Painting with Light

Painting with Light: Light Art Performance Photography
—New from Rocky Nook

Santa Barbara, CA — April 7, 2011 — Light Art Performance Photography (LAPP) is a unique form of art that was invented and developed by the authors of Painting with Light (Rocky Nook, $39.95 USD). It is one of the first forms of art using light as the medium to gain widespread attention. Unlike other types of light painting, LAPP doesn’t just involve illuminating existing objects; it also requires the photographer to create and capture new subjects constructed entirely of light. LAPP pieces are usually shot at night using long exposure times to capture complex sequences of precisely choreographed movements. Real-world surroundings are combined with transient, light-based elements to produce spectacular effects.

The defining characteristic of LAPP is the harmony between the background and the harsh light often used to produce the individual image elements. The symbiosis between photographer and performer gives each work a degree of reproducibility that is essential if it is to be accurately restaged at a later time.

The first part of Painting with Light describes the evolution of LAPP as told by its originators, while the middle section goes on to present a gallery of spectacular, large format LAPP images. The final section offers some basic steps and tips to give you a starting point for creating your own LAPP artworks.

About the Authors

Joerg Miedza spent a number of years creating movies using special techniques, including using a remote controlled car to film from a ground-level perspective and producing stop motion films. The skills he acquired working with motion pictures have allowed him to contribute significantly to the performance aspect of LAPP photography. His love of electronic music from the early synth-pop age helps him create the perfect mood for displaying his images by combining them with suitable sounds.

When JanLeonardo Woellert began working as a photographer, he took photos only at night. During this period he developed new techniques in the fields of light drawing and so-called “dark night photography,” illuminating and accentuating his subjects with portable spotlights and torch lights. In 1998 he became an assistant to photographer Stefan Meyer-Bergfeld in Oldenburg, Germany, where he learned the craft of large-format landscape photography. In 2004 he entered into digital photography and since then has taken more than 10,000 longtime exposures at night.

Together Woellert and Miedza have been developing a unique brand of light painting—Light Art Performance Photography, or LAPP for short—since 2007. In September of that year, the pair founded the LAPP-PRO project and rapidly became known for their fresh approach and their influence in the global light art scene. Their pieces are the subject of interest and appreciation all over the world, and in 2008, one of their images was awarded the German national prize for scientific photography.

The LAPP-PRO project and the http://www.lapp-pro.de website provide the pair with a worldwide network for promoting their remarkable work—work that would be unthinkable in the context of traditional low light photography or video production.

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How to pick a digital camera

