The feelings expressed on a person’s face are the best way to communicate and if you can capture those expressions then in true sense your picture speaks a thousands words. A portrait photographer always tries to display the likeness, personality, and particularly the mood of the subject. Lighting plays a vital role while capturing a portrait photograph and composing in studio. In order to adjust the lights intensity and direction there are many ways which are easy enough to describe but experimenting more and more with the light direction, angle and intensity will definitely give out some unexpected and unique results.

Three-Point Lighting

Three point Lighting is considered as the most basic plan as it uses three lights to bring out details and the three-dimensionality of the subject’s features completely.The three main lights used in this light plan are as follows:

The Key or Main  light

It is usually placed to one side of the subject’s face, between 30 and 60 degrees off centre and a bit higher than eye level. The key light is the brightest light in the lighting plan.

Image Source: Shortcourses

The Fill light

It is placed opposite to the key light, in order to soften the shadows on the opposite side of the face. The brightness of the fill light is usually between 1/3 and 1/4 that of the key light. This is expressed as a ratio as in 3:1 or 4:1. When the ratio is 3:1 this is sometimes called Kodak lighting as Kodak was the first company which suggested this ratio for the first time.

The purpose of these two lights is to mimic the natural light created by placing a subject in a room near a window. The daylight falling on the subject through the window is the Key light and the Fill light is reflected light coming from the walls of the room.

The Rim light

It is also called backlight or hair light, is placed behind the subject, out of the picture frame, and often rather higher than the Key or Fill light. It is used to provide separation from the background by highlighting the subject’s shoulders and hair. The rim light should be just bright enough to provide separation from the background, but not as bright as the key light.

ButterflyLighting is another way of lighting a subject. Here we deploy only two lights, Key light which is placed directly in front of the subject, often above the camera or slightly to one side and a bit higher than the usual 3point lighting plan whereas the second light is placed

Image Source: Picturecorrect

below the subject’s face to provide fill light and soften shadows.This lighting can be recognised by the strong light falling on the forehead, the bridge of the nose and the upper cheeks, and by the distinct shadow below the nose which often looks rather like a butterfly. It was used by Hollywood portraitist George Hurrell extensively in his project.

A kicker is a small light, often made directional through the use of a umbrella, or softbox (A soft box is a fabric box, encasing a photo strobe head, one side of which is made of translucent fabric. This provides a softer lighting for portrait work). The kicker is designed to add highlights to the off side of the subject’s face, usually just enough to establish the jaw line or edge of an ear. The kicker should thus be a bit brighter than the fill light, but not so bright it over fills the off side of the face. More you’ll play with the intensity of light more you’ll learn in this regard.

Sometimes light for the subject is typically diffused by bouncing it from the inside of an umbrella, or by using a soft box. Background lights are sometimes used with color gels placed in front of the light to create coloured backgrounds.

That’s how we see that there are many ways to light your picture and more you play with light the better and unique result you’ll achieve.So If you have experimented with light and have better and other different ways to light a portrait please feel free to share those techniques and tips here.

Technorati Tags: Photography, photography lighting, portrait, portrait photography lighting, portraits photography, professional photography, professional portraits

If a  camera is used seldom to capture only images of  friends and family events,then Point and shoot digital camera is the best bet.

In case someone is an avid Wildlife Photographer then a camera with 5x optical zoom or greater is the perfect choice and make sure it captures several frames per second.

If you  cover sports events and works as photo journo with a media organization,then a camera with a sports shooting mode with feature of setting the shutter speed is the right camera for you.With such features it enables to freeze sportsmen or athlete in motion.

If you like capturing beautiful and unusual faces and claims to be a Portrait photographer then buy a camera having portrait mode.It should have an aperture-preferred shooting mode

and a fast telephoto lens with an aperture setting of f/2.8 which enables to create a limited Depth of field so that the subject remains in clear focus and the background and foreground gets blurry.

