Photography and the Art of Speaking Our Peace

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Long before I started photographing, I was moved by images that captured my attention and enlightened my awareness of the world at large. On many a rainy afternoon, lost as a child in the photo essays of Life Magazine and National Geographic, I entered the lives of people around the world, pondering the contrasts between my life and theirs.

In my teenage years, there was an abundance of images that sank into my heart, cut short my innocence. Images from the March on Selma, the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, from the Vietnam War and the Kent State shootings, all showing a level of violence and intolerance I was not prepared for. I was impressionable then, as I am now?moved by what I see, changed by what I experience, led to action by what I believe.

Most of us, at some point, have a desire to make a difference in the world. We want our lives to matter, our words to be of use. And for those of us who traffic in images, we want them to speak eloquently of that which matters to us, to be the metaphor for who we are, what we believe in and stand for.

Dorothea Lange was invested in creating images that would alter the public?s attitude about migrant workers. Walker Evans was committed to making photographs of tenant farmers that would inform and inspire people to action. Lewis Hine, in his crusade against child labor, created images that did what dry statistics and lengthy speeches never could do. Robert Capa, who despised war, photographed five of them in an attempt to record its horror and monstrous stupidity, believing that ?the truth is the best picture, the best propaganda.?

Having seen their work and read of the national response and reforms their pictures generated, I understood the power that photographs could have on a level beyond the personal, saw how images could help shape a national consciousness, create an awareness that could lead to enlightenment, action, change.

Buoyed with this knowledge and faith, in the mid-80s, during the massive global buildup of nuclear weapons, I embarked on a peace pilgrimage around the world. Armed with 200 rolls of film and a slideshow of the U.S. peace movement, I was determined to use my photographs in the service of the people, to share with as many folks as I could these images of activism, of commitment to harmony and a safe home for all the world?s children.

In order to create a culture of peace, a culture that reflects our reverence for life, we need stories and symbols that heal and guide, that help us remember we are part of a whole. It?s hard, in a society bent on power and profit, to remember what life is really for. Harder still to connect with one another when most things serve to keep us separate. But stories help. Pictures help. And every contact with a lover of life brings us one step closer to loving our own. My journey was a search for those images and stories, an attempt to discover and reveal our oneness around the globe.

In Japan, I was invited to speak to a group of A-bomb survivors at the Nagasaki Association for the Promotion of Peace and to present my slideshow, Focus on Peace. Before that we would watch the premiere of a Japanese film, one which included recently released American military footage of the Nagasaki bombing.

I sat in the back of the room with Mr. Matsunaga, director of the organization, who served as my translator. The lights went out and the film began with a slow pan of the Nagasaki Peace Park. Paper cranes and colorful flowers filled the frame until a jump cut took us to the cockpit of a U.S. plane on August 9, 1945.

We watched the bomb drop. Watched the deadly cloud devour the city. And then from the ground we watched what followed. Mr. Matsunaga, his calm voice silenced, collapsed into tears by my side. The survivors in front of us sat still as sculptures. Frozen in time, they stared ahead, some gasping as they saw themselves on the silver screen, stumbling through the rubble of charred corpses. Dazed and burned, they were calling for families they would never find. Quiet sobs filled the room while we witnessed the re-run of a nuclear holocaust.

When it was over, no one moved. No one turned on a light. We sat there in the dark amidst sobs and tears, trying to recover. When the lights came on and I was introduced, I stood there before them and started to cry, and it was only at their urging I could carry on.

I spoke slowly about the slides we were going to see, with Mr. Matsunaga at my side translating my words and my hopes in whatever way he could. Then the lights went out again, the music started, and images of millions of people working for peace began to dissolve into each other.

There were no words being spoken. Just the pictures and voices from the International Children?s Choir singing Let There Be Peace on Earth. These images of colorful, festive, life-affirming demonstrations had more power that day than any I remember. Symbols of a solemn commitment to peace washed over and comforted us. They delivered us, if only momentarily, from the fear of such a holocaust happening again, for how could these millions not make a difference, their passion so clearly exposed and revealed?

After the slideshow, the survivors came to the microphone and one by one spoke of the profound impact these photographs had on them. ?I did not know so many people cared about what happened to us...we thought we were all alone in our struggle to prevent this from happening again...seeing all those Americans caring about peace encourages me in my struggle...how can we fail if there are so many of us??

I had been so immersed in the peace movement during those years of nuclear frenzy that, until that day, it had not occurred to me that others weren?t aware of it, had no idea of its magnitude. These survivors did not even know there was a U.S. peace movement doggedly resisting the production and proliferation of nuclear warfare. And it made a difference to them to find out, to see all those pictures, to witness others in solidarity with them, working as hard as they were for the same cause.