An Article from BBC

Click to play Dan Simmons looks at some of the cameras and shortcuts to help amateur photographers make money by selling their pictures There was a time when photography was regarded as a specialist hobby, but the digital revolution is promising to make (semi) professionals of us all. Compact digital cameras have become the preferred device for a large proportion of snap-happy consumers, principally due to their portability and ease of use. As prices have dropped the features these cameras sport have increased, with many now featuring face recognition software, LCD touch screens and even smile detection. But for the uninitiated, choosing what camera to buy can still be a daunting experience. Here is our guide to help you make a photographic purchase with confidence. THE ESSENTIALS Lens - Do you need a big zoom lens? People are often attracted to long zoom lenses, but they tend not to use them as much as they think they might. In some cases a lens capable of capturing a wider field of view can be more useful than one with a greater degree of zoom. A wide-angle lets you get more in shot. Good for landscapes, group shots and interiors. Long zooms are good for candid shots of children and animals, as well as wildlife and sports. So think carefully which is best for you. MORE BUYERS' GUIDES HD TVs Laptops E-books Camcorders GPS Netbooks Digital photo frames Zoom type - The question of whether to go for an optical or digital zoom is crucial. A digital zoom works by simply magnifying a part of a captured image, so when you zoom in you are actually decreasing the quality of the photograph. An optical zoom, however, actually zooms in and therefore doesn't have such an affect on image quality. An up to 20X optical zoom should be adequate for most users. LCD screen - The size of the screen is only one factor to consider. Look at the brightness, colour and sharpness; the angle from which it can be viewed clearly and the quality of the anti-reflective coating. Some cameras have touch screens but these can sometimes come at the expense of screen quality. A few cameras are starting to introduce high-resolution LCD screens which improve viewing, both when shooting and reviewing photos. Viewfinder - Some people struggle with LCD screens. Long-sighted people and those with generally poor eyesight may find it difficult to see the picture clearly on an LCD, especially in bright sunlight. These buyers should look for a camera with a viewfinder that they can bring close to their eye. Image Stabilisation - This helps produce sharper pictures by reducing camera shake, especially when shooting in low light or using zoom lenses. A useful addition. Look at the brightness, colour and sharpness of an LCD screen High ISO - This alters the light sensitivity of the camera's sensor. Some cameras feature high ISO settings and modes for taking pictures in low light without a flash. Useful for those who use their camera at parties, live venues and after the sun sets. Battery Type - Cheaper cameras use AA batteries rather than rechargeable Lithium Ion types. This can be a good thing, since you can buy AAs anywhere, but it does tend to make the camera a bit bigger and heavier, and also more expensive to run unless you invest in rechargeable AAs. ALSO CONSIDER Mega pixels - Not as important as many people think. A large proportion of contemporary digital cameras can now capture more than enough pixels for prints up to A3 size. And in many cases, adding more pixels can actually degrade image quality. The camera's sensor is more important than its megapixel count. Image quality is mainly determined by the physical size of this sensor. In most compact cameras they are fairly small. So larger sensors tend to mean larger cameras. Manual Controls - The ability to override the camera if its automatic settings get things wrong. Manual controls allow the user to override auto settings, they can however often be buried inside complicated menus. Shutter lag - Some cameras suffer a long delay between pressing the shutter and an actual picture being captured, as well as a significant delay between shots (while the camera saves the previous image to its memory). It's a good idea to play with the camera you intend to buy in a shop to check this before handing over any cash. An Artcle from BBC Video capture - Many digital cameras now come with video mode, as do most phones. If this is a priority, then invest in a digital SLR. Some of the biggest brands such as Canon, Nikon and Olympus have released particularly good but expensive cameras - with some recording video in HD. THE EXTRAS Intelligent Auto - Detects the type of subject you're photographing and sets the image parameters accordingly. Works well and is better than straight point and shoot modes. Camera technology recognises a smile and then takes a picture Face Detection - Not a make or break feature, but a lot of cameras now have it. It can be useful in some circumstances, when the camera detects a human face it can ensure that it sets the focus, exposure and colour for that face correctly, rather than the background. Tagging - With face recognition the camera not only recognises a face but can identify who it belongs to. Some cameras can be pre-programmed to recognise certain faces. These recognised faces can then be prioritised over other faces in a shot. They can also be tagged to make them easier to find when trawling though photo albums. Smile Detection - This allows the camera to recognize smiles (by the widening of the mouth - teeth not essential), taking a picture when the camera sees one. This is more of a gimmick than a genuinely useful feature. Blink Detection - Similar, but the camera sees when the subject (or one of several subjects) has blinked and provides a warning to take another shot.

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Most popular camera-iphone

just surfing around today, I came across a nice info graphic that illustrated how iPhone arguably is, world’s best digital camera. You might be surprised (as I was too) on reading the article’s headline, but you’ll surely agree to the fact after going through the below info graphic. And as they say:

The best camera is the one that’s with you

The evolution of Apple Camera

Flickr Upload Stats

Comparing Costs

What makes it better

There’s always an “App” for that

Celebs who use iPhone

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Color: A Powerful Creative Ally or an Afterthought?