A digital camera is not a thing which you can buy every now and then,hence it is recommended to research thoroughly on web,magazines,etc before buying it.We hope this article would help many confused brains to choose a camera which suits their needs picking the best and leaving the rest.

Technorati Tags: Photography, Point&Shoot DigiCam, WildlifePhotgraphy

Wild Life Photography : You actually have to become wild and a major part of your life is spend in forest and sanctuaries chasing animals and birds,hanging from trees,sleep on tree huts,stay in timberland and eat stuff which you never thought and experienced before and above all you never know when a click becomes the last click of your  life and you’re served as lunch of a wild animal which makes wildlife photography one of the most challenging task in this profession.

Sports Photography: You don’t have to run with footballers or between the wicket on a cricket pitch or swing your head 180 deg in a tennis court but  have to keep your eyeballs very attentive to capture that momentous goal or boundary sixes.A sports photographer keeps a sharp watch on every movement of a player and hence captures more than one shot for a single frame to choose the best among them afterwards.

Portrait  Photography: Though you‘re very much closer to the subject ,it requires a far vision to visualize the final result.In portrait photography capturing face and expression is predominant and reflects likeness, personality, and even the mood of the subject.

Panoramic photography: Elongated field of view , wide format and aspect ratio to be kept in mind while capturing panoramic images and to capture that shot you need to stand and position your camera very smartly.

War Photography: Most dreadful and dangerous of all the above, you never know which bullet has your name written on it or when a rocket launcher explodes near you.Life of a photographer capturing war is always at high risk and they always play hide and seek with bullets and bombs.They always jeopardize their life but they never step back from professional commitment.

So think twice before jumping into this profession.A nice photograph allures many towards this profession and many of us aspire to become a good photographer one day but it takes a lot to capture one single nice picture.Everyone can own a camera but not everyone can take that perfect shot.

Technorati Tags: glamour, Photography, sports, war, wildlife, world

What kind of photographer are you ,i.e, find the ideal camera that best suits your needs and lifestyle:

If you don’t take pictures frequently and still like the convenience of digital camera you must go for a Point and shoot digital camera.Most cameras in this section don’t have a through the lens view finder. In this category you’ll find  cameras that are small enough to fit in your pocket.Price less than300$

If you like taking pictures that you can frame and share with others consider purchasing a Prosumer camera.These have extended zoom lens and a through the lens view finder.It has multiple shooting modes and are generally referred as Zoom lens reflex cameras.Price between 500$-1000$.

If you are a professional or advanced photographer then Digital SLR is the right choice for you.You can also use your current lens of 35mm SLR camera with new digital one.It has interchangeable lens, on-camera flash and multiple shooting mode to show your creativity.Price between 1000$-4500$

You can also look  for reviews and news about the current available model in market by visiting

www.dpreview.com

www.cnet.com

Following list shows the type of cameras sold by major companies:
Canon Fujifilm Nikon Olympus Sony

We hope this little information will help you in buying a camera of your choice.

In part II of this article we’ll share which camera and lenses to buy depending on the kind of photography you are involved in,i.e, Wildlife ,sports ,landscape,etc.

<Wait and watch>

Technorati Tags: camera, canon, nikon, Photography, sony

Well there is a man who deserves something as he is best in the business,business of painting. No doubt that painter is one who portrays the true image of our society. This man is lost today or may have not got his true respect he ought to get, he is Painter Iman Maleki from Iran. A true magician who uses his canvas and true colors  giving a real and live painting.

Iman Maleki was born on 1976 in Tehran. He has been fascinated by the art of Painting since he was a child. At the age of 15, he started to learn painting under the mastery of his first and only teacher – Morteza Katouzian – who is a renowned painter of Iran.

Meanwhile, he began to paint professionally. In 1999 he graduated in Graphic Design from the Art University of Tehran. Since 1998, he has participated in several exhibitions.

In the year 2000, he got married and in the following year he established ARA Painting Studio and started to teach painting, considering classical and traditional values.

