.

Digital cameras come in many sizes, colors, brands, zooms, resolutions, playbacks, etc. There are so many features and qualities that are being placed in the devices that buyers’ especially first timers become overwhelmed and dizzy with these outstanding arrays of gadgets. This is even without including the various advertisements and different ratings that are used to promote these products.

So what are the things to look for if you want to buy digital camera? To be able to answer these, there are 2 sets of information you have to know before you can decide. The first type of information is defining what YOU need and want in a digital camera. To do this, you can ask yourself the following questions:

• What do you want to take with your digital camera?

Before you buy digital camera, it is important to determine what kind of pictures you want to take with it. If you are a digital photography enthusiast, any digital camera will not just do. You have to look for features that can support the zooming you need, the resolution, etc.

• How much is your budget?

This is a very important question any person who intends to buy digital camera should ask. Because no matter what your needs and wants are for the device, your financial resource will play a huge part in dictating the type of digital camera you will buy.

• What are you resources?

When you buy digital camera, sometimes the spending does not end there. You also have to consider the capacity and the power of the computer and the printer you will be hooking your camera with for your editing and printing needs. Editing software is already included when you buy digital camera but other devices aren’t. Aside from a printer, ink and paper for printing, you might also need additional memory cards for your camera and a more powerful computer to support image editing and image storage and retrieval.

After answering these 3 questions, the second set of information you need to know before you buy digital camera are the features that you need in the device. These are:

• Resolution

  Before you buy digital camera, check first its capacity to produce high quality photo images. The number of pixels indicated determines resolution. The more number of pixels, the higher the resolution which can make photos to be enlarged without losing image quality.

• Built-in memory

  Digital cameras need memory cards for picture storage. When you buy digital camera, make sure that the gadget that you buy does not only have a “built-in” memory but should also have a card slot for external and additional memory. This allows you to change full memory cards conveniently while shooting your pictures.

• Look and feel

  It is essential for you to feel comfortable holding your digital camera while shooting. So, before you buy digital camera, it good to test and check if you are comfortable holding it and using it. Consider where the buttons are located and how they are spaced out and see also if you feel comfortable using the viewfinder.

• Battery life

  Digital cameras use up batteries fast and batteries are expensive. Before you buy digital camera, consider if the camera’s batteries are rechargeable. This way you can recharge them. Take also into consideration an AC adapter when you buy digital camera. You can attach this to the camera when you are viewing your pictures or uploading them.

• LCD

  The LCD is a special consideration you have to look into when you buy a digital camera. This is a small screen located at the back of a digital camera that allows you to preview the pictures you took. This has to be considered when you buy digital camera because it uses up a lot of battery power.

• Special Features

  Special features that will suit your needs should be thought about, too before you buy digital camera. If you want your camera to have good zooming, you can opt for those with optical zoom lenses. A diopter adjustment on the digital camera’s viewfinder will also be beneficial to those who regularly wear glasses and wish to buy digital camera. Other features such as remote control, tripods, etc. can also be considered when you buy a digital camera.

With all these information in this fine art blog, you can now figure out what you really need and want before you buy digital camera. If you want to see ratings and rankings of these devices based on price, resolution or other features, check out various websites that have these in the Internet.

This fine arts blog is dedicated to an interesting and challenging field of artistic photography- Black and White photography. They enhance emotional substance of the subject make the photo look more artistic. It is considered to be the purest form of photography as the photographer has to rely on composition and form rather than the colors.

Black and White photography can be used on different scenes as it is not required to think about the colors that should look good together and match the amount of light available. This creates an entirely different mindset in terms of how you choose and approach your subject.

History of Black and White photography

Black and white photography has always been the first choice of most photographers. Even when color photography was first introduced, black and white photography was preferred over the color ones as they were of better quality and less expensive to develop. As the quality of color photographs improved, it gradually turned into the first choice for photographers thus declining the popularity of black and white photography.

Today the scenario has changed as we live in a ‘color’ full world where every image we see is vibrant! The quality of developed color photos has improved over the last many decades. With the advancement in the field of camera, the demand for color photograph has increased manifold. From amateur to a pro everyone is running behind color photographs.

All this has resulted in the loss of the art of black and white photography. Manufacturers offer better color film and processing at a low cost, on the other hand it is becoming hard to buy a black and white film!

