The Art of Portraiture: Telling Stories Through Faces

One of the most powerful forms of art photography lies in the realm of portraiture. A portrait has the ability to convey a wealth of emotions, capturing the essence of a person’s character, and telling their story with a single image. In the hands of a skilled art photographer, the portrait becomes a gateway to the subject’s inner world, allowing viewers to glimpse their joys, sorrows, hopes, and dreams.

Lighting and Mood: Painting with Light

In the pursuit of capturing emotion, lighting plays a crucial role in art photography. Just as a painter uses brushes and colors to evoke a particular mood, photographers use light to paint their own emotive landscapes. From soft, diffused light that creates a sense of serenity, to dramatic, contrasting light that enhances the intensity of emotions, the choices made in lighting can transform a photograph from a simple image to a poignant work of art.

Beyond Reality: Embracing the Abstract

While some art photographers aim to capture the essence of reality, others explore the realm of the abstract, using unconventional techniques and perspectives to express emotions. Abstract art photography allows for a departure from the literal representation of subjects, inviting viewers to delve into a world of imagination and introspection. By distorting shapes, emphasizing textures, or manipulating colors, art photographers can evoke emotions that transcend the boundaries of traditional imagery.

The Human Experience: Exploring Life’s Moments

Art photographers often seek to encapsulate the human experience by capturing fleeting moments that encapsulate raw emotions. From candid street photography to carefully staged scenes, these images freeze a particular instant in time, preserving the emotions and stories embedded within. Whether it’s the joyous celebration of a wedding, the quiet contemplation of a solitary figure, or the collective resilience displayed during times of adversity, art photography provides a glimpse into the diverse tapestry of human emotions and experiences.

The Emotional Impact: Beyond Aesthetics

Art photography goes beyond aesthetic appreciation; it has the power to evoke visceral reactions and provoke contemplation. By creating images that resonate with viewers on an emotional level, art photographers invite them to reflect on their own feelings, memories, and perspectives. These photographs become a means of communication, enabling a shared understanding of the human condition and fostering empathy among diverse individuals.

In conclusion, art photography has the capacity to unveil the soul and capture emotions in a profound and evocative manner. Through portraiture, skillful use of lighting, exploration of abstract concepts, and capturing meaningful moments, art photographers create images that touch the hearts and minds of viewers. Their work transcends mere aesthetics, inviting us to embark on an emotional journey, connect with our own experiences, and embrace the depth and complexity of the human spirit.

What photos sell?

Have a look around you at what images you see in print advertising and websites. High quality photos from a range of genres are needed, reflecting daily life and familiar scenes.

Education

Educational photos are used widely – images of patient teachers in front a blackboard are familiar to everyone. However this genre also covers areas such as children in uniforms on the playground, classroom supplies and muddy football boots! These images are often used by retailers for selling uniforms, stationary and general ‘back to school’ supplies, as well as media outlets commenting on changes or issues in education. Be aware that including people will need model releases in order to be sold commercially, and you will also need parental permission to create images of children.

Business

Business is another widely sold lifestyle area with the images used across all sorts of marketing. When you’re taking any images of people, try to capture different expressions rather than just a neutral expression, as these are more easily used by the customer to tell a story or make a point. Business images can cover areas such as computers and desks, which won’t require model releases, as well as offices, meetings and staff busy working or chatting.

Poker and gambling

The gambling industry is huge, and as such is in constant need of high-quality images to capture customer’s attention and advertise games and offers. Brightly coloured close-ups of poker chips can make a bold impression, whilst other images showing high emotions mid-games can create a real connection to the customer and make them intrigued to find out more.

1. Get Interesting news

Knowing how to write poker news might also help increase traffic. Research on the latest and most trendy news in the industry. It is possible to present an informational post in form of news without being deceptive.

2. Use simple ‘gambling’ language

Remember to use terms that are familiar to poker players. Keep sentences short and straight to the point, as it is in land-based casinos.

3. Know more about poker games

Be armed with the necessary knowledge about poker. Ensure you are familiar with the different variants and their rules. Understand more about poker at reputable websites like Poker Articles.

4. Be an expert

The more you write, the better your skills will get.Expand your poker expertise by reading books, watching other players or by playing. This makes you trustworthy and a reliable source.

