Usually referred to as art photography in short, fine art photography is an important part of professional picture styles that combine artistic creative vision with prints and special effects. Fine art photography usually makes the object of very classy collections printed in limited editions; the target audience of such albums are collectors and dealers, as the style of such photography is seldom used in advertising or the media. However, it is not uncommon to have fine art photography exhibitions organized, as a way of celebrating artistic variety and accomplishment. The history of fine art photography can be traced back to the Victorian age when a new artistic expression was found.

The fine art photography movement was exposed to several other artistic trends from the other domains: particularly painting and cinematography. Some of the styles presently seem out of fashion and little popular, and here we refer to the attempt to make photos as similar to paintings as possible. This trend marked the beginning of the 20th century and it is considered a step in the evolution of fine art photography. Little by little the gallery system was opened to exhibitions of various famous photographers particularly since artistic expression in pictures gained popularity.

Photojournalism and the snapshot aesthetic approach are tributary and somehow included in the fine art photography perspective, as pictures became one very touchy way of reflecting all sorts of social and human realities of our times. Art and documentary came to create a unique mixture in the evolution of present day photography, and the large number of prints and picture catalogs are just the way to prove it. Nowadays it is more than common that the regular canvases be replaced by framed and glassed pictures in a variety of wall-size prints; we could thus say that fine art photography has made its entrance in house design as well.

Staging and lighting are incredibly important for fine art photography, and very often the outcome depends on the type of camera used in the process. From medium-format and large-format cameras to digital cameras, fine art photography is definitely being more and more integrated in popular social artistic trends specific to the metropolis manifestation. Fine art photography remains however little exploited by the media, as it usually requires a well educated eye to perceive all the subtleties and the unique artistic details that remain unnoticed by the profane eye of common people.

Fine Art Photography is a post from: Photography Guide

People who take an interest in paranormal phenomena are very likely aware of the contribution kirlian photography has to the studies in this pseudo-scientific research domain. In simple words kirlian photography is a form of aura photography, meaning that it allows the capturing of the subtle energetic fields that surround any life form. The physical explanation that lies behind kirlian photography is the electric field or the energy discharges and transfers that occur between various elements within an environment. This means that a photo could show more than one may see with the naked eye, and apparently the entire process relies on the properties of the cameras used for kirlian photography.

Called after the name of its inventor, kirlian photography is actually a reformulation and re-actualization of a phenomenon very often know as elecrography. Kirlian was not the first in his attempts to achieve unique outcomes for science and photography, as there have been other 18th and 19th century trials in the same direction. The interesting part about kirlian photography is the meaning it gets in metaphysical or paranormal contexts. Consider for instance the fact that one of the major attributes of kirlian photography was that of making the acupuncture points in the human body visible on a film.

Various experiments have been made to test kirlian photography and the possibilities it offers for the study of the energetic fields of living objects. This could also be the proof for any skeptical person who would strongly deny the existence of unseen energetic dimensions that are beyond immediate understanding or grasping by the human mind. Even more interesting is the fact that even inanimate objects influence the camera in kirlian photography, as the pictures show energy emissions in such cases too. For people who are a little familiar with such items, it is not difficult to realize that the whole structure of the world relies on energy transfer.

Though the very down to earth explanation of kirlian photography claims that the entire picture impression relies on normal physical phenomena such as the high voltage corona effect, the controversy is still normal. If it is true that kirlian photography captures more than mere electric discharges, then we are in self denial, living in a world that is both incomplete and shallow. If however, there is no energy body emission to be detected, then, at least we have this solid reality to count on. You may believe it or not, according to your own reason and judgment, and that is for sure!

Kirlian Photography is a post from: Photography Guide

As the crowd pushes closer around the crime scene and yellow tape gets strung around the place of murder, theft or other forms of violence, little white chalk people get drawn around a corpse and its contortions there from the sidelines with a bag and lighting equipment comes the often unsung hero of our Articles. He or she is an important part of every investigation, with their sharp eye for detail and the patience of Job in the hustle and bustle that never fails to happen as the newest crime gets tagged, bagged and labeled.
I am talking about the Forensics Photographer.

Aside from taking fingerprints, dusting the crime scene and bagging evidence carefully to bring to the forensics lab and later the Court room, Photos are an important part of every crime investigation and later as evidence in Court.

