Sally Mann: Sally Mann is an American photographer. She is expert of art photography. Although her education is on writing, she became a photographer. She is known with her collection named “Immediate Family”. It is the collection of nude photographs of Mann’s own children.

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson: Dodgson is an English photographer. He is also a writer and mathematician. He is known as “Lewis Carroll”, writer of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. His photography works are art pieces.

Jacques Henri Lartigue: He was a French photographer. His photos mostly depict automobile races and fashion. Lartigue was also a painter. He is a well known name in documentary photography branch.

Andrew Stark: Andrew Stark is an Australian photographer. In addition to his photographs, he has books on photography. Stark is known with documentary photograph works. He is also called as street photographer.

Mathew Brady: Brady is an American photographer. His specialization is war photography. He is famous with especially the photos he took during American Civil War. Mathew Brady is so effective in this field that he is accepted as the leading figure of photojournalism. Brady not only took the war scenes photos, he also took portrait photos of many famous names.

Alexander Gardner: Gardner is a famous American photographer. He is good at war photography. Like Mathew Brady, he took photos during American Civil War. In addition to that, Gardner also took many portrait photographs of Abraham Lincoln.

Cecil Beaton: English fashion photographer Cecil Beaton took the photos of clothes he personally designed. He also worked with other names. Along with photography, Beaton made stage and film designs.

Marino Testino: Peruvian photographer Marino Testino is a popular name in fashion photography branch. Testino worked with famous brands such as Gucci and Vogue. Nowadays, he works with many companies and continues to take fashion photographs.

Patrick Demarchelier: Patrick Demarchelier is a French photographer. He takes photos of fashion. Many photos of him were used as the cover of famous magazines. Demarchelier works with brands and he also works for movie shots.

Helmut Newton: German Australian photographer Helmut Newton is known with nude women photographs of him. Indeed, he is a fashion photographer. His works were used in many magazines.

Ara Güler: Ara Güler is a Turkish photographer. He is not only a photographer, but also a photo reporter. He has lots of book published on photography. In his works, he focuses on portraits and buildings. Ara Güler generally uses black and white tones in his photography works.

Art Wolfe: He is an American photographer. Art Wolfe takes nature and wildlife photographs. He has more than ten books about photography. Wolfe received many rewards for his talent and success.

In 19th century, positive and negative processes are found. On a negative, eight different parts were recorded. After printing, they were cut into pieces. The first color photograph was taken after a very long time of invention of photography. It took people develop this system approximately 40 years. After the first of Niépce, James Clerk Maxwell took the first color photograph in 1861. In this century, celluloid film was begun to be used. One of the greatest turning points of the century is Kodak camera. In 1888, the first Kodak camera was produced and it was available for anyone who affords it. After that, Kodak continued to develop its camera models.

Kodak not only produced camera models, but also films. With 20th century, everything became more technological. New cameras and films were available. Natural color system was found. In this period, Agfacolor, Pentax and Polaroid joined to the photography field. Everything came to another turning point with the invention of digital cameras.

Photography, Digital Photography and Technology
Digital photography entered to our lives only after the second half of 20th century with the invention of digital camera. Digital photography is a result of developing technology. Digital photography is classified differently from photography art because every process of it is very different.

In digital photography not only digital camera is used, but also many other technological devices are used. For instance, without computer, memory card, rechargeable battery and other ones, digital camera is nothing.

Every day, new steps are taken with technology. Pixel, resolution, lens, format, modes, applications, storage options, device model and features change constantly. The debates go on about digital photography and effects of technology on photography. However, it is accepted that as technology develops, everything changes. Photography is a form of art. It is debatable whether digital photography is a branch of art or not. But it keeps more and more space in our lives, even in lives of professionals.

Image Techniques: Recreating Photographs
With developing technology, every day new image techniques are found. With every new technique, the photographs are reshaped more and more. Along with programs such as photoshop, coral draw, there are some techniques you can apply to photographs. First of all, you can crop and edit photograph. This gives you the chance of changing the image. Different filters are available with cameras. This is another benefit of technology. You can take great photos with these filters. Classifying images according to file types is also a good way for recreating photographs. Resizing and changing file type recreate your photographs. With just a simple image editor, you can have every benefits of technology. Use them and recreate your photograph works.

