Site Seeing - March 15

Photographs are actually all about papers, films, solutions and dark rooms. Though never associated in that manner in the mind. Photographs are more like precious memories and moments frozen in time. Capturing history or moods on film with images that immediately transport one into the time zone of the picture.

Discovered in the early 1800s, photography is the "art or process of producing images on a sensitised surface (as a film) by the action of radiant energy and especially light". There will rarely be a person who does not aspire to be a shutterbug some time in life. And few can resist the temptation to click away when handed a loaded camera. For aspiring photographers and professionals, here are a few sites to help you take a shot at photography.

www.411photography.com
One would think a site on photography would have at least a captivating photograph to begin with. Nevertheless, this text-heavy homepage is comprehensive. Part of www.411web.com which was founded in 1998 (located in Los Angeles), 411web was recently named by Newsweek Magazine's 'e-life' as one of the best 103 web sites on the Internet.

It has Digital Photography (information on the latest technology), Photolab Services (photo processing, enlargements...), Equipment (cameras, lenses, video equipment), Learning Photography (articles and workshops on learning photography, portraits, terms, etc.), Manufacturers (links to major photographic manufacturers like Agfa, Canon, Fuji, Kodak, Minolta, Nikon, Pentax...), Cinematography, Magazines and Free Classifieds (browse for equipment or list surplus equipment for free).

The learning photography section is the best place to get started, with valuable tips like Top 10 Techniques on choosing a film, lenses, filters, composition, film developing, glossary of photographic terms. I enjoyed Nature Photo tips the most. A pretty rainbow against bare trees aptly stated "The camera captures light... our minds capture images." Photography is 90 per cent seeing and 10 per cent photography.

www.photo.net
Cluttered with an emphasis on providing information, www.photo.net offers a variety of features to cater to the many needs of photographers. It claims to be an online learning community of people improving their photography expertise.

It states at the beginning, "I have discovered photography. Now I can kill myself. I have nothing else to learn – Pablo Picasso." Founded by Philip Greenspun, who regularly contributes to the site (his photographer's guide to London is good), it has over 78,000 registered users and over 2,000 web pages linked to travel and photography. The Learn section offers comprehensive information on Chapter I: Light, Where to Buy A Camera, Point and Shoot Cameras, Choosing a Digital Camera and lots more.

www.azuswebworks.com/photography/index.html
An easier URL would have made this site more popular but it's worth noting down the long address.
And if you are an amateur this is a good place to start. The site gets your attention from the word go with liberal visuals along the way. There's also an interesting self-test to understand how much you really know about the mechanics of photography.

Besides there's the history of photography, reviews of camera components, information on composing and balancing images, an FAQ list, kinds of photography (aerial, art photography, advertising/studio, documentary/ photojournalism, macro or close-up, micro and scientific, outdoor and travel, people/portraiture, sports) books and plenty of related links. Like the reference section has a good number of links on institutes that teach photography, publications, tips on cameras and equipment etc.

www.agfaphoto.com/library/photocourse/index.html
A global organisation with headquarters in Belgium, Agfa offers imaging solutions for home and leisure, office, pro photo and labs, healthcare, pre-press and printing and industry. The site is simple and easy to navigate. It lists 36 lessons on various subjects like Portrait Photography, Travel Photography, Photojournalism, Wildlife Photography, Creative Lighting, Effects, Depth of Field, Colour, Soft Photos and more.

There's also a B&W Lab Course and digital courses to understand digital techniques and mysteries of digital cameras and scanners. On looking up the colour lesson, I learnt about cold colours (cloudy blue sky) and warm colours (sunlit room against wooden staircase). What also made sense was the advice – less is often better, look for extremes, deviate from the norm, concentrate on essentials. Other useful addresses are www.nikonusa.com, www.thepicturecollection.com (really cool), www.photographymagazine.com (also fun) and www.photospin.com