Photos – Mixx

Archive for the ‘photo’ Category

To understand the history of the image and in particular, the photographic image, one has to consider the ancient civilizations.  Egyptian paintings and works of art are well documented but it wasn’t until the rise of the Roman Empire that the portrait flourished.  Roman portraits primarily took the form of a sculpture and it was particularly fashionable to depict an unflattering representation of the subject.  Our seemingly modern fascination with perfection can be traced back to France during the middle ages when the trend shifted to producing painted portraits that favoured an idealized symbol of what the person looked like.

Due to the enormous cost, commissioning a painted or sculptured portrait was an act reserved only for royalty and the very highest within society.  To meet the high demand for inexpensive portraiture saw the invention of the daguerreotype during the middle of the 19th century that employed numerous physical and chemical discoveries of the era.  This was essentially an early type of photograph in which the image is exposed directly onto a photosensitive plate.  Further refinement of the design and processes as well as advancements in photographic glass plates reduced the cost and a large number of photographic studios in major cities around the world began to offer photographic services to the masses.  

Development of the photographic film towards the end of the 19th century replaced photographic plates.  Photography and the professional photographer were no longer confined to the studio.  A great many advances in the technology led to the appearance of the modern 35mm and compact film cameras used today.  The costs were further reduced to the point where cameras became disposable as early as the mid eighties.  The inclusion of a variety of cameras in the basket of 650 goods used to calculate the Retail Price Index for almost two decades is testament to the popularity of photography.  The 35mm camera was only recently removed in 2006 when it was replaced with the digital camera.

Digital cameras first became commercially available in the very early nineties and saw the replacement of film with a photon sensitive chip and rewriteable memory cards.   There are many advantages when comparing digital against film.   One such advantage is that the physical size of a camera can be reduced such that it can be incorporated into a mobile phone.   Despite initially being very expensive, digital overtook film in developed countries in 2002 and the technology is now cheap enough to allow for disposable digital cameras.   Photography as a profession, as a hobby and part of popular culture has become even more accessible thanks to the digital technology to the point that the percentage of the UK population owning a digital camera or camera phone has risen to 90% according to a recent survey.  

Shipment volumes of digital cameras have been rising year on year and totalling 7.5 million units in 2007.  Total digital camera sales hit 50 million in 2003, rising to 114 million in 2007 and forecasts don’t predict slowdown due to market saturation any time before 2010.

The digital revolution has made the transition of getting an image from the camera lens to the computer screen a trivial exercise.  Retouching encompasses everything from modest enhancement to restoration and recovery of an otherwise objectionable or unusable image. Photographic retouching is often considered to be a modern concept due to recent advances in computer performance and software capability besides the relatively recent introduction of the digital camera itself.  However, this is far from the truth.  

Photo manipulation is as old as photography itself.  Joseph Stalin regularly made use of photo retouching techniques for propaganda purposes as early as the 1920s.  Before computers, photo manipulation was achieved by retouching with ink, paint, double exposure and piecing photos or negatives together in the darkroom.

“Photoshopping” is slang for the digital editing of photographs; the term originating from Adobe Photoshop, the image editor most commonly used by professionals for this purpose.   The 1980s saw the advent of digital retouching.  Before digital cameras became widely obtainable, the most common way of getting a print onto a computer was via a scanner.  The processing power needed to manipulate large images has up until recently been beyond the reach of most.  Purchasing expensive custom hardware from leading manufactures of the time, Silicon Graphics and Apple Macintosh was unavoidable.

The number of households in the UK owning a personal computer capable of image retouching is around 65%.  This combined with the extremely large portion of the population owning equipment capable of taking digital photos; one would imagine that a sizable number of individuals would be retouching their own photographs to meet their ever increasing desires for flawlessness.

Retouching software is varied in functionality and the cost of some of the less capable packages is inexpensive when compared to the price of computer and camera equipment.   Becoming proficient in retouching however is not just a one off purchase.  A great deal of patience and commitment to acquiring the necessary skills is required.  Furthermore, an artistic flare is more often than not an advantage.  The act of retouching is also a time consuming affair.  A recent study has shown that lifestyles are changing.  Working and commuting hours are increasing and social calendars are becoming crowded.  To compensate for this, a culture of contracting out tasks that are either time consuming, requiring effort or are considered tedious is increasingly becoming the norm.  For instance, it is not uncommon for tired office workers to pay to have their shirts ironed and hand car washing businesses in public car parks are thriving.  A recent study showed that 48% of homes in Britain employ an average of three outside helpers at a cost of £20 billion; undertaking a range of tasks from dog walking to personal shopping.