However, at present, black and white photos are enjoying a revival. Photographers are rediscovering the power and timeless beauty that black and white film can lend to photos.

Tips to improve your Black & White photography

• Choosing the right Subject

  Not all subjects are appropriate for black and white photography. Some need to be shot in color or else their meaning is lost. The subjects for black-and-white photography might seem limited. It is always recommended to start with a raw subject, such as, rocks, metals, landscapes, still life and everyday scenes.

• Use of light and shadows

  Use natural light at different times of the day to change plain scenes into something special, or to add a particular mood to the image. A darker image snapped towards the evening time, will seem different if the same image is taken early that morning. Natural light is not to be underestimated when taking black and white photos. It affects everything from the mood of the image, to casting shadows, to texture enhancement.

• Always use low ISO

  ISO is the indication of the sensitivity of the image sensor. The higher the ISO number, higher is the sensitivity. For Black and white photography it is recommended to use films with ISO rating ranging from 50 to 400. When you use high ISO the noise will become more obvious. Noise in photography is like the “grain” in film, where the film doesn’t become as smooth as you’d wish. The higher your ISO is the more unpleasant dots will show in your photo. Films with higher ISO numbers need less light to form a useful image than films with lower ISO numbers.

• Shoot in Color

  Many digital cameras give you the options to shoot an image either in color or black and white. Never go for such an option to shoot your black and white photograph. The camera is really capturing color, then converting to black & white. It is recommendable to use computer software to convert a color photo into a black and white photo where you can have some control over it.

Of all the different types of photographies, underwater photography is probably the most difficult and challenging to practice. Wonderful colors, unusual shapes and challenging conditions make it all the more interesting to try underwater photography. The common techniques used by professional photographers are swimming, scuba diving and snorkeling. Mostly aquatic life such as fishes and corals are the main subject of photography but shipwrecks, submerged cave system and landscapes also attract photographer’s attentions.

The peaceful beauty of underwater life is the perfect subject for photography. Underwater photography is challenging as it is very difficult to find and capture the deep blue sea on camera. Understanding the behavior of underwater life is the first step of underwater photography. Few important things like, how close to get to the school of fishes, the depth where coral reefs are found, reaction of underwater life to danger, all these and more form the basis for a code of conduct for underwater photography.

Challenges faced by Photographers during underwater photography

Underwater-Photography

The biggest obstacle faced by underwater photographers is the absence of natural color and light when they in the deep waters. One can get ample amount of natural light while photographing on the surface but it keeps decreasing as you get deeper. At deep levels everything becomes colorless even to naked eyes. This is because the longer wavelengths of sunlight are absorbed by the surrounding water which makes everything appears blue-green in color to naked eyes.

However these problems can be solved by moving close to the subject, not by zooming in but manually moving close to the subject. Also using wide angle lens camera or macro lenses can help in reducing the horizontal loss of color. Another technique is to use flash which helps in restoring the color lost vertically through the water column. It is always recommended that the distance between the photographer and the subject should not exceed 3ft.

Selecting the Right camera for Underwater Photography

To get the right pictures it is necessary to get the right camera. There are many unique cameras available which are designed specially to suit the underwater environment. If you intend to improve your underwater photography then it is advisable to select a good quality water proof digital camera.

Compact camera and DSLR cameras are the two types of cameras which are highly recommended for underwater photography and are easily available in the market. Though both come with their own pros and cons, having any one of them will surely enhance your underwater photographic experiences.

The main point of difference between a compact camera and DSLR camera is that a DSLR allows you to use a variety of lenses with different focal lengths while a compact camera has one attached lens. On the contrary compact cameras are very light in weight and less complicates thus used more often by amateur photographer. Professional underwater photographers always go for DSLR cameras as it helps to capture high-quality photos.

Underwater Photography is an art which gives you a chance to experience something out of the ordinary. There is life brimming just under the surface and to capture it as a memory long after time has passed is something that is the fundamental why underwater photography has increased in practice.

Metropolitan Museum of Art is a great art museum and a must visit destination for every artist out there who likes a taste of fine arts gallery or modern art gallery. This fine arts blog brings you the detail of Metropolitan Museum of Art which is situated on the eastern edge of Central Park in Manhattan, New York.

