There are many opinions on a good or a bad photo. Photography is an art, and any form of art is subjective to the viewer. While some may call an image excellent, others may call it ordinary. However, we cannot leave it at that and accept ANY image as, ‘acceptable’. Looking at the technical aspects of it, no photograph can be a ‘good’ one without good lighting and good composition. These are two important aspects of an image that need to be accounted for when we speak of a ‘good’ image.

As mentioned in a previous article, photography originated from the world of art, and the first version of the camera, the camera obscura was nothing more than an artists’ tool. If you are the kind who likes DIY projects, we’ve put down a few tips on how you can make yourself a camera obscura.

What you’d need –

1. A Lens
2. A Light Tight Box
3. Ground Glass

If you feel that these materials may be hard to come by, do read on and we’ll explain how you can improvise.

Not many people know these days – but photography originated from the world of art, and only a little more than a hundred years ago at that. Imagine a time where the only practical means of recording a visual was to actually make a sketch or a painting with your hand. Imagine the frustrations of the artist when he is out in the field, making a sketch when it begins to rain, or on the other hand – in scorching sunlight where he has to sit hours on end to get his theme right.  Now, imagine the luxury that we have with a digital camera – all we need to do is literally – point, and shoot! We’ve just set two points of extremes as far as the history of photography goes – from the art of making a hand-made visual to the compact automatic cameras of today. While it may be hard to imagine a train of progressive events and discoveries that led to the evolution from the former to latter scenario, it does hold true.

Direct eye contact can be as engaging in a picture as it is in real life. When taking a picture of someone, hold the camera at the persons eye level to unleash the power of those magnetic gazes and mesmerizing smiles. For children, that means stooping to their level. And your subject need not always stare at the camera. All by itself that eye level angle will create a personal and inviting feeling that pulls you into the picture.

Take control of your picture-taking and watch your pictures dramatically improve. Become a picture director, not just a passive picture-taker. A picture director takes charge. A picture director picks the location: Everybody go outside to the backyard. A picture director adds props: Girls, put on your pink sunglasses. A picture director arranges people: Now move in close, and lean toward the camera. Most pictures wont be that involved, but you get the idea: Take charge of your pictures and win your own best picture awards.

The first permanent photograph was made in 1826 by a French inventor, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, building on a discovery by Johann Heinrich Schultz (1724): that a silver and chalk mixture darkens under exposure to light. Niépce and Louis Daguerre refined this process. Daguerre discovered that exposing the silver first to iodine vapor, before exposure to light, and then to mercury fumes after the photograph was taken, could form a latent image; bathing the plate in a salt bath then fixes the image. These ideas led to the famous daguerreotype. The daguerreotype had its problems, notably the fragility of the resulting picture,

A photo slideshow is a collection of a series of images to be displayed. One of the first slideshows was presented using an apparatus. Technological advancements have allowed for photo slideshows to be created with photo slideshow software and displayed on a computer. Photo slideshows have the ability enhance pictures with photo slideshows software to produce a compelling masterpiece. A photo slideshow combines digital photos, video clips, transition and pan & zoom effects, background music, narrations, captions, etc. Digital photos can be compilated, combined with transition effects and music then burned to a DVD for preservation. Photo slideshow can be a lucrative business.