A Guest post by Mitchell Kanashkevich who is the author behind a brand new dPS eBook – Captivating Color – to be released next week on dPS.
Color is one facet of photography which we often tend to overlook and take for granted. It is frequently only considered after the photograph has already been taken.
Approaching color this way however is a big mistake and a lot of us make this mistake because we simply don’t know why color is important, we don’t understand what role it can play in our photography.
The fact is, color is as much a part of visual communication as composition and light. If you are not fully aware of this fact while framing/composing color images and later when post processing them, you’re quite simply not in full control of what your photographs communicate. A knowledgeable, intentional approach however, turns color into a powerful ally that helps us convey stories, emotions, sensations and moods from within the photographic frame.
In this post I have included some of my photographs along with brief explanations of just what role color plays in every one of them. The aim here is to raise awareness of color’s potential power, particularly among those of you for whom it (color) has been more of an afterthought than a creative ally.

The above photograph is in large part about that attention-grabbing red. It helps me to immediately bring attention to what I considered to be the most important element to the story in this image, the turban. This turban is representative of the cultural background of the shepherd, it says that he is a man of tradition and this is something that I wanted to really highlight.
The red also leads the way in communicating how this scene felt while I was shooting it -dynamic, exciting. This is also in large part due to the overall palette, which in addition to the red is made up of other bright, vivid colors that are usually considered dynamic, lively, exciting.

The dominant color palette in this image is fairly subdued and neutral. The mood that it creates leans towards being melancholic, but the rather subtle “splashes” of brighter colors inject a little life and excitement into the scene (without completely shifting the feel of it). I think that this is fitting, as the mood in that room was a little melancholic and somewhat lively at once.
Against the mostly subdued, neutral palette that dominates the frame those “splashes” of color inevitably demand our attention. It is as if the photograph is saying quietly, but clearly “Look here and now look there, these details are also important to the story”. Color (along with composition) helps our eye progress from the brightest, most vivid element, the central character – the woman, to all the other, less noticeable elements that add a certain level depth to the story.

Here we’ve got bright, fairly vivid colors. Again there’s a sense of excitement, energy, perhaps an association with happy times, due to the blue sky and the brightness of everything, especially when you connect the color to the subject matter – parent and child.
The dark flesh tones really stand out against that bright blue sky, hence the presence of the father and the son is strongly felt. It’s clear that they are the central characters of the story. At the same time, the surroundings, which are also important components of the story are not completely overshadowed either, because they are so bright and vivid, their presence is strongly felt too.

Here the colors are equally important to the mood and to the story. The subdued, earthy palette dominated by shades of grey creates a mood which is fairly sombre and that’s exactly how the scene felt. The palette is also reflective of this man’s story, his tough job of ploughing the land during a grey, foggy autumn (fall) day.
It should be noted that the absence of certain colors can be just as important to creating a mood and telling a story as their presence, and here, the absence of bright, vivid colors ensures that the somberness is communicated strongly and that the story of hard-living is clear as can be.

This image is essentially duo-tone. The simple minimal palette allowed me to emphasize the “gestures”, which are where the story is, the hand with the spear-gun pointing towards the palm leaves underwater (that’s what those things are), the legs in swimming motion. Less colors has equalled in no distractions from what’s important.
One could argue that this image would work just as well in black and white, but I feel that the blue of the water plays a strong role in speaking to the senses, it helps communicate what it’s like to be in the sea, the coolness, the powerful presence of it. Towards the bottom part of the frame, as the water becomes dark blue, things get a little mysterious, darkness (dark colors) is often associated with the unknown. This sense of mystery is what you feel in the deeper part of the sea and it’s something that I really wanted to convey through the photograph too.

Vibrant shades of green and the warm, yellow-orange tinge created by the morning sun dominate this image. This palette is inevitably evocative of vitality and generally positive emotions.
The story in this photograph is quite simple, it’s about the beauty of the landscape, the energy and excitement of the morning and it is only through the palette dominated by those vibrant, warm colors that it can be communicated effectively.

