The Truth Behind Photography Icons

Telephoto zoom lens: for any one interested in wildlife photography a telephoto lens should become your standard lens.

Photography is defined as “The art or process of producing images by the action of light on surfaces sensitized by chemical processes.”

And that same sunset behind the mountain that you’ve seen everyday since you were a kid may look pretty amazing to someone who has never been to the mountains.

You don’t want to set your goals so high that you get let down but there is nothing wrong with going for what you want.

If you enjoy photography and are thinking of it as a career, there are actually many different directions you can choose from. Obviously, there is professional photography but even in that choice there are many other smaller options that you have as well.

The Truth Behind Photography Icons

In photography, the art of communicating by pictures or other images is called iconography. Readers often depend on iconicity of the presentation of stories that they read. There are five main functions of photos and other images, namely:

1. To attract attention

Pictures are selected to symbolize an article’s theme and are given prominence by means of size or position in the layout. Their role is to catch the reader’s attention starting with the caption, and on to the title and, finally, the text.

In trying to tell the stories with pictures, some magazines or newspapers present a “lead” picture just as a good story begins with a strong “lead” paragraph.

2. Illustrating a point

The simplest role of an illustration is to make a point. This is a typified by the head-and-shoulder portrait, also called the “mug shot.” In some instances, illustrations help the readers know the place or the scene that was captured. A photo of a beach, for example, may accompany a travel article, showing the pristine beaches on a certain place.

Charts, diagrams, bar graphs, maps, and other visual devices are also being used extensively to “explain” a point. Oftentimes, figures and statistics are confusing. Hence, most people use some of these devices to explain a story. With the tremendous technological advances in the art of photography, it is no more just fun and frolic but has acquired the dimensions of a full-fledged profession. Is there any reason that YOU cannot take professional quality photographs? Not any more. We are in the digital age – and for photographers (by the way, that’s you) this is good news!

In reality, you do not need a studio or the equipment and technical resources to take an outstanding portrait photograph.

There are some excellent photography contests out there, some even offer large cash prizes, scholarships to photography schools and really nice cameras and camera supplies.

There is a wide world of photography. It touches each of us in our lives on a daily basis in some form or another. Photography is so much a part of our culture now that we hardly even notice all the places that it exists.

3. Telling a story

There are pictures that by themselves tell a story. Only a minimum caption is needed or a caption may even be superfluous. Editorial cartoons usually do not have captions, but they tell stories and make a point.

4. The picture story

This is the use of series of pictures with a minimum of words called “caption story.” The picture story is usually used to illustrate a “how to article.” How to build a communal dam, for example, can be best illustrated with the use of visuals. When the primary goal of the story is to “show” the reader something and not just “tell” him, then the role of pictures become dominant and words only secondary. In all cases, however, a skillful merging of the two is necessary.

Indeed, in the world of iconography, photographs can really mean “a thousand words.” Hence, one can surmise that photography icons are generally created to translate and decode the symbols that readers don't normally understand.

In fact, in religion, photography icons are more used than any other concepts. This is to explain the ideas further and to give more depth to the subject matter in focus. There are different ways of finding photography jobs, depending on the type of job you are looking for and your experience. You can begin by creating a resume and portfolio of your work. More on Wedding Photographer Malaysia.

You can also purchase underwater cameras for more of a price but they last whenever you need one. Some people find this more economical than disposables, especially if they want to take these pictures often.

You will want to be original and if possible, catch a scene that has not been done before. You really want to impress the judges with something you do not normally see. This does not mean go out and shotgun blast everything you see. You still want to keep in mind the need to have a reason (theme) for taking a photography - think about how to focus attention on it, removing what distracts from your theme, and adding whatever attracts or highlights your theme, to make it a great photograph.

Before deciding on any one photographer or photo studio, do some comparisons. Look at the sample photos that you are shown and ask if they have samples you can take with you.

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