“For now we see through a glass, darkly”
-    1 Corinthians 13

While ruffling through dusty boxes in my attic I came across a photograph that, in my estimation, was particularly well composed. The photograph was of a steam locomotive making its way round a bend. A line of smoke and steam traced the path the locomotive had taken over the field; and although the photograph was in black and white, the photographer faithfully captured the elegance and power of the locomotive era. And as the mechanical precision of the past came bellowing into my contemporary dwelling space, the lines of Wordsworth’s “Steamboats, Viaducts, and Railways” ran through my mind. Surely, I though as I admired the piece, this ought to qualify as “fine art photography.”

However, those who consider themselves fine art photographers often focus their lens on subjects that are decidedly mundane, such as garbage cans and backstreet allies. Furthermore, the Greek aesthetic, exemplified in the soft-flowing lines employed by such sculptors as Michelangelo, appears to receive scant regard in some fine art photography. If the aim of fine art photography is not to produce, or rather reproduce, exquisite beauty, what, then, is its purpose?

Some light may be shed upon the realm of fine art photography by Dona Schwartz’s 1986 paper, titled: “Camera Clubs and Fine Art Photography: The Social Construction of an Elite Code” (published in the “Journal of Contemporary Ethnography,” volume 15, pp. 165 – 195). In that paper Schwartz delineated the differences between camera club photographers and fine art photographers. According to Schwartz, camera club photographers concern themselves with capturing “desirable” images, as well as the various nuances associated with this endeavor (i.e. lighting, exposure times, scene composition, etc.).

Fine art photographers, on the other hand, are primarily concerned with ideas and view the photographic enterprise as a space in which their ideas may be rotated and given voice. The different orientations held by camera club photographers and fine art photographers are reflected in their approach to photographic technology. Whereas camera club photographers employ new technologies – such as digital cameras and image-editing software – in the pursuit of their aesthetic ideals, fine art photographers may exploit such technologies as a vehicle for social change.

Although fine art photographers view photographic opportunities through a somewhat different lens, they do not completely shun those aesthetic values espoused by camera club photographers. Indeed, the fine art photographer Ansel Easton Adams is reputed to have said that, with regard to his photography, “beauty comes first.” Nevertheless, Adams’s work was chiefly orientated towards fuelling the environmental movement that occurred in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centauries.

Adams founded “Group f/64,” a movement in fine art photography that broke away from the so called “Pictorialism” tradition. In contrast to Pictorialism, which employed special techniques and lenses that produced a soft focus, Group f/64 emphasised sharp outlines and edges. Consequently, photographs produced in the Pictorialism tradition contain elements of intimacy and introspection, whereas photographs produced in the Group f/64 tradition convey overtones of power and precision.

In sum, fine art photographers, many of whom have a background in the humanities, seek to make statements about the human condition, effect social change, and deconstruct our perception of reality. Unlike the camera club photographer, the fine art photographer does not see the photograph as a facsimile of reality. Rather, the photograph is seen as a window into matrices of power and class that maintain the status quo within stratified societies.

photo credit: geoftheref

photo credit: TheLizardQueen

photo credit: geoftheref

photo credit: wwarby

In the coolness that late evening brings to the savannah a lone gazelle making its way, through the gentle rustling of tall grass, towards a waterhole. From the West, gathering clouds shroud the sun as it prepares for its long repose. Suddenly, beneath the now blazing swathes of crimson sky, the ground stirs. There is motion, muscles and bared fangs strip through the air, and a deep throated growl resonates off silent rocks. The gazelle attempts to bolt, but to no avail, for today death has played the swifter part.

Nature, in all its vibrancy, pronounces its existence in an unquenchable, elemental cry; a cry that the wildlife photographer is behoved to answer. Wildlife photography, which may be considered a subcategory of nature photography, is generally concerned with capturing images of animals. Popular subjects include large terrestrial mammals, birds and fish. Although some may argue that the reach of wildlife photography extends to include images of insects and spiders, such images are generally considered the purview of macro photography.

Usually, the wildlife photographer will photograph animals engaged in some sort of activity, such as feeding. Consequently, the photographer often has to content with movement while capturing an image. To prevent blurring a faster shutter speed may be selected; however, increasing the shutter speed reduces the amount of light that impinges upon the photographic film. In order to compensate for the reduction in light, photographers use film that is able to react quickly to light (i.e. film with an ISO of 400 or greater). Such film, however, has a coarser grain than film that reacts more slowly to light. Thus, capturing images using short exposure times comes at the expense of reduced spatial resolution.

In addition to selecting faster shutter speeds, wildlife photographers typically select a wide aperture, which reduces the camera’s field depth. Field depth is generally reduced to the point where only the subject remains in focus. This produces a blurred background which, in turn, creates the impression of motion and makes the subject appear to standout of the photograph. Although many cameras are able to select an appropriate shutter speed given a particular aperture size, or vice-versa, many wildlife photographers consider it desirable to be able to adjust these settings manually.

