Understanding Photography As a Form of Contemporary Art

Canvas photograph printing is fast emerging as a new contemporary art form and is helping photographers create a niche for themselves as more and more art galleries and museums are showing interesting in displaying their exquisite works.Since the time the technology of clicking pictures was first invented, photography has undergone tremendous changes both technically as well as artistically. In the modern times the concept of printing photographs onto a canvas has enabled it to be recognized as a contemporary art form. The professionalism of modern day photographers is also helping in the rapid growth and acceptance of this artistic form of photography, globally.Photography, in its modern art form is a means of blending traditional art with modern technology to create images that most art galleries and museums feel proud to exhibit as part of their collections. The details and definition of the images that are created by a photographer practicing this art are truly unparallel and correctly represent the ideologies of the present day and age.Even though the art of transferring digital images onto canvas seems to be rather complex, in truth it is quite a simple process. Any professional digital photographer can use any high-quality image, whether it is that of a landscape, an object or even an individual to be easily put down on a good quality canvas in a choice of variations including full rich color print, a classic black and white print or even a mixture of both.However, there are some people who object to considering canvas photography printing as a contemporary art form. Such people are generally doubtful about the durability, permanence, and even the legitimacy of canvas photography. But this should not come as a surprise for photographers who practice this art as most new and innovative art forms are always received with constant disapproval.Most of the concerns regarding canvas photograph printing are no more than wild speculation. The durability of canvas prints is definitely much more than regular artwork because they are not as prone to damage or smudging besides which they definitely provide a longer than any normal canvas paintings.

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Learn Digital Photography – How to Shoot Photos to Sell As Art

Have you ever wandered into a gallery shop or an art gallery and seen beautiful photographs that are sold as art. Not only are they beautiful but they are also for sale, which means that if you are talented enough you can do the same. You don’t need to be an artist but you do need the eye of an artist with the ability to create a great image.So the bottom line here is that you need to have the ability to compose a great image. Now by following a few basic principles while using your creativity you will be able to do this by following a few simple steps. Of course you would still need to practise, experiment and learn to find your niche, but, it is still possible to create art for sale.1. Simplicity is keyEvery photograph needs a point of focus that catches the eye and leads it into the image. By keeping the image simple and focusing on a key focal point you will achieve good results. Too much in an image confuses the eye and makes it very busy and cluttered. By knowing what to exclude you will emphasise what needs to be included. Remember the KISS principle – keep it simple silly!2. BalanceA good art image should be balanced. Remember to look at the rule of thirds. This occurs by looking at your shapes and the forms that are in the image and placing them carefully so that the image is pleasing to the eye. Symmetrically balanced images have the subject in the middle equally balanced on either side of a central line.3. The rule of thirdsThe rule of thirds says that nothing should be centred in a photo but rather off centred at an the intersection of thirds. Imagine a tic tac toe or noughts and crosses grid superimposed over your image. Where these lines intersect is where you will place your subject or the focal point of the image. Horizons should be placed along the horizontal lines of the grid and strong vertical subjects along one of the verticals.4. Use linesBy focusing on diagonal, vertical, horizontal or converging lines you allow the eye of the viewer to be drawn into the image along one of these lines. Diagonals are especially striking and can be created from any straight line by tilting your camera at forty five degrees. Any line that ends at your focal point will automatically draw the eye into the image along this line to the subject or focal point.5. Positive and negative spacePositive space is the space occupied by the subject or object in the image. While on the other hand, negative space is all the space in between and around the subject like the sky and background. This can be used to good advantage when taking photos. A lot of positive space i.e. the space occupied by the subject causes the subject to be emphasised. A lot of negative space and the subject needs to be carefully placed and is emphasised in a different way. A tip here is that when there is a lot of negative space and the subject is a person, the space should always be in front of them and their eyes looking towards it.By adding these simple keys to your art images you will be guaranteed of images that are great. Whether they sell is another story as there is another element to a great art image. The nature of the subject. You can’t just choose anything as a subject. It’s a matter of trial and error as to what will sell. Good subjects always sell. Once you become well known it becomes easier. Happy shooting!

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History of Spices

Spices are the food seasonings that come from the different parts of a plant like the buds, the bark, the fruits, the flowers, the roots, the seeds, and the stems. These spices have played a very important part in the development of the Western civilization. In ancient and medieval times, Spices were rare and precious. To look at the history of spices is to look at the history of civilization as we know it.Today, spices play a major role in any cooking endeavor – they are used for their fragrance, their flavor and their taste. They also have a number of medicinal properties.The first recorded documentation of the use of spices as medicines is found amongst the documents of the ancient Sumerians. This was over five thousand years ago. Over four thousand years ago, we have records that the Chinese also used over 300 different herbs and spices for medicinal reasons. Over three thousand years ago, ancient Egyptians used spices for a variety of purposes, including embalming mummies.The Greeks and the Romans have also used spices for a variety of reasons. The Greeks used laurel leaves in the form of a wreath worn on the head to honor their heroes. The Romans used herbs for magic and sorcery.From the middle ages onwards, herbs began to be cultivated even in the western parts of the world. But prior to that, trade was the only means of obtaining these spices. Hence these spices were often considered to be very precious and were quite valuable as trade goods.From around 3000 BC to 200 BC, the Arabs were the prime traders of spices in the western world. The Romans took over the trade and were controlling it till about 1200. From 1200 to 1500, the Europeans explored different routes to the Eastern parts of the globe and began to take over the spice trade. The period between the 15th to the 17th centuries even saw wars break out for the control of the spice trade.The period between the 16th to the 18th century saw the English explore and control the spice trade. After this period, the Americans also entered into the spice trading community.Thus, one can see that the history of spice has always been a history of control, of power and of wealth. Spice has proved to be the number one commodity of trade that has made a lot of difference in the lives of many people – especially in the way we eat food – simply because it just tastes better with a little bit of spice!

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