PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography is a method of making pictures of the real world by capturing light from objects. Light can be captured on film – a sheet of plastic coated with light-sensitive chemicals – or by an electronic sensor. Since cameras were invented, in the early 19th century, photographers have changed the way we see the world. They have shown us the wonders of nature, microscopic bacteria, and the horrors of war, distant galaxies, sporting triumphs, and family portraits.
- ACTION
Modern cameras are very sensitive, and can open and close their shutters in a fraction of a second. This allows them to freeze a moment in time, showing a footballer scoring a goal, or a swimmer powering through the water.
- PORTRAITS
Before photography was invented, only the very rich could afford to have portraits painted by artists. In the early days of photography, people wore their best clothes to strike a pose in a photographer’s studio. Today, family photo albums chronicle birthdays, holidays, weddings, and everyday life.
- EARLY CAMERAS
The first cameras, developed in 1839, were large boxes, which had long exposure times (the time needed for photographic film or an image sensor to be subjected to light). Early sitters look stiff and uncomfortable, for they often had to hold a pose for up to 20 minutes. Over time, cameras became smaller and more sensitive to the light.
- ADVERTISING ART
The photos we see most often are adverts, blown up on street hoardings and in glossy magazines. These photos are often “retouched” so that the models look more perfect. In a lipstick advert, teeth can be whitened, and lips made to shine.
- LENSES
Cameras work by focusing light from objects using curved pieces of glass called lenses. A Zoom lens uses an assembly of several lenses. By adjusting their distance from each other, the photographer can zoom in on distant objects.
- MACRO
This type of photography uses a special lens to take close-up pictures of tiny objects, such as flies. A macro lens can only focus on a limited area of an object. While this fly’s eyes are in sharp focus, its body is blurred.
- REPORTAGE
Photojournalists are reporters who use pictures, rather than words, to tell news stories. Armed with their cameras, they visit war zones and scenes of natural disasters, such as floods and fires, often risking their lives to bring back photographs that will tell an accurate story.
- FILM CAMERAS
Early cameras used heavy metal or glass plates. The roll of film, invented in 1888, made cameras both smaller and cheaper. The image was captured on the film in reverse, as a negative, which was used to print positive copies on paper.
- LANDSCAPES
Like painting, photography is used to record beautiful and often dramatic scenery. Some of the best landscape photographs are taken either in the hour after sunrise or before sunset. The Sun, low in the sky, bathes the world in a warm golden glow.
- DIGITAL CAMERAS
Modern cameras contain computers, which record images electronically rather than on film. Photographers with digital cameras can take as many pictures as they want without wasting film. Images can also be sent easily over the Internet from one computer to another.
Picture Credit : Google