Shutter speed and aperture size are dependent upon the lens. Wildlife photographers typically employ telephoto lenses, which have a shallow field depth. Telephoto lenses, therefore, readily isolate the subject while blurring out the background. An additional advantage of a telephoto lens is that it affords the photographer a greater degree of camouflage as photographs may be taken from a distance. Taking photographs from a greater distance not only protects the photographer from potentially dangerous animals, but also ensures that the photographer does not inadvertently frighten off the animal, or influence its behaviour in some other way.

Apart from attaining a high level of proficiency in operating camera equipment, wildlife photographers often become skilled at interpreting an animal’s behaviour. The ability to anticipant an animal’s next move allows the photographer to make fine adjustments well ahead of time and increases the likelihood of capturing a well framed image. Furthermore, general knowledge about the species, such as migratory patterns, sleeping patterns, eating patterns etc., is useful for tracking the animal.

Hopefully, the understanding and passion that wildlife photographers have for the natural world will be conveyed to consumers of their photographs, where it will, in turn, galvanize a commitment towards various conservation initiatives.

photo credit: james_wicks

Imagine venturing into a realm enveloped in a mysterious blue-green veil, where the skeletons of once proud ships lie in thundering silence, and strange and wonderful creatures lurk in the inky blackness of forgotten caves. Such is the world of those intrepid few who call themselves underwater photographers.

Louis Boutan’s photograph of a diver in a hard hat, captured in 1893, is generally regarded as the first underwater photograph; however, the first foray into underwater photography was made by William Thompson in 1856. Thompson’s apparatus consisted of little more than a camera encased in a wooden box, and although underwater photography has come to embrace the world of digital precision, the notion of placing a camera in a watertight casing has persisted to this day.

Various types of watertight casings are available. Essentially, these casings allow the photographer to operate the camera’s controls form knobs located on the exterior of the casing. In addition, the design of the window through which the camera focuses takes into account the different refractive properties of water and air. Thus, the optical distortions that occur when light passes through two different mediums are eliminated – or at least greatly reduced.

In addition to optical distortions, underwater photographers need to contend with the loss of the longer wavelengths of light (i.e. the reds and oranges) at greater depths. The missing wavelengths may be “painted in” with the use of an underwater flash or strobe. However, the presence of particulate, such as plankton, may cause the light of the flash to be reflected back. This phenomenon, known as backscatter, is problematic and compensating for it often proves challenging.

Loss of the longer wavelengths of light not only occurs along the vertical dimension but along the horizontal dimension as well, causing colours to appear less vibrant at greater distances. Consequently, photographs are taken at close range – usually within three feet. Wide-angle lenses or macro lenses are typically employed to accommodate the close proximity at which photographs are captured.

Optical equipment only forms part of the equation. Capturing images at depths greater than what a snorkel will allow for necessitates the use of diving equipment. Underwater photographers, therefore, face not only the challenges inherent in capturing good photographs, but must also be proficient in operating breathing apparatus, regulating oxygen tanks, and handling various other challenges associated with diving.

Although diving is an exacting activity, the underwater photographer that is calm and manoeuvres smoothly is likely to be more successful at not frightening off sea creatures. While some underwater photographers focus exclusively on fish and marine mammals, others may capture images of coral reefs, seascapes, shipwrecks or underwater caves. Nevertheless, regardless of the subject matter, nothing short of an Olympic calm is required to hone the art of underwater photography. Given that part of the allure of underwater photography lies in the excitement of exploring unknown places, the underwater photographer must surely possess a unique disposition since that which is new and exciting provides the stimulus to act, yet it also kindles an inner calm. In short, the fascinating craft of underwater photography may only be wielded by fascinating, not to mention highly skilled, artisans.

photo credit: Paulo Brandão

Although digital photography has had a relatively short history it has, arguably, eclipsed traditional photography in many respects. The power of digital photography lies in its unmatched refinement, provided through seamless, yet affordable, technology.

Digital cameras are well suited to a culture that finds itself increasingly oriented towards online pursuits. Digitized images may be stored directly on a computer, where they can then be emailed or posted online. Although the same can be done with pictures captured on film, doing so would require additional hardware such as a scanner. Further, one can readily burn digitized images to a CD or a DVD.

Online activity has become synonymous with convenience. Unlike traditional photography, digital photography does not require any chemicals or “dark-rooms” for developing images. Image stabilization features render tripods unnecessary. And most digital cameras are smaller than their traditional counterparts, making them ideal for slipping into a pocket or bag. Further, a digital camera allows one to view the image immediately after taking a picture, thus providing instant feedback. And retaking an unwanted photo is a cinch and can be done on the spot. Once a photo has been taken it can be displayed on a LCD screen at the back of the camera. In addition, many cameras are able to display images on a television screen via an AV-out feature.