Sometimes the color of a particular scene we see captures our imagination, gets us excited and compels us to make the photograph. Even if we aren’t aware of it, it speaks to our senses. The above image is one such example. Color lends it a somewhat surreal and mystical quality, it creates a very distinct feel. In such photographs, color and the sensory response it evokes are so important that any kind of story can in a sense become secondary. Color is what makes (or breaks) these kinds of images and without it they (the images) simply do not work.
Well, that’s all for this post. I hope that by taking a closer look at these examples of what role color can play in photography you are now a little more aware of its importance and potential. I urge those of you who make color photographs to begin taking advantage of color during your next shoot. Start thinking how you can use color to tell your own stories and to communicate the emotions, sensations or moods that you want the viewers of your photographs to feel.
About the Author: Mitchell Kanashkevich is a travel/documentary photographer who’s passionate about color. His photographs have appeared on TV, billboards, on book covers, travel and inflight publications as well as in most of the world’s top photography magazines. Prints of his work hang in private photo collections around the world.
Mitchell is also the author of DPS’s “Transcending Travel: A guide to captivating travel photography” and is the author of a brand new dPS eBook that we’ll be launching here on dPS next week. Stay tuned for more information on that eBook.

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90% of Camera Users Are Sharing Their Images

Futuresource Consulting recently carried out consumer research into photo-sharing habits in the UK, Germany and France. According to the results, the vast majority - around 90% - of camera / cameraphone owners across the three countries share at least some of their images with friends and family. Respondents use a wide variety of methods to share their images, with females more likely to be sharing than males. The main method of sharing for French and German respondents was via laptop or desktop PC, while UK respondents mainly shared using websites and e-mail.

Futuresource Press Release

New Study: 90% of camera users are sharing their images

Research suggests that there are 3.5 billion cameras in use across the globe and in excess of one trillion personal digital photos stored on PC hard-drives, portable devices and ‘in the cloud’. However, in the time between camera purchase and a consumer buying a photo-finished product or uploading a photo to a social networking website, camera usage can be difficult to define and quantify.

With this in mind, Futuresource Consulting recently carried out consumer research into photo-sharing habits in the UK, Germany and France. The study focused on the images that ultimately have a high personal value to the consumer: those that are shared, as opposed to the billions that remain dormant on computer hard drives or memory cards. Survey questions were also included to pinpoint the features that consumers will look for in their next digital camera.

The research showed, beyond doubt, that consumers are embracing many new ways to share their personal photos; printed media continues to play an important role in photo sharing, though digital dominates. Some of the key trends mirrored the trends found in previous waves of research, with the vast majority - around 90% - of respondents across the UK, France and Germany sharing images with friends and family. Respondents continued to use a wide variety of methods to share their images, with females more likely to be sharing than males. The main method of sharing for French and German respondents was via laptop or desktop PC, while UK respondents mainly shared using websites and e-mail.

In terms of image capture, approximately a third of respondents in each of the territories used a cameraphone to capture up to a quarter of the images that they then went on to share. This varies quite considerably with age, with respondents aged 55 or older the least likely to be capturing images with a cameraphone, with over a third using their digital camera for all of their image capture. Respondents aged 16 to 34 are more likely than any other age group to be capturing 75 to 100% of their images with a cameraphone. Notably, a quarter of respondents in each country are capturing all of their images using a digital camera only.

This is just a small insight into the Futuresource study. For more information or to make a purchase, get in touch with Simon Bryant at Futuresource Consulting on +44 (0) 1582 500 100.

Futuresource will be hosting the Futuresource Entertainment Summit in London again this year, taking place on 16 and 17 June. Topics will include the rise of digital content delivery, convergent devices vs. dedicated devices, and the business opportunities presented by new home entertainment technologies, platforms and delivery systems. For more information visithttp://www.fes2011.com.

Notes

Futuresource Consulting is a specialist research and knowledge-based consulting company, providing organisations with insight into consumer electronics, digital imaging, entertainment media, broadcast, storage media, education technology and IT. With a heritage stretching back to the 1980s, the company delivers in-depth analysis and forecasts on a global scale, advising on strategic positioning, market trends, competitive forces and technological developments.

http://www.futuresource-consulting.com.

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Members of the press may use a press release in its entirety or take segments from it as necessary; they may also use a graph, a slide, or a section of a supplied research report less than fifty words long, provided all text is identified as “Source: Futuresource Consulting” and all graphics are credited with “Futuresource Consulting, copyright 2011”.

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