The most important exhibitions he has participated in, are: The Exhibition of Realist painters of Iran at Tehran Contemporary Museum of Art(1999) and The Group Exhibition of KARA Studio Painters at SABZ Gallery(1998) and at SA’AD ABAD Palace(2003).

In 2005, Iman received the William Bouguereau award and the Chairman’s , Choice award in the second international ARC salon competition.

The best feature of his paintings are that part of his paintings are real and some are animated.

For more on his life visit  http://imanmaleki.com/index.htm

Technorati Tags: Out Of Box, Photography

Starting with the history and meaning of the word “photography” which comes from the Greek word ‘phos’ means “light” and ‘graphis’ means “representation by means of lines” or “drawing”, together which means “drawing with light.”

History of Photography goes back to the 1820s with the development of chemical photography.
The first permanent photograph was an image produced in 1825 by the French inventor Nicéphore Niépce

first permanent photograph taken by Nicéphore Niépce

Though there were many world renowned photographers whose work was applauded and published for many decades
on various magazines,newspapers,internet and other platforms,there are certain legends like
David Seymour ,Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert capa, Bruce Davidson, George Rodger,Eve Arnold and Raghu Rai whose names are unforgettable and sculptured in golden words in the world of photography.
They were not only the best photographers but were also the founding members of Magnum Photos,a cooperative organization
founded in 1947 owned and administered entirely by its member with offices in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo for showcasing classic and unique work of world’s best photographer.

The first name which comes to my mind is Henri Cartier-Bresson who was born in 1908 and was a French photographer considered to be the father of modern photojournalism,an early adopter of 35 mm format, and the master of candid photography. After trying his hand in music and painting he finally settled with photography as his last and only obsession.He joined the French Army as a Corporal in the Film and Photo unit when World War II broke out in September 1939.In spring 1947, Cartier-Bresson, with Robert Capa, David Seymour and George Rodger founded Magnum Photos.

Henri Cartier Bresson

He achieved international recognition for his coverage of Gandhi’s funeral in India in 1948 and the last (1949) stage of the Chinese Civil War.He died in Aug 2004.

David Seymour born to jewish parents in 1911 covered Spanish civil war and other European events.In 1947 he founded Magnum.In 1954 after Robert capa’s death he became president of magnum.while covering the 1956 Suez war he was killed by egyptain machine gun fire.

George Rodger was a brit journo .He was the first photographer to enter concentration (death) camps at Bergen-Belsen , a Nazi
concentration camp in Germany during second world war in 1945.His photographs of the few survivors and piles of dead human body were published in Life and time magazines and were highly influential in showing the reality of the death camps.

death camps at Bergen-Belsen

After founding magnum he worked as a freelance photographer taking pictures of people,nature and landscape which were later published in national geographic magazine.

Eve Arnold was the first female member of magnum and changed the myth that women can’t be good photgraphers and they can only pose for photographs.she was born in Philadelphia.She was best known for her intimate image of actress Marilyn monroe on the sets of Monroe’s last film,The Misfits.Currently she lives in Britain.

Marilyn monroe on the sets of Misfits

Misfits cast and crew

Raghu Rai born in 1942 is an Indian photographer and photojournalist who initially worked with The Statesman.
In 1976,he left the paper and became a freelance photographer. From 1982 up until 1992, Rai was the director of photography for India Today.He was the only Indian photographer to be a member of Magnum photos and joined it as correspondent in 1977.
Rai was awarded the Padmashree in 1971, one of India’s highest civilian awards ever given to a photographer. In 1992, his National Geographic cover story “Human Management of Wildlife in India” won him widespread critical acclaim for the piece.

Mother Teressa,God's messenger with God in a single frame

There are so many other photographers (though all the names cannot be mentioned here)
around the world who are working round the clock taking best shots for all our feel-good factor.

Hats off to such photographers for their Out of Box vision.

*Disclaimer: Picture source : www.magnumphotos.com

Technorati Tags: best, deathcamps, history, magnum, marilyn monroe, mother teressa, Photography, woman photographer, world