The photographer is one of the most important people who will be your shadow the day of the wedding. So you should find the right person for your wedding. Actually it is very easy to find the right wedding photographer. There are so many things in choosing the best wedding photographer.

Here are some guidelines that you can follow to hire the best photographer for your wedding.

• Firstly, know what you want.

• Be clear about what you want.

• Decide how many photographers you will hire for your wedding.

• You can easily find the photographers who work in your area.

• Research photographers. When you visit a photographer’s web site, you can learn the necessary things about the photographer.

• Call each photographer on your list and get an appointment from each photographer.

• Meet with them face to face and ask some questions.

• Get references from the photographer.

• Ask some married couples for recommendation.

• Most of the wedding photographers sell their wedding photography in a package. So ask the photographer what the wedding package consists of and how much the extra albums cost.

• Determine your budget. However keep in mind that lower prices do not always produce the perfect results.

• Keep in mind that the best wedding photographers are all booked months ahead of the wedding time. So you should start looking for a photographer as soon as you book your reception site.

• The appearance of the photographer is very important. So you should ask the photographer how he/she will be dressed.

• Before decide your photographer, ensure that you like her/his personality. The personality of the photographer is very important. So talk a few minutes with the photographer before you decide. Do not forget that you will spend more time with your photographer.

• There are some professional photography organizations such as Professional Photographers of America (PPA), Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) and the like. Ask the photographer whether he/she is one of the members of these organizations or not.

• The prices of photos can vary from one photographer to another. So learn the total cost.

• Learn the photographer’s style. Ask the photographer what the style is.

• Ask the photographer whether he / she can give guaranties on his/ her services and photographs or not.

• Then look at samples of photographs that are produced by the photographers.

• The photographer should be experienced, well equipped, creative and competent. So learn your photographer’s experience level.

• Always read the contract.

• Sign the contract if you approve the photographer.

Also read other articles about photography.

What is Photograph?

Basically, photograph is the production of a series of chemical processes. The objects and their shapes are replaced on special film and paper with the help of light. With the development of photography, it is accepted as a form of art.

History of Photography
The exact date of photography is not known. It is not only the history of getting image in dark box, but also the history of printing the image with chemical ways. There are great steps developing photography field. In 8th century, Ibni Hayyam found that nitrate of silver gets dark with sunlight. After that, in 15th century, Leonardo da Vinci created a hole in a dark room and this hole mirrored the image of the outer world. In renaissance period, the dark box was found by artists. The image entering from a hole of this dark box was reflected on the other side. In 18th century, the box was improved. A lens and opal glass was replaced on the sides of it. With this system, the image could be seen from the outside of the box.

Light has an impact on chemical material and salt of silver is used for photography. Before the first photo was taken, people tried to form image on paper. In 18th century, lime and silver nitrate were applied to a paper. An object was put on that paper and it was observed that the shape of the object appears on the paper. This brought new studies with paper. Paper was put into silver nitrate solution and the first negatives were obtained. One of the greatest steps for photography is processing paper with varnish and transferring image to tin board. The parts of this board became white when it saw sunlight.

18th century is the rising age of photography. A new method was found for photography. Copper was mixed with silver and from this mixture a board was made. The board was wiped with sponge powder and olive oil. After that, it was heat with water and nitric acid mixture. Then, the board is put into nitric acid and iodine. The board was ready after all these processes. The board is replaced into the machine. Posing for 5 or 40 minutes was necessary according to the light situation. The board was put into quicksilver and the image was there.

Posing was quite a long time. Because lens was not developed enough to pass light many times. A new lens type was developed in 18th century. It passed light 16 times more and this reduces posing time. New steps were necessary for photography field. However, this means more money and more working. The equipment was hard to find. It was also fragile. But people continued to work more and more.

Photography paper was used with egg white. This made the paper smooth. However, this method was unable to show the details of photograph. Egg white was used because it was ionized. Negatives were transferred into positives. This is also a turning point for photography. The saved image appeared on the negatives.

The first cameras were very huge. Carrying and using them were difficult. After taking photo with these cameras, the negatives were sent to factory. Transferring the film, a new film was replaced into the camera. After 1870s, new film types were found. With new lenses, films and cameras, after 20th century, photography became the field that we know today. Every day, photography keeps on developing itself with new methods, fields, techniques, cameras and technology.

