Photography can be defined as the action of capturing photographs. In simple, yet technical terms, photography is the capturing of light and recording it onto another medium such as film or digital media.
Photography can be beneficial both for financial gain or personal pleasure. Those who do photography as a hobby find that it can be very fulfilling, while those who do it for a living can find that the better their photography is the more financially rewarding it can be.
Photographic technology has been rapidly advancing in recent years. During the film camera era, advances were slow. But in the digital camera era, the advances in technology have been rapid.
The 35mm film SLR camera was a nice device to own in its day, but the digital SLR camera can help even the amateur photographer to get the results of a professional photographer.”Once the 35mm film SLR camera was the camera to own but now, there are digital SLR cameras like the Canon Rebel Xti that give the photographer great results with less frustration than their film counterparts” says Minneapolis photographer Bob Dale.
Digital photography, black and white photography, and color photography have all been popular photography forms for over a decade.
This is the most popular variation of monochrome photography. Early photography was done in black and white. Black and white photography continues to be very popular because the shadows and coloring displayed in black and white photography give it some artistic appeal. “Today Black-and-white photography is associated with “fine art” photography, as in the style of Ansel Adams landscape photos or the George Hurrell style of Hollywood portraits” says professional digital photographer Bob Dale.
Monochrome photography can also be done in hues of a specific color, rather than in black-and-white form. For example, cyanotype monochrome photography makes use of blue-and-white color variations.
While mainstream color photography technology has only been around for several decades, color photography could be captured by scientists to some extent as early as the middle of the 19th century. Early color photography simply faded over short periods of time, but by 1861, James Clerk Maxwell managed to develop a permanent color photograph. These first color photographs were taken by three separate cameras capturing three separate colors.
More than 40 years later, in 1907, Autochrome color photography became possible for professional photographers. It was 1932 when Agfacolor film came out. Modern color film came out with the 1935 Kodachrome film. Another big moment in color photography was the introduction of ‘instant’ color film by Polaroid in 1963.
Digital technology now allows images to be captured in digital form. These images can be manipulated by other digital technology devices, rather than requiring manual film work. With a memory card, you can easily store thousands of pictures in digital form.
These digital photos can be easily handled, manipulated, shared, displayed, or printed. Simply hooking the digital storage device up to a computer or a printer will allow the photographs to be quickly printed out at as high quality prints.
Many portrait photographers and wedding photographers use digital SLR cameras to take digital photos. Portrait photographers choose to use a digital SLR because it enables them to provide digital proof sheets to customers instantly, making it easier and quicker to create the photos.
Digital SLRs become particularly handy for wedding photography in varying lighting conditions where the digital camera can make adjustments for the lighting without the need for flash. It is also handy to be able to quickly review photographs during the event to make sure the photographer has gotten good pictures of the wedding guests, wedding dress, and wedding cake while the opportunity for retakes still exists.
Digital cameras have become very affordable. The prices of simple digital cameras have been continually dropping due to increased competition and decreasing electronic component prices. For less than $100, you can purchase a digital camera that will take good pictures of your family and friends without requiring much technical knowledge or skill in photography.
As you become more experienced in digital photography, you may want to bring your hobby to the next level with a more advanced digital camera. You may even want to make a living off digital photography.