Enlargements and Resolution

These pearls originated in China. The photograph was taken using a macro. In my Photoshop instruction book, it tells how to enlarge to poster size without destroying the clarity of the image. I have yet to test this with an actual print but my plan is to send it through to Shutterfly to see if this works. Using my old (2.0 megapixel) camera, the site would not accept a picture to be enlarged claiming the resolution was not good enough. I then print a thumbnail of the photo, scanned it at high resolution and sent it back. They accepted it and the 30 x 40 inch result was quite acceptable. We'll see how the pearls stack up.

The Nuances of Snow

What colour is snow... or is a combination of all colours, which many say is the true definition of white? When it is photographed like these taken in the early morning as the sun makes an appearance, so many colours show themselves. Does the camera actually break down this combination? Snow creates its own art and to an artist trying to duplicate the effect, it is a daunting task.

My camera has a "snow" setting so when the photo is taken, the camera is supposed to take away the overexposure related to reflections from such a bright surface. More experience with the camera will prove that premise. In the meantime, the sight of snow clinging to the railing on the deck is truly a magical sight. Can any artist truly duplicate that? It is highly unlikely.

Blurred Lines - Art vs. Photography

Is it art or is it photography? Where do you draw the line? This photo of glasses in the sun was taken to capture the light, colour, reflections and shadows of fairly ordinary objects made beautiful by their juxtaposition. These photographs have not been retouched.

The definition of art certainly can take as many forms as there are people defining it. With Photoshop and other digital manipulation available to the amateur on home computers the assumption is that no photography is pure any more. If it is an amazing photo, the general public is never sure whether it started out amazing or became amazing through the magic of manipulation. The question is - does it really matter? To the purist it certainly does, but to those of us who are artists and who take delight in the creative process, digital manipulation is one more tool through which an image can be enhanced - a digital paint brush of sorts. Other programs such as Corel Paint take this a step farther where the use of the paintbrush is taken to new levels both as an original piece of art or in combination with photography. The line blurs as technology takes creativity in new directions.