Documentary photography

What makes photography valuable as a document? Every photograph depicts the moment it was taken. Even a simple photo is important because it depicts many things. However, if a photo depicts the entire situation, society and humanity, it is valuable as a documentary photograph.

Major Aims of Documentary Photography
The major aim of documentary photography is giving information about the reality. It gives information and broadens our horizon. With it, we see a different world. There are not walls around us no more. We are sensitive. When these aims are achieved, humanity becomes closer. We understand the situation of people even living far away from us. That is also called empathy. Understanding the others and thinking about them make us a unified society in this big world.

Documentary photography has a social function. It creates social consciousness. A photo carries a message. After seeing the proof of a social event, nobody can deny that such a situation occurred. Documentary photographs are proofs of our history.

Where is Documentary Photo Used?
Documentary photography is not something made as a hobby. It is generally used for publication. In every page of newspapers, you can see a documentary photo depicting a war scene, situation of poor children etc. These photos are widely used for giving information to people. In addition to that, some photographers take documentary photo with personal aims. They use these photos in an exhibition.

There are also group and organizations using documentary photographs. Their aims are much more specific. For instance, an environment organization takes photo in order to attract attention of people to the nature and environment. This category is also classified as documentary photography.

Famous Documentary Photographers
Documentary photography requires professionalism. Taking photo of a situation, a person does not make the photo a documentary one. However, this does not mean you can not catch such an image. But generally, documentary photos of well known photographers are used in news, newspaper and magazines. This feature brings the debate whether documentary photography and photojournalism are the same things or not. There are not exact rules for these branches. Yet, it is a well known fact that documentary photography is a wide and distinctive branch of photography. Famous documentary photographers include the names Bill Brandt, Roman Vishniac, Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Berenice Abbott, William Eggleston, David Hurn, Martin Parr, Mary Ellen Mark, Walker Evans, August Sander, Gertrude Blom, Henri Cartier Breson, Steve McCurry and many other famous and amateur ones.

Read other articles in our photography category.

Before using your camera, first of all read instruction manual. Trying every feature of the camera does not make big harm. However, you should lead a professional way. Learn everything before using it.

Memory card is an inseparable part of digital camera. Format the memory card before your first usage. Otherwise, photos of you can get lost. Storage is a problem related with memory card. Choose a card with big memory. Additionally, transfer it regularly to have more space for new photos. You can not know where you will capture an image.

Every digital camera has different features. For instance, some cameras have preview feature. The photo is saved with “ok” button. You take photo but without saving it, you have nothing. Pay attention to such features.

Digital cameras have different modes for everything. According to your aim, choose a suitable one. Economy mode, best mode, normal mode are just some of these ones. Try them and find the best one for you.

Brightness set up changes according to the environment and light. If you are in a sunny place, you should increase LCD brightness. However, reducing the brightness is recommended for dark places. This is also useful for energy saving.

Do not use digital zoom very often. Digital zoom reduces image display quality. If you want to zoom on a certain point, you can do that on the computer. Doing such things on the computer rather than with camera is much more suitable. Computer programs generally save the original photo. But every camera has not such a feature.

Do you want clear photos? In order to take clear photos, check the instantaneous. For many cameras, it is 1/50. 1/125 can also be an ideal rate. In addition to that, for clear photos, high diaphragm is necessary. Especially if the environment is clear, high diaphragm brings more accurate photos.

If you know to what extent your flash affects, you catch the right position. Learn everything about flash feature of your camera. In dark places, using flash causes red eye problem. In order to prevent this, use red eye reduction mode. If it is possible, do not use flash. Some places require light. However, try without flash and with it. Compare your photos. One the advantages of digital cameras are giving you the chance of comparing. For portrait photo, if the sun comes after the persona, use flash. Otherwise, the photo is dark and nothing is clear.

Printing is the last process of photo taking. You take digital photos, what should be size of these photos? If you can not find the suitable size, the photos do not give good results. There is an easy formula for this. Just divide photo resolution to 60, like 800/60=13, 600/60=10, your photo should be printed in 13X10 size.

Previewing photos and changing them is possible. After taking a photo, you can preview it. If you do not like it, just take some others. Digital photography gives you this chance. There is always space for new photos.

Sharing photos is another great advantage of digital photography. After taking a photo, you transfer it easily to another digital machine. For this, computer and hard disc are widely used. After transferring, you can share it via mail or photo sharing sites. This takes only a few minutes.