Metropolitan Museum of Art is the world’s largest encyclopedic and one of the most respected art museums. The name of this great art museum is abbreviated as the Met. The eternal collection of this art museum has more than two million art works across thousands of years from all periods and cultures. Thus the Metropolitan Museum of Art is also the most extensive and creative art museum in the world.

A group of New Yorkers including some art lovers, wealthy businessmen, artists and philosophers founded this art museum named Metropolitan Museum of Art back in 1870; to share their love of art with the masses. It was originally location on Fifth Avenue which then changed to 14th Street within a short period of time and then this art museum got its own plot of land on the east side of Central Park, which is its present address. Today, the museum occupies nearly two million square feet and measures about a quarter-mile long which means it has grown about 20-fold since it first opened.

There are around two million of different art works at Metropolitan Museum of Art which are divided into 22 artistic departments spanned in about 250 rooms. They American decorative arts, American paintings and sculpture, Ancient Near Eastern art, Arms and armor, Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, Asian art, The Costume Institute, Drawings and prints, Egyptian art, European paintings, European sculpture and decorative arts, Greek and Roman art, Islamic art, Robert Lehman Collection, Libraries, Medieval art, The Cloisters, Modern art, Musical instruments, Photographs and Roof Garden.

According to surveys and statistics the rooftop sculpture garden and also the amazing Robert Lehman Collection are mentioned as one of the most widespread and extraordinary private art collections in the world. So the next time you are visiting New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art is in your list of places to visit and things to do. For more updates on fine arts gallery and modern art updates stay on our fine arts blog.

Related Post : Making the Most at Museum and Gallery Visits

1. Low lighting

Lighting is always an issue indoors so use it to your advantage. Choose an area or location in your house that has good natural lighting, enough to light your subject but not too much that will overpower it. Switch off your flash and any other artificial lighting. This low lighting is going to help you get a moody effect with just natural light. An image doesn’t always need to brightly and evenly lit and shadows will only add something extra to the photo. A half lit face adds drama to a portrait shot indoors using just natural light.

2. Abstract art

This is a really an easy photo opportunity and lends itself to macro or close-up photography. What’s great about the home is that there are many items that can be given a new artistic perspective when shot close-up. Choose part of the object, get in really close and see if you can shoot it in such a way that someone would not recognize it for its intended purpose. Most of us have seen those ‘guess what this is’ photos in magazines of an object where readers have to guess what the image actually is. Change your white balance settings for some interesting color casts.

DSLRs are complex pieces of photographic equipment and it is easy to get lost or fail to take full advantage of their capabilities. Looking beyond the user aids such as scene modes in entry level DSLRs, they are still capable of stunning results in the hands of a competent photographer even if they come in designer colors. .

Scene modes appear helpful but hey apply a one size fits all approach to more complex photographic situations and fail to take full advantage of the camera’s capabilities. Presumably, photographers choose DSLRs so they can produce excellent images under all conditions.

To learn how to cope with the complexity and powerful capabilities of your new DSLR try taking small steps. This means taking plenty of photographs of the same things in your neighborhood. This is how professionals try out new equipment and techniques.

Read the Manual

But not all at once. The aim is to read small sections of the manual, only as they are needed. Only read far enough to read the “Getting Started” or “Quick Start Guide” section. This should be enough to start taking photos and having fun with new camera. As the confidence in the camera builds move on to other sections in the user manual, one at a time.

P Mode

The first step is to leave all the menu settings on default so that the camera is in auto everything mode. Then set the mode dial to P and start shooting. This is a basic automatic exposure mode where the camera decides on the exposure settings and is good place to start for the first pictures. In the picture of the Nikon d3000 below, the P mode is grouped by the line on the mode dial with the serious photography modes.

This allows practice with all the other basic operations of taking a digital photograph and using it on the computer and printing it. The P mode is like training wheels on a bicycle, handy when learning, but they do prevent the user from using the device to its full capabilities.

Use The Viewfinder

When photographers use the viewfinder they are holding the cameras properly, minimizing the possibility of camera shake. Live view is largely a marketing gimmick designed to appeal to photographers graduating from cameras lacking a good optical viewfinder. Live view is useful when using a tripod, but for hand held shots use the viewfinder.