Forensics Photography is a fantastic Tool to collect and catalog Data as well. Sometimes a sweep of the surroundings with the Camera logs in Images which would otherwise would have been overlooked or forgotten. The Person in the third row of the onlookers. That broken piece of glass in the shadow. Our busy Patrol Officer might have not noticed it, but our Camera Lens has picked it up.

One of the most important things in Forensic Photography is the sharpness of the Image. It has to be sharp as a well honed blade. Any fuzziness, pixilation or shake and it is as useless to the Court and the Investigators as an Eagle with pinkeye. The entire case rests on Forensic Photography and any flaw however sight, could cost a case to be lost.

Never, ever disturb the crime scene. The first round of photos has to be taken before anything has been touched, removed or altered. It is the freeze frame of the Crime Scene. The closest you will come to having been there during the crime. So make sure you plan the photo before you take it. Later if you must small adjustments, like the adding of a measuring tool to show distance is permissible, but not during the first go over.

Make sure you get a complete set of shoots. Those should include a close-up, a mid range and a wide angle. The Angel is very important as well. If you use the wrong point of view you may easily undo the best shoot by misrepresenting the relationship of distance to the object etc. Remember, your photo has to show exactly what is set out before you.

You need to record everything in writing. Mark out specific items, but never mark on the photo it-self. For that it is wise to use an overlay that you can remove as is needed. Transparency paper is used for that purpose. Make sure you lighting and exposure is set correctly. There are a lot of extremely good literature available that can teach you how to set your exposure for which light, background and scenario. This helps take the perfect pictures needed.

Lastly but not least. Photos can be messed up easily if your equipment is not in tip top shape. Make sure that your lens is clean at all times of dust. No smutches etc. I know it seems to be a topic that should not even have to be mentioned, but often it is the small things we overlook. After all the entire point of forensic photography is to capture those small seemingly mute points that are often overlooked.

A suggest you make your-self a check list and place even the most common sense items on your list. Batteries, Film, dust free equipment, tripod, removing the lens cap. You can think of it, write it down. You will be surprised sometimes how easily even the best professional forensic Photographer can make a simple mistake that could have been prevented by a check list. Remember the victim is counting on you too.

Forensic Photography Used In Today’s Society is a post from: Photography Guide

Wedding photography is perhaps the most important field because these are the special moments in life we want to capture. Portraits are important and often play a major roll in wedding photography, but there are more to the wedding and finding the perfect photographer. Below are several tips to finding the right photographer for you.

Equipment is one of the most important aspects. There are new photographers who will start out not being able to afford a lot of camera equipment, lights, tripods and so on. This doesn’t make them a bad photographer, but it can mean they will miss important wedding moments when they are reloading the film on one camera. In today’s world a wedding photographer should have at least one digital camera at the professional grade and two film cameras. A successful photographer will have enough cameras to put appropriate lenses on and be able to switch memory cards in the digital camera with ease. They should also have a video camera run by another person to capture the entire wedding.

Experience will determine the cost of the photographer. Most photographers who have been on the circuit longer will charge between $3000 and $10,000 for wedding photographs. It all depends on the type of package you will want and how many assistants they will need to cover the entire affair. Other photographers typically charge between $300- $3000 depending upon the package and their experience. A well-known wedding photographer is going to cost more, just for the name. These packages often denote their experience as well as the equipment they can use. A digital camera does not cost film, but purchasing one can be expensive so most new photographers may charge a little more to replace the cost of the equipment.

Price of a wedding photographer should only be a moderate issue. The top important aspect of a professional wedding photographer lies in their photography skills. They will instantly walk into the places your wedding and reception will take place and have ideas of the placement of equipment and lighting. They will also be able to show you a portfolio of past weddings. Wedding photography is about the moments that pass between your family and yourselves. The moment where you are looking at your betrothed with love written on your face when you think no one else is looking will make the best photographs. A wedding photographer needs to see these moments and capture them as well as obtain the portraits.

Wedding photography is often seen around the home with the portraits. The portraits of the bride holding her flowers, the wedding party posing, and the groom and bride together. The traditional wedding photography will include the hands with the shinning wedding bands placed on a pillow or wrapped around the bride’s waist. The arrangement of the wedding couple is as important as the photograph. The wedding photographer should be able to pose you while capturing the light and background.

Photography is an intricate profession and when you have an important day such as a wedding you will want the best. You may have ideas of the photographs you want and the wedding photograph will be glad to help bring those ideas to fruition. Photography is about lighting, catching those unguarded moments, and creating memories that will last forever.