Are there problems on your photo? Is it too dark? Is there red eye problem? These do not matter. With a photography program, you can easily fix these problems. You can cut, change, edit or do anything to your digital photograph.

Digital photography gives you inspire and creativity. It is not just taking photo. You can use a digital photo in any event. Digital photographs are easy to transfer, carry and share. So they are used widely. A digital photo can be used as a postcard, a calendar, a present. You can even make it printed on t-shirt. Digital photography gives you the chance to make simple objects special for you.

Digital photograph camera and its equipment are used over and over again. With digital camera, generally rechargeable battery is used. You can use it hundred of times after loading. There is not extra expense for film. Before printing the photos, you can choose among the photos. This prevents unnecessary cost. Briefly, digital photography is very economic. With little expense, you get great results with your photos.

Digital cameras have different modes and features. Night mode, portrait mode, auto mode and the others, all these mean different options for each photo. According to the circumstances, you can choose the most suitable one. Before transferring the photos, there are some processes you can apply to them. This is one of the most distinctive features of digital cameras. For instance, nearly in every digital camera there is red eye reduction feature. You can fix red eye problem of the photo with it.

Storage of digital photo is easy. You can copy digital photos to computer, hard disc or memory card. They do not cover much space. Just transfer it to a file. However, there is a negative side of the storage. It is easy to store, but it is also easy to lose them. Technology is something that can be damaged easily. Even a virus can erase all your photos. In order to prevent this, copy your photos to more than one place.

The more digital cameras are used, the more they become available and cheap. When first digital machines were produced, affording one was difficult. However, the situation is different now. There are many models. These are cheap and expensive models. You can choose the most suitable one for you. One of the advantages of digital photography is that there are many options available for photographers.

Also read Photo Taking Techniques I, Photo Taking Techniques II and Photo Taking Techniques III.

LCD screen of digital cameras consume much energy. Try to use LCD as least as possible. Turn off the mode that shows every image after taking photo. Only use it when you need. Especially, new beginners think that if a photo is not good enough, it can be deleted after preview. Make this after taking all the photos. Dealing with each photo means time and energy loss.

Storaging photo is another essential process of photo taking. Especially during long vacations it can be a problem. So before vacation make some preparation. Bring notebook, moveable hard disc or other storage tools with you. For short vacations, only memory cards can be enough. But having more than one card is sensible.

While inserting memory card to the camera, be sure that it is off. Otherwise, the data can get lost or memory card and camera can break down. Deleting data from memory card is not enough. Formatting is the best way for it. After every formatting, you have a brand new memory card.

For learning every feature of a new camera, the best way is reading instruction manual. Do not choose trial and error way. After reading it, you will find many features you did not even realize.

For long vacations, have substitute battery with you. If you are using chargeable battery, load it regularly. Carry camera and lenses in your bag. Your bag should be waterproof and it should also protect your equipment against any case.

While taking photo in a dark place, keep that in mind flash is not available from 3 or 4 meters. Take photo from a close distance. If you have extra flash tool, use it to reflect. Using it directly on an object does not give good results. Light conditions affect photo. If the light is not enough, use RAW format.

Storaging photo became technological. We keep our photos in computer, in hard disc. However, these are not very trustable machines. You can lose them anytime. So copy them to different places. This is a good way to store your photos.

Keeping photo equipment clean is very important. Dust and other substances can damage your equipment. For lens cleaning, do not use chemical cleaner. There are special productions for that. Prefer such productions. The environment you work in also affects your equipment. For instance, if you are taking photo in a desert, everywhere is dust. Be careful for such situations.

After a long work with your camera, make regular check. Even a simple problem of your camera can cause great faults. In order to prevent this, check your camera regularly.

For other articles on that subject read also Photo Taking Techniques I and Photo Taking Techniques II. For great results just follow these techniques.

If the sunlight is very strong, use the parasol of the lens. Fixing the view is very important. You can fix the photo according to the horizon line. Your shot and horizon should be parallel. Otherwise, you get an irregular photo.

Taking photos of objects which are moving require special preparation. Check shutter speed of your camera. The instantaneous should be 1/500 s at least. You can miss an image if there is an action. So keep drive mode on. Additionally, you can fix sharpness before taking photos. It gives you time for other regulating. Adding speed effect to your photos is possible with low shutter.

