Hernandez 1


Lisobeth Hernandez

British Lit

Mrs. Maxwell

3rd November 2011

                                   Photography


         “Whether he is an artist or not, the photographer is a joyous specialist, for the simple reason

that the eye traffics in the feelings, not in thoughts, (Walker Evans)”.When it comes to photography,

people just think that capturing an image of someone it makes them a skilled photographer. Some

people have the touch and are just natural, when it comes to photography. However, it has been said by

professional that what makes a photographer a professional is the camera they use. That’s a false

statement, because what people do not realize is that what the camera is doing is just simply capturing

the object you’re focusing on. If you want to make photography a hobby or your profession you need to

understand the concept and the basic rules of the picture taking. In photography there are seven major

things you need to think about before shooting, because what makes a good photograph is a debate.

There is focus, object in photograph, composition, lighting and exposure, color, what makes it different

or special, and last but not at least emotion and mood. Photography has many uses for business,

science, manufacturing art and recreational purposes.


         Who ever knew that photography would become such an admired art in the world? We owe our

thanks to Sir John Herschel. Sir John Herschel was an astronomer and scientist like his father, Sir William

Herschel. Unaware that the term photography had already been coined by Hercules Florence in 1834,

Herschel also coined the term in 1839. He applied the terms negative and positive to photography (John

Herschel). He first made it public in 1839.the very first photograph was taken by Nicephore Niepce by a

camera he made himself. By this time the pictures weren’t permanent because they would fade away
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when time passed by and before you knew it what once was a picture became a blank piece of paper.it

took 10 years for him to take a picture that would last a lifetime. He has discovered how to make it last;

he asked Charles and Vincent Chevalier from Paris, France to him a sliding wooden box camera. By 1847

he made the first permanent photograph by coating a pewter plate with bitumen and then exposing it

with sunlight. The bitumen would then be hard and the unhardened parts would then dissolve away

(Physics and Physical Technology).


        In photography there are many things to be aware of. The word photo actually means “light” in

Greek. Light glorifies everything. It transforms and ennobles the most commonplace and ordinary

subjects. The object is nothing, light id everything”-Leonard Missone. Light comes in different types of

flavors, there is natural light, overcast skylight, indoor light means artificial. Natural light is sunlight,

what this means is that it comes from the sun, nowhere else. Overcast Skylight is where the sun is being

blocked by the clouds and it gives a cold diffused shadow. Indoor lighting is one of the hardest types of

light to photograph in; mainly it’s not bright enough to capture a good picture. “Light makes

photography. Embrace light. Admire it. But above all, know light. Know it is all you are worth, and you

will know the key to Photography,” (Sir John Herschel).


        If you aren’t in a good room with good lighting know for a fact your pictures may not come out

like you hoped they would. However if the location is in a nice lit place with outstanding lighting your

pictures will have a drastic difference. If there is no light, photography would not exist(Light, the many

types of Lights). ”Now to consult the rules of composition before making a picture is little like consulting

the law of gravity before going for a walk”-Edward Weston.


        Photography has changed many ways I how we see the world and people around us. If it wasn’t

for photography we wouldn’t have any way to learn or see how our history has changed. We wouldn’t

be able to capture special moments in our lives; we would just have head full of memories that wouldn’t
Hernandez 3


be expressed or cherished. In photography, it’s not only the image being captured the emotion and

feelings are captured as well. If you take a picture of a sad person who sees or views the picture will feel

sad, if you take a picture of someone smiling and laughing the mood in the picture and the viewer will

be happy. The mood in the image you see is the feeling the viewer will get. Photography is an art that

reflects what you see. It is a momentary second but once it is captured it lasts a lifetime. When you take

a picture you focus on an object. You look at its texture and evaluate the scenery. Most of the time the

main object should at least be in focus. Depth in the field is important because it means that you

gradually loose the transition and everything in the front or the back of the object starts loosing

sharpness (wild Woodburn). Great timing in photography is essential .You must be patient to get the

perfect picture.


        Photography is like another language. it talks to you in a way that it is indescribable .When you

see a picture that catches your attention. Something in that picture made you stop and appreciate it. It

talks to you with feelings. People who just do not have the time to appreciate a photograph never truly

understand the meaning of it. Experts have taken a poll that when people waste money on highly

expensive cameras just because they see that other people take breath taking pictures never get any

better pictures. “The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera”-

Dorothea Lange”. Few photographers never meet the basics of photography. they might only take one

good picture but they will never know how and why that happened because they haven’t paid much

attention to the basics and will probably never reproduce another one like that. Gesture is very

important in photos. What photographers mean by gesture is the position of hands, body and face.

Gesture doesn’t only apply to people. It applies to inanimate objects, arrangement of things. Facial

expressions are very important; animators understand how to position hands and eyebrows so they can

say everything with a look (Beginnings of Photography)…Was the influence of his teaching and example
Hernandez 4


in wakening the public to the power and beauty of science, and stimulating and guiding its pursuit

(Herschel).


        Composition, lighting and exposure, color is what makes a photo different or special.

Photography is a well-known art in the world. It is being practiced by people all over the world and is

being perfected every step of the way. It is not only about taking pictures but also knowing how to

capture a story through a photo. Remember, photography is the art, science and practice of creating

durable images. As far as it can be ascertained, it was Sir John Herschel in a lecture before the Royal

Society of London, on March 14.1839 who made the word known to the world. if it wasn’t because of

his intelligence and love for creating a picture we wouldn’t have photography in this world. He has

changed the world and the way it is viewed. While there is perhaps a province in which the photograph

can tell us nothing more than that what we see with our own eyes, there is another in which it proves to

us how little out eyes permit us to see.

