“We hear over and over the question as to whether photography can be considered as its own form of Art. And we see numerous treatises on yes it is and no it isn’t. The main objection seems to be that it is primarily a mechanical process that handles most of the work—that the photographer has nothing further to do with it, other than some manipulation in the printing of the picture, and by most photographers is the labs that printed the pictures.”

The question that remains is whether or not the photographers themselves are true artists. Another theory is that artists must contribute their personal spirit into their creations. Could it be possible that a photographer using a mechanical device, that creates the image, could impose their personal spirit into the finished photograph?

Read more >>

I’m trying to understand about B&W and sepia, and when and how to use it.
Being very color orientated, I find it hard to get a handle on it. Sometimes I’ve managed to get it right, but I don’t know what I did. It’s all hit and miss with me.

Here’s one that seemed to work really well for me. I showed it on Flickr and got good comments…

What elements make up a good B&W/sepia photo? How do you know whether it’s best to use greyscale or sepia?

Read more >>

It is rapidly getting rather cold in this part of the world (Québec - Canada) and I was wondering how best to protect my camera in these circumstances. What I’m mostly worrying about is condense in my camera, when I bring it back inside from the cold outdoors. So I guess my question is;

Do any of you guys know of some way to protect a camera from condense?

Read more >>

Here’s something else I was asked….

Is manipulating a photo in Photoshop somehow cheating??
Does it really matter? or is what matters the final image - no matter HOW it got to that point?

Read more >>

Hey, here’s a question for you…

What is the difference between a snapshot and a photograph? What are the things that set them apart? What are the defining elements? And can an image be both?

I have some ideas, but some things are still a bit fuzzy. I’d love to hear what you think.

Read more >>

I have many photog friends who will just say to me, “I am going out shooting today”. I find that I can’t just do that. Go out with nothing in particular in mind. When I have tried, I usually shoot nothing or crap. On the other hand, I will all of a sudden have an idea and go for it. (I do alot of still life for stock and this weighs in to that a lot) When that happens, I usually get shots although, I would say that if I shoot 40 photos, I probably only use 2.

Girl in Spring by Ann (profile)

How do other people find inspiration? Do you start with an idea? Do you just go in search of anything that might strike you? I find that I usually start with an idea and usually one that is a challenge for me. For instance shopping. I then might go out and decide to work on shooting shop windows-dealing with glare, composition etc…Or I start with an emotion. I recently did “a feeling of being alone”.

>> Continue to read “Inspiration and How You Go About Shooting” in our photo community forum…

My husband and I are planning to go to Vietnam and Bali for about a 2-3 weeks this Christmas holiday. Anyone here has any recommendations for some good photo locations at both places?

>> Continue to read or discuss “Photo Locations in Vietnam & Bali” in our forum