Exposure Compensation

This is a good first step in taking control of the DSLR as it allows finer tuning of the camera’s suggested exposure settings. Exposure Compensation is useful when lighting conditions become a bit more complex.

Using the EXIF Data

EXIF data is a marvelous feature of all digital cameras; they keep the shooting notes for photographers. Novice photographers often have no idea what shutter speed or aperture to use. Review the photographs made using the P mode, noting the settings the camera chose, and see the resultant picture. This gives a good starting point for photographers choosing these settings.

Aperture Priority

The most popular exposure mode amongst advanced photographers is Aperture priority, usually indicated by A or Av on the mode dial. Here the photographer sets the lens aperture to suit their Depth of Field needs and the camera decides the appropriate shutter speed.

Shutter Speed Priority

This is for capturing moving subjects, usually T or Tv. The photographer sets the shutter speed to suit the speed of the subject and the camera sets the lens aperture for a good exposure.

ISO

This is the sensitivity of the cameras to light. Higher the sensitivity is good for lower light conditions but image noise increases as the ISO increases. Set it to the lowest value or use the Auto ISO function which only raises it when low light conditions require more cameras sensitivity

Only the Start

DSLRs are incredibly powerful photographic tools and these first steps are long way from complete mastery of the digital camera. The main aim in any long-term project is to break down into small manageable steps. Suite 101 are continually adding more photography Feature Articles for photographers ranging from novice to expert.

Buying a DSLR lens based on brand image ignores the range of quality levels often found within a brands range. Most lens manufactures offer range of quality levels from their premium lenses ignoring cost and convenience in search of optical and mechanical performance.

Then there are the budget class lenses aimed at more occasional photographers who put greater emphasis on price and convenience. This results in smaller, lighter lenses with greater zoom ranges and smaller maximum apertures.

There is a perception of the superiority of camera manufacturer’s lenses over specialist lens manufacturers. Often the specialists offer advantages to DSLR lens buyers in the form of price, smaller size, or better quality. Their budget offerings that compete on price often reinforce the belief that they only offer low quality products. However, many also offer premium interchangeable lenses with quality suitable for professional use.

Manufacturers Clues to Quality

Most but not all manufacturers give a clue where a particular lens sits in their quality hierarchy, these are some indicators of premium lenses;

• Olympus: offer two levels of premium quality High Grade and Super High Grade
• Canon: L series
• Sigma: EX
• Tamron: SP
• Pentax: * and Limited ranges
• Sony: G series and Carl Ziess designed

Nikon is the notable exception but price and specifications are a good guide to differentiate their budget from premium lenses.

Price – You Get What You Pay For.

The quality of lenses differs not only between manufacturers but also within their own lens ranges. This reflects the compromise between quality, convenience, and price.

Sometimes photographers base their lens buying decisions based on poor performance of the budget lens of one brand. They compare the budget lens with the professional image of the cameras manufacturer branded premium lenses and then buy a budget lens from the camera manufacturer. This ignores the spread of quality levels within a manufacturers range. If photographers want professional level quality then they need to pay a professional level price whatever brand of lens they choose.

Lens Specifications

Very often, the names of lenses consist of strings of strange letters and number. Some are reasonably self-explanatory and others require more explanation of what they are and why they could be important in your lens buying decision.

Remember the basic premise of this article is no single factor should be the only consideration in any lens buying decision. These specifications have varying importance to prospective lens buyers depending upon their individual photographic requirements.

APO (Aprochromatic )

This is when the lens elements produce the same amount of refraction on the different wavelengths, or colors, of visible light.

ED,UD, ELD

These letters are different lens manufacturers way of referring to low dispersion glass used in the elements of the lens. This relates to the sharpness of the resultant image.

f/

A number follows this symbol indicating the maximum aperture size of the lens. The smaller the number the larger the aperture and the more light the lens can gather. It is only one number for a prime lens but some zooms have two, for example; f3.5-5.6 indicating the effective aperture becomes smaller as the focal length of the lens increases. Generally, the lower the f number the better the image quality of the lens. Zooms with the same effective aperture over their zoom range are usually better quality lenses.

USM, HSM, SWM

These refer to lenses with inbuilt autofocus motors. They usually operate faster and quieter than lenses where the autofocus system uses the motor in the camera body via a drive shaft.