Research Paper

  • 1.
    Hernandez 1 Lisobeth Hernandez BritishLit Mrs. Maxwell 3rd November 2011 Photography “Whether he is an artist or not, the photographer is a joyous specialist, for the simple reason that the eye traffics in the feelings, not in thoughts, (Walker Evans)”.When it comes to photography, people just think that capturing an image of someone it makes them a skilled photographer. Some people have the touch and are just natural, when it comes to photography. However, it has been said by professional that what makes a photographer a professional is the camera they use. That’s a false statement, because what people do not realize is that what the camera is doing is just simply capturing the object you’re focusing on. If you want to make photography a hobby or your profession you need to understand the concept and the basic rules of the picture taking. In photography there are seven major things you need to think about before shooting, because what makes a good photograph is a debate. There is focus, object in photograph, composition, lighting and exposure, color, what makes it different or special, and last but not at least emotion and mood. Photography has many uses for business, science, manufacturing art and recreational purposes. Who ever knew that photography would become such an admired art in the world? We owe our thanks to Sir John Herschel. Sir John Herschel was an astronomer and scientist like his father, Sir William Herschel. Unaware that the term photography had already been coined by Hercules Florence in 1834, Herschel also coined the term in 1839. He applied the terms negative and positive to photography (John Herschel). He first made it public in 1839.the very first photograph was taken by Nicephore Niepce by a camera he made himself. By this time the pictures weren’t permanent because they would fade away
  • 2.
    Hernandez 2 when timepassed by and before you knew it what once was a picture became a blank piece of paper.it took 10 years for him to take a picture that would last a lifetime. He has discovered how to make it last; he asked Charles and Vincent Chevalier from Paris, France to him a sliding wooden box camera. By 1847 he made the first permanent photograph by coating a pewter plate with bitumen and then exposing it with sunlight. The bitumen would then be hard and the unhardened parts would then dissolve away (Physics and Physical Technology). In photography there are many things to be aware of. The word photo actually means “light” in Greek. Light glorifies everything. It transforms and ennobles the most commonplace and ordinary subjects. The object is nothing, light id everything”-Leonard Missone. Light comes in different types of flavors, there is natural light, overcast skylight, indoor light means artificial. Natural light is sunlight, what this means is that it comes from the sun, nowhere else. Overcast Skylight is where the sun is being blocked by the clouds and it gives a cold diffused shadow. Indoor lighting is one of the hardest types of light to photograph in; mainly it’s not bright enough to capture a good picture. “Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. But above all, know light. Know it is all you are worth, and you will know the key to Photography,” (Sir John Herschel). If you aren’t in a good room with good lighting know for a fact your pictures may not come out like you hoped they would. However if the location is in a nice lit place with outstanding lighting your pictures will have a drastic difference. If there is no light, photography would not exist(Light, the many types of Lights). ”Now to consult the rules of composition before making a picture is little like consulting the law of gravity before going for a walk”-Edward Weston. Photography has changed many ways I how we see the world and people around us. If it wasn’t for photography we wouldn’t have any way to learn or see how our history has changed. We wouldn’t be able to capture special moments in our lives; we would just have head full of memories that wouldn’t
  • 3.
    Hernandez 3 be expressedor cherished. In photography, it’s not only the image being captured the emotion and feelings are captured as well. If you take a picture of a sad person who sees or views the picture will feel sad, if you take a picture of someone smiling and laughing the mood in the picture and the viewer will be happy. The mood in the image you see is the feeling the viewer will get. Photography is an art that reflects what you see. It is a momentary second but once it is captured it lasts a lifetime. When you take a picture you focus on an object. You look at its texture and evaluate the scenery. Most of the time the main object should at least be in focus. Depth in the field is important because it means that you gradually loose the transition and everything in the front or the back of the object starts loosing sharpness (wild Woodburn). Great timing in photography is essential .You must be patient to get the perfect picture. Photography is like another language. it talks to you in a way that it is indescribable .When you see a picture that catches your attention. Something in that picture made you stop and appreciate it. It talks to you with feelings. People who just do not have the time to appreciate a photograph never truly understand the meaning of it. Experts have taken a poll that when people waste money on highly expensive cameras just because they see that other people take breath taking pictures never get any better pictures. “The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera”- Dorothea Lange”. Few photographers never meet the basics of photography. they might only take one good picture but they will never know how and why that happened because they haven’t paid much attention to the basics and will probably never reproduce another one like that. Gesture is very important in photos. What photographers mean by gesture is the position of hands, body and face. Gesture doesn’t only apply to people. It applies to inanimate objects, arrangement of things. Facial expressions are very important; animators understand how to position hands and eyebrows so they can say everything with a look (Beginnings of Photography)…Was the influence of his teaching and example
  • 4.
    Hernandez 4 in wakeningthe public to the power and beauty of science, and stimulating and guiding its pursuit (Herschel). Composition, lighting and exposure, color is what makes a photo different or special. Photography is a well-known art in the world. It is being practiced by people all over the world and is being perfected every step of the way. It is not only about taking pictures but also knowing how to capture a story through a photo. Remember, photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images. As far as it can be ascertained, it was Sir John Herschel in a lecture before the Royal Society of London, on March 14.1839 who made the word known to the world. if it wasn’t because of his intelligence and love for creating a picture we wouldn’t have photography in this world. He has changed the world and the way it is viewed. While there is perhaps a province in which the photograph can tell us nothing more than that what we see with our own eyes, there is another in which it proves to us how little out eyes permit us to see.