Digital cameras do not have clumsy film, but rather a reusable memory card. Memory cards are able to store hundreds or even thousands of pictures. The quantity of photographs that the memory card is able to store is dependent upon the quality settings for each photograph. Photographs captured on a higher quality setting will consume a larger amount of memory space than a photograph captured on a lower quality setting; consequently, memory cards can hold fewer photographs captured on high quality setting than photographs captured on low quality settings. Once the pictures have been downloaded to a computer the memory card is ready to be used again.

Most digital SLR cameras allow pictures to be saved in RAW format. In this format information is saved directly from the digital camera’s image sensor. The upshot is that images captured in RAW format can be manipulated without any loss in quality using image-editing software. Such software allows you to manipulate various attributes of the photograph – such as the colours, saturation levels, brightness contrast etc. Thus, one can produce images that approach mathematical perfection, or conjure up something a little more surreal such as HDR photography, but more about that another time. In addition, image-editing software allows photos to be cropped. Although some of the image-editing programs on the market are complex, they provide the user with a wealth of options.

Image-editing software is able to extricate the metadata embedded by the digital camera. Metadata consists of information pertaining to the camera settings that were selected when the photograph was taken. Such information, which traditional cameras are unable to provide, are useful for numerous reasons.

Despite such sophistication, digital photography is becoming increasingly more affordable. Pecuniary options are reflected in the variety of ways in which digitized images can be printed, and in the variety of paper on which they can be printed.

Given the convenience, sophistication, and affordability of digital photography, it is easy to see why photographers, both amateur and professional, have come to embrace the digital camera.

The more advanced digital cameras allow you to store images in two common formats, JPEG or RAW.

But what is a raw image? Most photographers know all about the JPEG format but not necessarily the RAW format. Using the RAW mode has more advantages over JPEG, and should be the preferable method of saving your photos.

RAW images are digital photos which are uncompressed and lossless; everything the sensor of your digital camera detects is captured and saved as part of the file. To help understand this, a good analogy would be to compare this to traditional film photography. RAW images would be the digital counterpart of a film negative, while JPEG you could view as the digital counterpart of the end product of a photo once it was processed in a studio.

Digital cameras have the ability to manipulate pictures internally right after the photo is taken, including color temperature, exposure adjustments etc. These photos are then saved as a JPEG file, a compressed format.

On the other hand, cameras that provide RAW mode save the images as an uncompressed file. Compression reduces the size of any file, and as such, RAW image files are larger than the compressed JPEG files but offer much higher quality. To give you an idea, if your JPEG file is 2Mb, the RAW file would be around 10Mb.

Different camera brands have different file extensions for RAW formats, but most photo editing programs are able to import and process the majority all of these. You would use an image editor to manipulate the RAW files.

How is a RAW vs. JPEG processed in the camera?

First of all, a digital camera records the light that hits the exposed imaging chip, usually a CCD, and registers it in each pixel or picture element. This recorded light information is then converted to voltage levels, and these voltage signals are then represented as digital information through the camera’s circuitry. Up to this point, the same process occurs whether your camera is set to capture JPEG pictures or RAW pictures, but the difference comes in the next step.

Saving pictures in the RAW format by setting your camera to RAW mode allows the pictures you took to be sent to a RAW conversion program. The camera then creates a file which has all the settings in your digital camera, including color temperature, contrast and saturation, white balance, and other settings depending on the capabilities of your camera. The RAW image is, of course, not edited in any; these settings will all be included in the raw image data. All of this data is then saved to the memory card as a RAW image file.

If however, you had your camera set to save JPEG files, the camera will use all of its features to enhance and hopefully produce an end product that you may not have to edit any further.

The digital camera will then sharpen the images by using USM or unsharp mask, enhancing the contrast between dark and light edges in the picture. Some cameras also allow manipulation of contrast and color saturation. Finally, the camera will then compress the image and save a JPEG file.

To summarize, a RAW file captures all the data from the imaging sensor of the camera, and does not change or compress anything. This is unlike a JPEG file, which can be considered the end product after the digital camera itself applies white balance, contrast, saturation changes, and compression which reduces the quality of the image.

The advantages of shooting pictures with JPEG mode are:

• The files are smaller, and you can therefore save more to your memory card.
• The image quality of a JPEG file is in many instances acceptable for most uses.
• Often, photographers simply don’t have the time to post-edit their photos, and the cameras ability to do it for them is convenient.
• Many low end cameras are unable to save RAW files, and you can expect to pay more for a camera that is capable of RAW mode.

The advantages of shooting pictures with RAW mode are:

• RAW files contain all the information about that shot, exactly what was recorded in the imaging sensor meaning the highest image quality is preserved.
• With RAW files, you can manipulate your own white balance, color temperature, contrast, saturation etc
• Lossless, editing a RAW file will not reduce the quality of the image.

In conclusion, both RAW and JPEG formats have advantages and disadvantages. It is ultimately up to the photographer to decide what he needs, but without doubt, if you are looking for the highest possible quality and manipulation ability, shoot RAW.