One of the hardest photo categories is baby and child photos. They keep on moving so taking a good photo of them is very difficult. If you are taking photo of an infant, do not use flash. Before taking photo, check your flash once more. For children you can give some objects to them. This keeps them busy. Address to the baby or child. Remember that you can not attract attention of them continuously.

Do not replace the object in the middle of the camera. This does not give the best result. Instead of that, placing it from upper or lower sides and from right or left is much more suitable. Try different ways for each photo.

Photos of thick forests and trees are not as beautiful as what you see. The lights from the space of the trees can cause undesired situations. Pale and dark colors can dominate the photo. Check the photos you took. In order to reduce the risk, you can use flash. While taking photo of flowers, keep the wind speed in mind. The light falling on the flower is also important. Some flowers are more beautiful with opposite light. Try different directions to take photo.

With some tips you can create more attractive photos. What are these tips? Just keep that in mind mist, smoke and opposite light attract attention. Use these elements as much as possible. These can change even a simple photo.

Using a three legged stand makes your job well and easy. However, there are some rules of photo taking and using extra tools in special places. You can not take photo of everywhere, every object. For instance, you can not use a three legged stand in a historical site. During your visitations to such places, first of all learn the rules.

Taking good photo does not only depend on the persona or object you use. Your mood, your situation, even your clothes and camera affect the photo quality. Try to be comfortable. If you are focusing on simple things and people, big cameras, camera bags, lots of preparation make your job harder. Just be simple. Remember that the photo you take represents also yourself, your mood.

For our previous article on the same subject read also photo taking techniques I. Here you can find many more ways, tips, methods and techniques for photo taking. Just follow them and see the great results.

Choose your point well. If you are focusing on something, try to look from different perspectives. You will certainly catch the best one. Keep perspective faults in mind. Try to develop different point of views. You can take photo of an object, a human from very different points.

Taking photo of anything vertical or horizontal depends on you. However, your experience also leads you. While something is caught well when it is located vertical, some others are just the opposite. In order to make the right choice, check the screen. If there is not much space, it is the right position.

Lens choice is very essential. It depends on the subject you will work on. Photos of some objects should be taken close. But some others require distance. Imagine a documentary photography work. You can not take photos of animals closely. For each photo work, we need a different lens. Right lens choice brings success.

If you are taking portrait or people photos, you should pay attention to the setting. Choose a simple one. A complicated, messy background can make your photo vague and ordinary. Just focusing on an object does not make your photo a masterpiece, think the entire of it.

Portrait photo taking is a specialization field. Tools, techniques, ways, everything is different while taking portrait photo. First of all, if you are taking photo of a stranger, make her/him feel comfortable. Communication is very important. If you are working closely, you should pay attention to the clearness of eyes. This is much more important than other features.

Carrying much equipment with you requires time and effort. Setting up a three legged stand means extra time for you. However, using it makes you take better photos. Usage of it reduces risks of flu photos or missing an image. It gives you the chance of using high diaphragm levels. During your travels, have a mini three legged stand with you. You can not know where you will take a photo. While without using a three legged stand, be careful about snapshot photography. Your snapshot should be close to focal point you use.

You can not catch a scene twice. If it is an important photography work, before taking the photo just take some for trying. You will find the best shot. In addition to that, take several photos in case an undesired situation occurs. These situations can be a problem of storage, a problem of transferring or printing photos.

When the sunlight comes directly, do not take photo. Prefer the hours when it is not very sunny. The hours between 12 AM and 2 PM are not suitable for photo taking. It can create undesired sharp shadows on people.

There is a critic moment for every photo. The moment of pushing the release button is different for each photo. If you are taking a scenic photo, the moment you push the release button is different. If it is a photo of speed, it is different. You and your camera are ready for an image. However, timing is very important. Otherwise, preparation is in vain. Even seconds are important. The cameras do not record the image you see. Recording the image of a few seconds later is possible. So pushing the button at the right time changes according to the image you are trying to take. For instance, if you want to take photo of a flying bird, keep that in mind you will catch the bird while it is moving. For catching the best and right image, push the button according to the photo type you take.

The moment you push the button creates vibration. Even if you use a three legged stand, this is inevitable. In order to prevent this, use remote control or self mode. That reduces the vibration risk.

Also read Photo taking techniques II.