One photograph could not have done it, but those eighty images, one after another, blended with that music?it had an impact, told a story that bolstered their courage, honored their experience. What had happened to them did matter after all, and these photographs were evidence of how much.

Nothing in the world could heal their physical wounds, their irradiated organs, their burned and disfigured faces and limbs, but a healing occurred in their spirits that day, passed on through these portraits of comrades in action.

We can and do inspire each other in this life, and if a photograph does nothing more than inspire one person to feel that, somehow, his life mattered, her pain served a purpose, then that one photograph ought not go unseen. We can never know the reach of our work, never know when we share a photograph to whom and why it might make a difference, never know how our small images contribute to the global picture as a whole.

But what we do know, from our own experience and the experience of history, is that photographs can change the course of the things, turn one?s head, alter one?s thoughts, enlighten one?s darkness. To shoot with that awareness, to know our images, made of light, can contribute light?that is the true joy of photography. The End

Jan Phillips is an award-winning writer, speaker, and multi-media artist. She is the author of The Art of Original Thinking-The Making of a Thought Leader, Divining the Body, God Is at Eye Level - Photography as a Healing Art, Marry Your Muse, Making Peace and A Waist is a Terrible Thing to Mind. She has taught in over 23 countries and conducts workshops nationally in creativity, consciousness, and spirituality. You may subscribe to her free monthly Museletter at www.janphillips.com

 

Photography as a Fine Art

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Compared to most art forms, photography is a relative newcomer. Having been around for less than 200 years its place in the art world is still being established. Interestingly, there have been many arguments against photography being considered art, one of which is that the camera is a ?machine?. However, one must ask if a camera is any more a machine than a musician?s instrument, a sculptor?s chisel or a painter?s brush?

Another argument is that because of the nature of photography, endless prints can be made from the one negative. While true, it is for this reason that many photographers will produce their work as limited editions just as screen-printers, etchers and wood-block artists will. Some photographers have even been known to destroy their negatives after they have completed printing the edition. However, the ability to produce numerous prints is usually considered part of photography?s uniqueness.

Historically, many photographers themselves once considered photography a lesser art form. Called ?Pictorialists? these photographers produced work using soft focus, and often, poor quality, lenses hoping their work would look like Imressionist paintings. Although the Pictorialists won a small battle in having photography recognised and given wall space, they certainly didn?t help win the war of photography being recognised purely on its own artistic merits.

There is a great quote that states: ?There is no art, only artists.? Very true words, as there are many great artists who use photography as their chosen medium. It would be very hard for people to argue that the landscape and nature work of Ansel Adams; the natural world, nudes and still life?s of Edward Weston; the abstract forms and textures of Brett Weston and the compositions of Paul Strand are not art.

Because of the passion and extremely high quality work produced by these and other American photography pioneers, the American public and those within art circles could no longer deny that photography was a valuable and expressive art form. Oddly, Europe never seemed to have any trouble accepting photography as art. The work of Henri Cartier-Bressen, Brassai, Latrigue and others has always been held in the highest esteem.

The modern-day ease of photography has also led to a lot of very poor photographic work being passed off as art. Automated cameras have also lent considerable weight to the argument that it?s the camera doing the work, not the so-called artist. It is little wonder that many gallery owners are reluctant to give wall space to photographs. It must be remembered that the camera doesn?t make a good photographer any more than a piano makes a good pianist or a brush makes a good painter. An artist is an artist no matter what the medium.

Where Photography Becomes Art

What constitutes a fine art photograph would be quality: quality in composition, quality in the negative and quality in the print. Edward Weston once said that, ?composition is the best way of seeing.? Like other mediums, how the image is composed is of vital importance regarding how the print will be viewed. The photographer then needs to be able to put onto film what he or she is seeing and ?visualising? for the final print. Lens choice, film choice, aperture and shutter speed relationships, what to exposure for and which filters to use (especially for black and white film) all play a vital part in what the final print will look like. Finally, the photographer needs to bring that ?feeling? and expression out in the ?fine? print using a very demanding darkroom technique.

How a Fine Art Photographer Prints

Ansel Adams was fond of saying that the negative is like a musician?s score and the print is like their performance. Good photographers will know how to do both very well: photograph to produce good negatives and then make an expressive print that conveys what they saw and felt at the time of exposure.