Weight and Size

Maximizing the performance indicators in premium lenses usually results in larger and heavier lenses. In price conscious consumer grade lenses often the goal is to make them smaller and lighter without sacrificing too much image quality.

The invention of photography in the 19th century came at a time of major developments in the Near and Middle East. So it is not out of place here to recall them so that the context of the development of photography in this region may be better understood.

In 1799 the study of Egyptology took a great leap forward thanks to a discovery of great importance. A French officer came across the famous Rosetta Stone, which made possible the deciphering of the hieroglyphics. Although the stone was taken by the British and Thomas Young had begun to decipher it, it was the French historian Jean François Champollion who finally completed the study, in 1822.

In 1812, Petra and Abu Simbel were effectively explored by the Swiss Johan Ludwig Buckhardt.
The first regular shipping line between Marseille and Alexandria started operation in 1835.

In 1859, Ferdinand de Lesseps (1805-1894) began the piercing of the Suez Canal, which entered into service ten years later following an official international ceremony under the patronage of the Empress of France, the Emperor of Austria and the Crown Princes of Prussia and Denmark. So the lines of communication, transport and commerce were greatly shortened.

Jerusalem, which up till then had aroused little interest apart from its Holy Places, developed as an international center. The British were the first to open a consular office there, in 1833, followed by the Prussians in 1842, the French in 1843, the Americans in 1844, the Austrians in 1845, and the Russians in 1858. In 1837 the Turkish postal services began to operate from Palestine and the first telegraphic service in the region was installed in Jerusalem in 1865.

In 1881, the first wave of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe arrived in Palestine, among them photographers.

During the 19th century, there were two ways of corresponding in the Ottoman Empire. There was the Turkish Post Office, slow and not very reliable, and there were the various post offices opened by the foreign powers. The most efficient ones were that of Austria, backed by Lloyd’s maritime Austriaco, and that of France. It was in this way that the French postal service established itself in the Ottoman Empire from 1830 on. This implantation was basically meant to make up for the shortcomings of the Turkish postal service and to improve the postal communications necessary for the smooth functioning of the French and other European enterprises and commercial operations set up in the main ports around the Mediterranean. Among the first five post offices installed between 1830 and 1849 was that of Beirut, in 1845. The stamps affixed on the letters were those of the countries running the post offices, and the stamped mail was carried regularly by the frigates anchoring off the Grand Hôtel d’Orient (hôtel Bassoul) near the present Hotel Phoenicia.

In the 19th century Britain and France had little difficulty extending their influence over the Levant, for although the Ottomans had been ruling there for three centuries, they had imposed neither their language nor their civilization, and had never imposed their culture over the Near East. What was more, they openly despised the local populations. Consequently, the rule of the countries of Western Europe had much more influence than that of the Ottomans. France spread its influence over Egypt, Lebanon and Syria through its commercial and cultural activities and through its social and cultural services. Great Britain was more concerned with the work of its missionaries and the extension of Protestant influence. One of the principal aims of these missionaries was the conversion of the local populations, the Jews in the Holy Land, particularly in Jerusalem, the Druze in Mount Lebanon, and the Greek Orthodox in Beirut, with financial aid for those who were converted. The limited success they met with in their mission seems today to be a proof of the difficult conditions of survival in the region.

At first, France was more successful in spreading its influence over the area. Britain, being preoccupied by its colonial efforts in India, was less concerned with the Near East. Further, the attitude of the French towards the local peoples proved more agreeable to them than that of the British.

During the second half of the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire, called by the Europeans the Sick Man of Europe, was crumbling on every front. This weakening of the Empire was due to several factors.

-As a result of the participation of France together with Great Britain during the Crimean War (1851-1853), Sultan Abdel-Magid was obliged to grant certain privileges to the non-Muslim inhabitants of his empire and to strengthen the reformist current in conformity with European conceptions.

-During the 1870s, the internal situation in Egypt deteriorated. The country was bankrupt and the Panislamic nationalist movements opposed to westernization became more numerous and violent. The condominium established by Paris and London over the finances of the Khedive provoked strong nationalist agitation which led up to the military revolt led by Arabi Pasha in 1882 and on June 11th to the massacre of some sixty Europeans in Alexandria. One month later, the British Navy bombarded Alexandria and then made landings there. In September, the British forces finally sent an expeditionary corps to occupy the whole of Egypt.