Tag: photography

Inspiring Quotes – Bill Jay and David Hurn

…, it is our contention that the self is more emphatically emphasized by ignoring it and concentrating on the [subject] itself.  Personal knowledge is gained by objectification, looking outward not inward. Life itself is the mirror in which the personal image is reflected.

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The Photographer as Artist – Creative Vocabulary

The Photographer as Artist – Creative Vocabulary

In this third article we continue our exploration of photography from the perspective of other artistic disciplines.  The first article was The Photographer as Artist – Introduction.  We introduced the idea that art stands on the Tripod of Artistry, three principles that are common to all arts.  The first leg of the tripod, the expressive capabilities of the medium, were explored in The Photographer as Artist – Expressive Spectrum.  In this article we will look at the second leg – the Creative Vocabulary.

Creative Vocabulary

We all know that to be an effective writer it helps to have a large vocabulary.  It just stands to reason that the larger the writer’s vocabulary, the more effectively he or she can communicate.  Poets probably have the greatest mastery of the language as that is the most condensed form of communication.  This reaches its absolute zenith in haiku, that wonderful form of Japanese poetry that paints the most beautiful images in three lines of 5-7-5 syllables.  Probably the most famous is this exquisite poem from the haiku master, Basho (1644 – 1694).

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The Photographer as Artist – Expressive Spectrum

We’re exploring art from the perspective of other artistic disciplines to shed light on what it means to be a photographer and an artist.  (You can read The Photographer as Artist – Introduction.)  We’re doing this because photographers often seem to be expected to meet a “reality standard” that has not been imposed on other artists since the classic period of Greece two thousand years ago – “Did you use a filter?” “Are these colors real?” “Did you manipulate this photograph?”

There are three areas to explore – what I call the Tripod of Artistry – the three legs upon which all arts and artists stand.  This article looks at the first of the three – Expressive Spectrum.

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Inspiring Quotes – Yousef Khanfar #2

Studying the master painters has taught me a lot about light and making a sculpture taught me a lot about the power of the message: the more I take away from the block, the more I’m adding.  To me, a body of work is like the human body.  It has three elements that I believe to be most essential.  First, it should have very strong bones – able to stand on its own.  Second, it should have a distinct and clear voice in order to communicate impeccably.  That voice should be able to create the intellectual connection and emotional depth necessary within peoples’ hears, minds and souls.  Third, it should have a strong heart to pump blood all the way to one’s fingertips – to pump life all the way to the corners of one’s art.

To see more of Yousef Khanfar’s photographs, visit www.yousefkhanfar.com.

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The Photographer as Artist – Introduction

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the role of the photographer as artist.  I don’t think there’s doubt in anyone’s mind that photography can be a sublime art form. 

But not all photography is art and not all photographers are artists.  Just about everyone has a camera these days.  In fact it seems you can’t buy a cell phone without one.  Virtually everyone is taking pictures but not very many photographers are trying to produce art.

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Genuine Fractals Impressions #3

I finally had a chance to perform a test with Genuine Fractals that’s been on my mind for some time.  This test was performed on an image from a Canon 10D with a 6 M pixel sensor.  The image was blown up to 24″ long at 180 ppi.

Now, there’s no way you can get a super sharp image of that size with a 6 M pixel sensor.  So that wasn’t the point of the test.  When I previously blew this image up there were a lot of artifacts that were enhanced, especially when I performed the output sharpening.  I spent about an hour with clone stamp and healing brush removing these artifacts one by one.

So the point of the test was to see how well the smooth areas were enlarged; that is, if GF could enlarge them without creating these artifacts.

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How to Photograph Antelope Canyon

I certainly don’t want to presume to hold myself up as the definitive expert in shooting Antelope Canyon but I wouldn’t mind sharing my thoughts and welcome feedback from anyone who has shot there and has similar or dissimilar impressions.

Anyone who has been to Antelope Canyon in northern Arizona just outside Page knows there are two canyons – Upper and Lower.  They are about five miles apart.  The two canyons are distinctly different.  Let’s start with Upper.

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High Dynamic Range #3 (HDR)

On the technique to use to capture the full dynamic range of the scene

HDR Exposure

This is the third in a series of articles on high dynamic range, more commonly known as HDR.  The previous article illustrated how HDR situations occur; namely, when the dynamic range of the subject exceeds the dynamic range the sensor (or film) is capable of capturing.

High Dynamic Range

But with digital photography there is a technique for dealing with it.  In the field, it begins with taking multiple shots at different exposures so that the combined dynamic range exceeds that of the subject.

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