A photographer will go through a few stages before arriving at the fine print. This begins with making a ?proof print? of the negative and evaluating it to determine how best to properly print from it. The photographer then moves through a series of ?work prints? as he or she fine-tunes the print exposure, cropping and contrast. More often than not, certain areas of a print will require more or less exposure than other areas. Giving more exposure to specific parts of the print, ?burning?, will darken those areas. Holding back exposure on specific areas or ?dodging? will lighten them. When the photographer believes that the print is as expressive as possible, they will make a ?fine print? using their (often) extensive notes regarding dodging, burning and contrast.

Most fine art black and white photographers will use fibre-based paper for their fine prints. Fibre-based paper tends to have the edge over its cheaper cousin resin-coated paper. Fibre-based paper also has more archival permanence, however, modern resin-coated papers claim to be the same. Fibre-based paper is harder to print on successfully, however, generally looks better, is preferred or demanded by museums and galleries and is also somewhat demanded by photographic tradition. Good photographers will have no qualms about this and would feel as though they were cheating if they produced their work on resin-coated paper.

There are myriad other variables in fine art photography that include: choice of film developer, choice of paper brand, choice of paper developer and whether to tone the print. All affect the look of the final print and it is the experience of the photographer to know how best to pull all these together to produce a print worthy of being called ?art?.

Matthew Smeal is a fine art black and white photographer and journalist based in Sydney, Australia. His work can be viewed on his website at http://www.matthewsmeal.com

Best Digital Photography Wedding

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The wedding is one of the most memorable occasions between two lovers. The years may go by since that day but people will be able to remember as long as pictures were taken.

More people are investing in digital cameras. This is because the images can be stored in the computer or in a compact disc that will not be damaged through time when the pictures are placed in an album.

The images captured can be edited on the digital camera instead of wasting the paper used in developing a bad picture.

Another thing, which makes digital photographer better, is that the person can take a lot of shots without having to reload and change the roll of film. The time it takes to replace it may make the individual miss the right shot that can never be done again.

Here are some tips for those who want to use a digital camera during the wedding.

1. The individual should pay attention to the background before taking the shot. There is no question the couple will look good but this can all change if the area where it is taken is not.

Things that should be avoided when taking the lovers or any of the guests is a cluttered area. This will make it easier for the viewer to see who is the picture focused on when these are ready after the wedding.

2. Some of the guests may be wearing glasses. This might cause bright flashes to come out when the pictures come out so this can also be avoided by making some changes. The people in the photograph can tilt the head down or to the side so this will not happen.

3. The best way to get a great shot will be to know when it is appropriate to take. This doesn?t only happen when people are looking at the camera but also in those candid moments.

4. The person will probably shoot more than a hundred shots during the wedding. After each shot, it is best to review the image on the LCD screen so this can be edited if it isn?t good and another one can be taken.

Photography has come a long way from the conventional form that was done for so many years. It has given people the opportunity to become an amateur photographer that could be just as good as a professional one.

Those who want to save on getting an expert should invest then in a digital camera so that a family member or a relative will be able to get the best shot.

Low Jeremy maintains http://digital-photography.articlesforreprint.com. This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included.

Digital Infrared Photography - A Cut Above The Rest

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Do you know what infrared is all about? Infrared is a spectrum of light further than that which you normally see. If you wish to take "infrared" pictures all you need to do is filter out the visible light and allow the infrared spectrum all the way through to the lens. The best you can do is use a Wratten filter, which you can avail from any professional camera shop. These Wratten filters are very dense filters, nearly opaque in appearance.

Digital infrared photography has revolutionized the art of photography in the recent past. The film or CCD sensor is sensitized to infrared light in infrared photography. In this type of photography the wavelengths vary from 700 nm to about 900 nm. An "infrared filter" ensures that the infrared (IR) light pass through to the camera but obstructs the entire observable light spectrum.

The moment these filters are clubbed with the infrared-sensitive film or sensors, the in-camera effects can be achieved. Like for instance the false-color or black and white images with an illusory or sometimes garish appearance. This happens mainly because of the foliage strongly reflecting in the similar way light is reflected from snow. What else the infrared photographs does is that it produces very dark skies and dispersion of atmospheric mist, brought about by reduced Rayleigh scattering and Mie scattering in the environment in contrast to visible light.

The things you should consider in digital infrared photography are as follows: - Focus, once the filter is put on. - Now, all that is needed is to lay the infrared filter in front of the lens. - You need to enable the manual exposure mode to get the proper exposure. - Remember to rest the camera to a higher ISO rating than standard. - Finally, when you are through with your infrared shot and you want certain manipulations, you can do it with the help of any image editing Software. Whether you want to remove the color, balance the image levels, sharpen the edges or even make it look grainy or add edge glow, all can be done via such software.