Photographs, on a personal level, can become treasured items.  In addition to documenting events and special occasions they capture moments in time of friends and loved ones.   Weddings, holidays, graduations and children growing up are popular photographic opportunities that are often unrepeatable in nature.  Making the most of the available photographs is favourable.  Photographs also have more pragmatic uses as it makes good business sense to showcase products and services to potential customers in the most attractive way.  Allowing all types of images to look their finest through retouching is both appealing and beneficial.

Advances in computer and networking technology have led to the inevitable rise and subsequent dominance of the Internet.  The number of households having access to the World Wide Web via high speed broadband connections in the UK is around 55%.  $259 billion of online sales including travel occurred in 2007 in the US; an 18% increase from the previous year14.  It is advantageous for businesses and services such as traditional high street retailers, banks, restaurants, tourist attractions, estate agents and hotels to secure and maintain an online presence and in turn, the demand for high quality images looks set to increase.

Images are required for a wide selection of applications.  Besides the recent emergence of the online paradigm as highlighted above, demand for traditional photography services remains strong such as wedding, portraiture, sports and journalism to name but a few.  Meeting this demand for imagery is now easier than ever thanks to the profusion of photographic equipment.  Photographs of an exceptional standard that satisfy our need for perfection however are reserved only for big business and those with deep pockets.  All photographs, whether or not they were taken professionally, can benefit from some degree of retouching; a term which covers all forms of m
anipulation and enhancement.  It is not uncommon for magazine cover photographs, despite having been taken by notable professional photographers using the very best equipment, to undergo hours of post production work to produce the perfect image.

To achieve faultless images, a number of companies and individuals currently offer specialist retouching services to the big industry players, often on a contract basis.  It is also becoming commonplace for photographers to invest in the tools required to manipulate images and become proficient in their use in order to meet the increasing demands of the client.  Such services are expensive and are not aimed at the mass market.  The only real solution available to the general public is to purchase a suitable computer and acquire the knowledge to create masterpieces of their own images using relatively costly retouching software. A number of companies now offer online retouching services and make the whole process easy and affordable for individuals and businesses alike. One such company is London based Retouch Genie Ltd – Photo retouch, image enhancement and photo restoration.

The yearning to look flawless and conform to contemporary ideals is not a new concept.  For hundreds of years Chinese women bound their feet to stunt growth and in Elizabethan times wore corsets which caused broken ribs all for a desirable curvy silhouette.  In recent years however, celebrity obsession, glossy magazines, television makeover shows, fashion, pharmaceuticals, weight-loss and advertising industries, rightly or wrongly, have intensified the quest for perfection.  In the UK, the number of cosmetic surgical procedures carried out has increased by a third between 2004 and 2006.

From a number of business applications, selling items in online auctions, social networking profiles, online dating, leisure, tourism and travel, the perfect image has many diverse and varied applications and the photographic retouching industry is likely to grow as a result.

 

The photo helps the users to cherish memories, milestone events, everyday magic and crowning achievements with others. These vibrant images take back to most fun-filled days of the life. While scrolling pages of the photo album, one remember all his or her mischievous and funny acts, which brings smiles on the face even after so many years. With Online photo sharing technique, the person can narrate the story about his or her adventurous trip to friends anywhere in the world. This technique of sharing photo through the mode of Internet is easy and safe. It helps the users to share numerous images and videos across the world.

Photo sharing is defined as publishing or transferring of digital photos Online. It enables the users to share the pictures with others publicly or privately. This functionality is provided via websites and applications or both, as it facilitates the upload and display of images. The term can also be applied to the use of online photo galleries which are setup and managed by individuals including photoblogs.

The first photo sharing site was originated during the mid to late 1990s, initially from service providing online ordering of prints (photo-finishing). But many sites came into being during the early 2000s with the goal of providing permanent and centralised access to the still photos and video clips too. The image sharing technique became popular with the outcome of digital camera and Internet. The photo sharing provides long-lasting photographic memories and it has resulted in different approaches to revenue generation and functionality amongst service providers.

Desktop photo-management applications for instance include photo-sharing features or integration with sites for uploading vibrant images. There are desktop applications whose main function is sharing photos and generally they use peer-to-peer networking. The basic photo sharing functionality can be found in applications that allow the users to e-mail photos.

Uploading of memorable photos and sharing them with a wide list of people offers various benefits. First and foremost is that one can share photos, images and videos with family and friends globally. This online photo sharing is comparatively inexpensive and affordable. Moreover, this technique is safe, as one can place the photos on Online album. It also helps the users to low down expenses such as posting photos to multiple senders by mail. Moreover, this technique offers a massive storage capacity to the users for their photos.

