Photography: The power to change lives

Photography it is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by capturing light or other electromagnetic radiation on to a photosensitive surface.

Photography is an important art because it uses cameras as tools of exploration, the photograph taken deep and otherwise inaccessible places of the rainforest can help scientists understand its ecology to better preserve it and it gives an image that some people may never see in their lives.

By capturing a priceless particle of the world from the unstoppable current that is time and space and holding it absolutely still, a great photograph can explode the totality of our world such that we may never see it the same again.

A photograph has the power to do infinitely more than the simple document. It can transport us to unseen worlds, translate sights that mere words could never capture and inspire feelings that could never be inspired.

Here are some tips that may help the beginning photographer:

1) Get basic composition right:

Composition is basically the position of different elements in a frame. The easiest rule of thumb to remember is the rule of thirds which basically divides your frame into nine squares of roughly about the same size. Try and align the subject of your photo along these lines and intersections and imagine the image divided across these 9 squares thereby producing an image that is more dramatic and visually interesting than one shot where your subject is dead center. The newer cameras tend to have a rule of thirds grid overlay.

2) Choose the right mode:

The modern digital camera has scores of shooting modes ranging from fully automatic operation to very specific scene modes. Knowing when to use which mode is essential and would raise the quality of the captured image by many folds. This kind of knowledge can only be attained by the prehistoric method of trial and error. Experiment with different modes to learn their features.

3) Think about lighting:

A good photographer pays attention to his lighting and knows how much light he is getting and where it’s coming from as this greatly affects the quality of the captured image. When photographing outdoors the position of the sun and the time of day are important factors along with cloud cover that you should consider.

4) Invest in a tripod:

Not all of us are blessed with incredibly steady hands that would allow us to capture images with as little distortion as possible. If you do have shaky hands don’t fret as the use of the tripod compensates for our lack of natural gift. Great artists tend to compensate for their lack of natural gift by hard work. A tripod is a great invention that will stabilize your camera and allow you to produce a crystal clear image.

5) Don’t forget to post process:

Consider using a program like Picasa or iphoto, of these will allow you to crop, color correct, adjust exposure, and remove red eye and other basic editing tasks. It is an important step of the process and adds finesse to your art.