Setting your camera to B&W mode is a safer option as infrared filters get rid of most of the usable color information. Make sure that the incandescent lamps don't put out much infrared. You may come across another problem, as you'll find out that when you filter all the visible light, exposure times will be quite extensive.

You can convert an appropriate digital camera for digital infrared photography. But factually speaking, it makes more sense to leave any camera conversions to experts to be in safe hands.

Digital infrared photography, no doubt adds a new dimension in the world of photography.

Connie Fillmore is a successful writer and publisher of photography related issues, for more informative articles go to www.digitalphotographyguy.com

How Does Sensor Size Affect Your Digital Photography

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Digital sensor is an important matter of consideration for a digital camera owner. The quality of the photography depends on the size of the sensor. The larger the sensor the better will be the quality of the photograph. This fact plays a vital role in choosing the perfect digital camera.

The size of the sensor affects digital photography

The final image is an outcome of the various pixels that are arranged by the sensor of the camera. Soon after clicking on the shutter button, the pixels start to accumulate the photons in a cavity. After completion of exposure, camera confines those pixels and find out the number of photons that are attached to each other. Now these photons are compiled in accordance with the levels of intensity. But all these can only give you a colorless image. There are some filters on the cavities that release the specific color of light into those cavities. All the contemporary digital cameras are unable to capture all the three primary colors. Only one of the three primary colors gets into each cavity. Thus the camera needs to estimate the remaining two colors to get the adequate information about all the three colors at every pixel.

Bayer array is one of the commonest color filters used in digital cameras and passes on all the information about different primary colors to each pixel. Higher or lower resolution of photograph depends on the array.

In a very precise meaning a sensor is a silicon semiconductor meant for acquiring photons and converting them into electron. The size of the sensor is, perhaps, the second most important thing just after the quantity of mega pixels. Though the size of the sensor has a huge range, generally it is of two basic categories. The sensor of DSLRs comes under the range of 24x16mm to 36x24mm, but it remains of the range of 8x6mm in the case of a consumer camera. The size of the sensor affects the performance of the camera and decides the intensity of sensor produced noise. Noise, actually, worsen the images of digital camera. If the sensor is smaller than actual requirement, then the camera is unable to capture the full view of the image. Fisheye lens can actually compensate this to some extent. But one, who really does not want to compromise with the quality of the image, should only go for the camera having adequate size of sensor. In case the sensor is small, centre of the lens captures the image. Since maximum portion of the image passes through the centre of the lens, quality of the lens becomes very important factor to consider. The quantity of light that reaches into the pixel is very less. Therefore useful image is only available after proper enlargement of the same.

There is a relation between sensor and crop factor. In this case, because of limited size, while using 35mm lens, the sensor crop out the inferior quality portion of the image. This is simply because the fact that the image passes through the centre of the lens in case of smaller sensor and the image remains sharpest at that position. The use of lens becomes a meaningless practice if the sensor of the camera is undersized. But a 2/3 or even ? size can give optimum output if it is used with a 35mm lens.

In upshot, it can be concluded that finding out a pixel pitch of a given sensor, while buying a digital camera can be tricky. However, one can seek the help of certain review sites that provide the information about recent models including their sensors.

OpenDP Digital camera buying guide web site. Visit OpenDP and get the hottest photography tips on shooting and buying guides on sports, portraits, weddings, birds and wildlife, underwater seascapes, landmarks, flowers and nature and more

Wedding Photography: Preserving the Memories

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Wedding Photography: Preserving the Memories
by Colin Hartness http://www.asaphotography.com

A persons wedding can be one of the most important times in their life. They will have memories that they want to treasure forever and then pass on to their children. Wedding photography helps them do this. Having pictures taken at the wedding and then at the reception can capture those precious memories in freeze-frame and help you keep them forever.

Pictures are important so you want to be sure you get good photos, high quality photos that you can enjoy forever.

Most people will have a wedding book designed out of the collection of the best wedding photos. Usually the photographer will do this for you. You will then have a beautiful scrapbook from your wedding to hold your memories.

Choosing a photographer is a very important step in your wedding pictures. You want someone experienced that will do an excellent job for you. Its possible that you may be on a budget and price may be a factor as well.

How Do You Choose a Wedding Photographer?

There are several things you are going to want to look for with the most important being the quality of the work. It would be great if you could find a photographer that you had seen in action, perhaps at a family member or friends wedding. The hardest part of choosing a wedding photographer is that you sign a contract and agree to pay before you have ever seen the photos. Thats how it works in the world of wedding photography; you must make your decision based of faith in the photographer. So how do you make a decision like this?

