Photography can be thought of as the art of creating images, but that's a very incomplete definition. Photographs are first and foremost physical objects. Visit any important photographic exhibition and chances are you will be stunned by the beauty of the prints. That beauty stemps not only from creating a nice image - the usual end game for most amateurs - but from the ability to transform it into something tangible that is a pleasure to own and handle.
In this section, we explore gear considerations that help you create images with the look you crave, image-making techniques that help you order the scene in front of your eyes into an interesting and meaningful image, post-processing tools and techniques to help you tune that image to your vision and printing technique to turn it into a head spinning print.
About Gear Considerations that Matter
An excessive focus on gear is why so many photographers are sooo bad at photography. Look up to 100 most influential photographs of all time and check out the gear used. Enough said? Still, gear matters a lot. You feel in sync with some, you dislike other. Lens rendering has a large impact on your final image. Plus, for amateurs, gear is fun, so why deny it? 😉 We discuss those considerations in moderate amounts.
- This is a vast subject but you could do worse than start this journey by reading Adrian's post on the un-camera.
- Lenses are more important than cameras because they give the image its look. Here's How to Read MTF Curves like an Artist (part 1).
- Interviewing Hasselblad about Image Quality.
About Gear Reviews
We have reviewed a lot of gear over the year. Cameras, lenses, tilt-shift aparatus. High-end stuff, low-end stuff. Most of our reviews focus on ease of use and rendering. We are not interested in performance or meaningless lab tests, you will not find any here.
Camera reviews
Fuji
Hasselblad
Leica
Olympus
Sigma
Sony
Lens reviews
Fuji
Hasselblad
Laowa
Leica
Sony
Voigtlander
Zeiss
Other reviews
Mirex tilt-shift
About Making Photographs
Shock! There's life beyond the rule of thirds. And, technically a file on a screen isn't a photograph. Photography is a craft. Numerous skills are involved, such as metering (now handled 100% by cameras), composition and framing, post-processing, printing. Each is an artform in its own right. You can aspire to master them all or focus exclusively on your favourite. Each step makes a difference and defines your personal signature.
- As a starter, how about a list of our articles about composition.
- Want real practise, here are the posts about our monthly challenges.
- Obsessed with sharpness? Here's our defense of blur.
- 3D anyone? Here's how to create 3D in your photographs.
- Does digital feel soulless? Check out: #810. Is film only for hipster kids?
About Post Processing
Shock! There's life beyond the rule of thirds. And, technically a file on a screen isn't a photograph. Photography is a craft. Numerous skills are involved, such as metering (now handled 100% by cameras), composition and framing, post-processing, printing. Each is an artform in its own right. You can aspire to master them all or focus exclusively on your favourite. Each step makes a difference and defines your personal signature.
- 3D anyone? Here's how to create 3D in your photographs.
About Printing
Shock! There's life beyond the rule of thirds. And, technically a file on a screen isn't a photograph. Photography is a craft. Numerous skills are involved, such as metering (now handled 100% by cameras), composition and framing, post-processing, printing. Each is an artform in its own right. You can aspire to master them all or focus exclusively on your favourite. Each step makes a difference and defines your personal signature.
- A tour of high-quality printing processes. The inkjet doesn't have to be the final destination of your best images. Gorgeous and must more archival processes are still very much alive!