Planning A Wedding is a post from: Photography Guide

Aerial photography is the art of taking photos of the ground while not standing on a ground structure with cameras mounted on aircrafts, balloons, helicopters, dirigibles or rockets. The first person who practiced aerial photography was Nadar, a French balloonist who made the first pictures over Paris in 1858 and thus remained in the history of photography.

Aerial photography was used by the army for the first time in World War I, it is also applied in field studies like cartography, archeology, landing use plans, military or economical espionage, advertising and, last but not least in cinematography. In the last decades environmental programs used aerial photography to support their ecological demands.

Many companies who are trying to map the city turn to small radio controlled aircrafts especially designed for taking photos. They use this solution because flight over residential neighborhoods is  restricted at a certain height. On the other hand, American laws allow taking aerial pictures over private zones, because anything capable of being seen from space is not considered private.

Many amateurs that can’t afford renting a plane or having a pilot license can buy an astro-cam or some oracle rocket as a solution to continue being interested in aerial photography as a hobby. Aerial photography has many challenges that are not applicable in classical photography.

One of the problems with aerial photography is the perspective correction. Air pictures are made under a certain angle of the photographed object; this may result in an incorrect perspective where near objects look too large if compared to far away targets. So a perspective correction is needed to ensure the best of outcomes.

Aerial photography is mapped with real world targets like buildings, a process known as registration. As an example, think of a road photography seen from above, it can be simply converted to a line. Another problem is that when you want to photograph an entire city for instance.

Of course you can go to higher altitudes and take the whole picture but what if you need it at a higher resolution? The stitching technique is required here as it implies making as many photos as needed and then joining them together. This process as simple as it might seem takes hours of preparation for good results.

Aerial photography plays an important role in the evaluation of buildings or large properties and the best pictures in this case are made from the helicopter. It’s far easier to photograph a mall from a helicopter than from a plane, the explanation is that a plane simply can’t stay still in the same place, while a helicopter can. However, when you try to sell a larger estate use an airplane for a faster evaluation and the best of results.

Aerial Photography is a post from: Photography Guide

Have you ever wondered where modern photography originated? While we are now moving into the digital age and away from film, the lighting techniques and other photography techniques began in the 1820’s. Niepce and Daguerre were the first inventors of modern photography. They used a chemical component from silver and chalk, which darkens when exposed to light. This type of technology used a glass negative to cement the picture.

From the early cameras seen in western films we have moved on to manual cameras with film. This film or negative captured the image on a roll to be developed in a dark room to prevent over exposure. The manual cameras used a theory of setting up shots. You had to understand aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and metering to obtain the best picture possible. This meant you spent a lot of time setting up the shot and had to be a professional to catch wildlife in their natural habits.

Aperture is measured by F-stops, or the amount of light the lens will let in. Focusing and depth of field are also important when setting the aperture on your camera. You have to know what numbers will allow more light to enter the lens and the converse to avoid over exposure and blurriness. Shutter speed is the amount of time a lens is open for the picture. You may have found in a darkened room without flash your camera takes a while to imprint the picture on the negative. This is because the light is dim and the shutter must correct for the lack of light. The lack of light induces a need to expose the film longer to obtain the picture where as more light will have the shutter moving at a faster speed.

From the manual cameras we moved into the automatic. The camera became lighter. The shutter speed and aperture was programmed into the camera by the settings. ISO became important. ISO is the film speed. Instead of taking minutes to set up a shot you just had to pick the correct setting and hold the button down to focus. Many cameras came as automatic with manual options for those who still liked to treat photography as an artistic vocation.

Digital cameras are the new era in photography. Now we can see the picture we take without the use of film and negatives. We can send the pictures to all of our friends and use our home printers to create prints. Photography has moved from the concentration of taking the perfect shot with a skill born to a few to everyone taking pictures.

This is not to say photography and photographers will not remain. There is still the need for quality in taking professional grade photographs. Light sensitivity is still important when dealing with a digital camera and unless you spend a lot, you will find quality of photographs is still missing. Photograph techniques lay within the lighting provided whether natural or artificial for the subject. You might wonder how to create a photograph in a dark room like a museum to share with your friends and family. Knowing the past photography techniques will help you in attaining that perfect photograph with your digital camera. Photography may have originated with few people, but we can see the advancements their inventions have led us to now.

History Of Photography is a post from: Photography Guide