Referrals

First, you are going to want to look at referrals. Ask your friends or family members who did their weddings and start compiling a list. You will also need to verify that these people are still photographing. Ask everyone you can about their wedding and their wedding pictures. Most people will even let you see their wedding photos and you can check out the photographers work.

Experience & Samples

Aside from samples from people you know, you can ask the photographer himself about samples. You can call the photographers on your list and do an interview over the phone or make an appointment to meet in person. This is your chance to ask the photographer any questions you may have such as their experience, what training they have and what different types of photography they have studied. If you are doing an in-person interview, the photographer can show you portfolios of samples of their work. If doing a phone interview, that ends well, you may want to go in person and see a portfolio.

Schedule and Appointment

When you have chose the photographer you think you want to use, you will have to schedule several appointments. The bride and groom, the brides parents and anyone else who may be taking part in paying for the wedding should be present at these meetings regarding the wedding photography.

At these meetings, you will discuss price, payment schedule and possible deposits. Next you will discuss the plan for taking the photos. Many people also get video and digital photographs now. Do you want these? Will your photographer be able to provide these? Will there be extra fees?

Many people have specific plans as to what they want pictures of (e.g. bride and father coming down the aisle, bride and groom, rings exchanging, the kiss, the bridesmaids, etc.) This is your chance to get all this written down so that the photographer is sure to get all the shots you want. Other people give their photographers a little more freedom to decide what pictures will be good to take.

Be sure to ask any questions you have about this important event. Your wedding photography is important to you so dont hesitate to be clear about what you want.
by Colin Hartness http://www.asaphotography.com

A persons wedding can be one of the most important times in their life. They will have memories that they want to treasure forever and then pass on to their children. Wedding photography helps them do this. Having pictures taken at the wedding and then at the reception can capture those precious memories in freeze-frame and help you keep them forever.

Pictures are important so you want to be sure you get good photos, high quality photos that you can enjoy forever.

Most people will have a wedding book designed out of the collection of the best wedding photos. Usually the photographer will do this for you. You will then have a beautiful scrapbook from your wedding to hold your memories.

Choosing a photographer is a very important step in your wedding pictures. You want someone experienced that will do an excellent job for you. Its possible that you may be on a budget and price may be a factor as well.

How Do You Choose a Wedding Photographer?

There are several things you are going to want to look for with the most important being the quality of the work. It would be great if you could find a photographer that you had seen in action, perhaps at a family member or friends wedding. The hardest part of choosing a wedding photographer is that you sign a contract and agree to pay before you have ever seen the photos. Thats how it works in the world of wedding photography; you must make your decision based of faith in the photographer. So how do you make a decision like this?

Referrals

First, you are going to want to look at referrals. Ask your friends or family members who did their weddings and start compiling a list. You will also need to verify that these people are still photographing. Ask everyone you can about their wedding and their wedding pictures. Most people will even let you see their wedding photos and you can check out the photographers work.

Experience & Samples

Aside from samples from people you know, you can ask the photographer himself about samples. You can call the photographers on your list and do an interview over the phone or make an appointment to meet in person. This is your chance to ask the photographer any questions you may have such as their experience, what training they have and what different types of photography they have studied. If you are doing an in-person interview, the photographer can show you portfolios of samples of their work. If doing a phone interview, that ends well, you may want to go in person and see a portfolio.

Schedule and Appointment

When you have chose the photographer you think you want to use, you will have to schedule several appointments. The bride and groom, the brides parents and anyone else who may be taking part in paying for the wedding should be present at these meetings regarding the wedding photography.

At these meetings, you will discuss price, payment schedule and possible deposits. Next you will discuss the plan for taking the photos. Many people also get video and digital photographs now. Do you want these? Will your photographer be able to provide these? Will there be extra fees?

Many people have specific plans as to what they want pictures of (e.g. bride and father coming down the aisle, bride and groom, rings exchanging, the kiss, the bridesmaids, etc.) This is your chance to get all this written down so that the photographer is sure to get all the shots you want. Other people give their photographers a little more freedom to decide what pictures will be good to take.

Be sure to ask any questions you have about this important event. Your wedding photography is important to you so dont hesitate to be clear about what you want.

Looking for information about Photography?
Go to: http://www.asaphotography.com
'ASA Photography' is published by Colin Hartness -
An excellent resource for Photography!
Check out more Photography articles at: http://www.asaphotography.com/archive

Digital Photography

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