Secondly, the photo sharing concept is not only restrained to web and personal computers. As a matter of fact, portable devices such as cameraphones can be used to automatically transfer photos on the Internet. One can take the pictures to desired sharing sites and photoblogs.

The photoblogs tend to display images in a chronological view of user-selected photo size. The most online photo sharing sites provide multiple views such as thumbnails and slideshows. Moreover, the users can classify photos into albums and add annotations such as captions or “tags” and comments. Some image sharing sites provide complete Online organisation tools similar to desktop photo-management applications.

To bring into your notice, this sharing is also made possible even with the help of multimedia messaging service or MMS. The camera focused phones with wireless networking and sharing functionality can be used for uploading or sharing the images, video and albums on the web. The increasing popularity of Online photo-sharing sites have seen the emergence of many successful Internet brands in the “new generation”web 2.0 sites.

To conclude, the concept of photo sharing sites is gaining importance among both professionals as well as amateur photographers.

An exposed photo radar manual shows details on how to steal, use, operate, and maintain the cameras. In an article released by KFYI, Dow says that the Redflex operations manual, which was supplied to CameraFRAUD by a “confidential source,” states that “judges, city workers and other city government workers cannot get tickets.” The manual also provides a flow chart, easy enough to analyze by your typical bureaucrat, how to distribute tickets—and bring in the take—to Arizona citizens. DPS appears to have all but pulled the plug on its usage of Redflex mobile photo radar units on Arizona state highways.   In many cases, red light and photo radar cameras actually lead to more accidents because local governments shorten the yellows to increase the number of red light runners, while other folks slam on their brakes to beat the speed cameras, only to increase their speed again once they pass the speed cameras.

Look at the Statistics! During a study session of the City Council on Tuesday, the city manager told council members that data gathered in the year since the cameras were installed could be used to make “different interpretations.” “In effect, the jury is out on whether these cameras are making these intersections safer,” said City Manager Carl Swenson. “And that’s what we’re ultimately about. We don’t want to just give people tickets.” According to numbers from the Police Department, collisions at the four intersections have doubled since a private company finished installing red light cameras in June 2008. During the 2007 fiscal year, from July 1 to June 30, there were 36 collisions at the intersections. In fiscal 2008, there were 73. The numbers over doubled after placing photo radar on this corner. Councilman Ron Aames from the Palo Verde District said the increase suggests that the cameras might actually be making intersections more dangerous. Aames replied, “I’m thinking if these numbers were reversed . . . I probably wouldn’t hear these other ways of explaining it. “I don’t want this to be a situation where we’re just giving tickets to people and not really making the roads safer.”

Story from a friend traveling across Arizona: Thirty miles outside Flagstaff on Interstate 40, an RV broke down while they were traveling across the country this summer. They desperately tried to contact their towing company, but due to limited cell service they could not reach them. We were able to get 911, who said they would call towing. They also informed us that since it was Sunday, we’d have to wait for some time. That was the last we ever spoke to the police. The temperature was well over 90 degrees and storm clouds were swirling above. In the hours we waited outside in the heat, not one car stopped to inquire if they needed help. Better yet, not one state trooper or patrol car came by to check to see if they were OK. Where is our state highway patrol? Are we running a Department of Public Safety or a Department of Public Photo Enforcement? What they did see frequently as they traveled our roads were police cruisers taking pictures of people speeding. What about people who have the misfortune of breaking down on your highways — are there no police available to lend a hand because they are out there taking pictures?  Keeping the public safe from aggressive drivers is important, but coming to the aid of stranded motorists is just as important if not more so.

From listening to both sides of the photo radar controversy for some time now, I’ve yet to find an educated opinion when it comes to supporting photo radar.  Not only is this state driving vacationers away, but it’s driving its own home grown citizens out. Police officers pretending to be the kings of law on every corner, it’s scarier than downtown phoenix. Performing unlawful searches and falsifying breathalyzer reports, it’s hard to support such a government. One wonders if the statistics were available, which would make more money, the combination of dui and photo radar revenue, or the high priced taxed goods purchased by wealthy visitors. Instead of pissing off the entire state, why not set up a healthier process.  While we all know photo radar is just another “play on taxes” (Tax given a safety spin to get citizens to pay) we should be thinking of real solutions to Arizona’s debt issue. Power hungry politicians and law enforcement will only drive out what’s left of such a beautiful state.