5. Use good and unique pictures

As it is said, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ Therefore, make certain to use clear and high-quality pictures. You can get pictures for free on platforms like Pixa Bay. It is also possible to use someone else’s picture and give them credits on your post. If you want really unique pictures, take the pictures yourself. Visit your area of interest and using a high-quality HD camera, take as many photos and videos (for online magazines) as you can. Now, proceed to edit and publishing.

Part One: Aperture

The aperture, simply put, is the hole that allows light into your camera to create the image. Measured in ‘f-numbers’ or ‘f-stops’, changing the aperture setting on your camera widens or shrinks the size of the hole which has an effect on the depth of field of your picture.So, a wide aperture, say f/1.4, will allow more light into the camera, resulting in a shallow depth of field. The background will be blurred in this picture. In contrast, a narrow aperture like f/22 will result in much less light being allowed in, and the deep depth of field created here will give a picture a sharper background.

Part two: Shutter Speed

When you press the button to take your shot, the camera’s mirror flips up and the shutter is opened. The light then creates the image on the sensor or film. How quickly, or slowly, the shutter opens and closes again determines the length of the exposure AND if there will be any motion blur.A slow shutter speed like 1/4 is a longer exposure with more blur than shooting at 1/1000 where motion can be frozen sharply.

Part Three: ISO

The ISO settings of your camera control the most essential part of the device ‒ the image sensor. The sensor essentially gathers the light and creates the images, so its settings are all-important. Your ISO settings will depend on your shooting environment, in a daylight scenario a lower ISO of 100 will suffice. But in lower light, dusk or even night, you’ll need to boost the ISO to 1600 and above to capture your image. Unfortunately, the higher the ISO, the more ‘noise’ or grain appears in digital images. So perhaps consider using a flash instead of boosting ISO in darker shots.These three pillars of photography should be studied and experimented with until it’s second nature to adapt your camera properly. Happy Shooting!

The Falling Soldier

Lauded for his bravery, Capa recorded images of five major conflicts. When the allies landed on Omaha Beach for the D-Day landings, he was the only photographer to land with them. His first war zone assignment was The Spanish Civil War, where he captured his most famous picture ‒ the death of a Republican fighter, “The Falling Soldier”. In just one picture Capa speaks of the tragedy and futility of war as the shot soldier is captured mid collapse.Though finding much success through the foundation of the Magnum photo agency, Capa’s affinity for zones of conflict was to be his undoing. In 1954, while promoting an exhibition of Magnum pictures in Japan, Life Magazine offered an assignment in Southeast Asia. Capa could not resist another foray into the field and accepted. On May 25, 1954, at the age of just 40, the great photojournalist stepped on a landmine and was killed while doing the job he loved.

Niépce

Niépce was a middle-class Frenchman who dabbled in scientific experiments alongside his brother Claude. Their first attempts at using light-sensitive chemicals to produce images took place in 1816, but as the brothers were also working on other inventions, progress was not made quickly. Niépce gave his method the name ‘Heliography’, a process that involved using bitumen on pewter or zinc plates which could then be inked for printing.

Heliography

After some time perfecting the Heliographic process of mechanical reproduction and using it to copy engravings, Niépce at last came upon the process that would make the first permanent photograph. A pewter plate coated in his bitumen solution was inserted into a ‘camera’ at his window and left for an exposure thought to have lasted eight hours. On removal, the soft bitumen was washed from the plate with a lavender and petroleum mix, revealing the view from that window in La Gras.This ground-breaking image was almost lost after Niépce travelled to England to spread word of his accomplishment. On showing the photo to a botanical illustrator, Francis Bauer, it was suggested that Niépce write an account of his breakthrough for the Royal Society. His intended talk on the subject never happened, however, and Niépce gifted the image and the memoir to Bauer when he departed for France. The ‘heliograph’ went through a number of owners until it was ‘lost’ after an exhibition in 1905. It didn’t show up again until 1952 when the last-known owner’s widow discovered it in a forgotten shipping crate.The image was eventually authenticated by historians of photography Helmut and Alison Gernsheim, who had been searching for the image in order to ascertain whether Niépce was indeed the world’s first true photographer. Much debate surrounded the date of creation with estimates ranging from 1824 to 1827. The eventual compromise on 1826 still puts Niépce nine years ahead of Henry Fox Talbot, and eleven years before Daguerre in their photographic achievements.