Friday 11 February 2011

Did You Know…

  • In 1888, Mr. George Eastman, of Rochester, New York owner of Kodak decided he wanted to have a unique name for his company. In his own words: I devised the name myself. The letter ‘K’ had been a favorite with me — it seems a strong, incisive sort of letter. It became a question of trying out a great number of combinations of letters that made words starting and ending with ‘K.’ The word ‘Kodak’ is the result.
  • It is believed that he named his company after the sound that he thought the camera shutter made.
  • The first digital camera offered to consumers was only 1.4 mega-pixels and cost around $10,000.
  • The most expensive camera in the world named “Daguerreotype” is 168-year-old and belongs to a US-based scholar, who inherited it from his father, a technical photography professor at Munich University. The starting bid is $132,000.

Thursday 10 February 2011

History Of Photography

Pinhole Cameras to The Daguerreotype

"Photography" is derived from the Greek words photos ("light") and graphein ("to draw") The word was first used by the scientist Sir John F.W. Herschel in 1839. It is a method of recording images by the action of light, or related radiation, on a sensitive material.

Pinhole Camera

Alhazen (Ibn Al-Haytham), a great authority on optics in the Middle Ages who lived around 1000AD, invented the first pinhole camera, (also called the Camera Obscura} and was able to explain why the images were upside down. The first casual reference to the optic laws that made pinhole cameras possible, was observed and noted by Aristotle around 330 BC, who questioned why the sun could make a circular image when it shined through a square hole.

The First Photograph

On a summer day in 1827, Joseph Nicephore Niepce made the first photographic image with acamera obscura. Prior to Niepce people just used the camera obscura for viewing or drawing purposes not for making photographs. Joseph Nicephore Niepce's heliographs or sun prints as they were called were the prototype for the modern photograph, by letting light draw the picture.

Niepce placed an engraving onto a metal plate coated in bitumen, and then exposed it to light. The shadowy areas of the engraving blocked light, but the whiter areas permitted light to react with the chemicals on the plate. When Niepce placed the metal plate in a solvent, gradually an image, until then invisible, appeared. However, Niepce's photograph required eight hours of light exposure to create and after appearing would soon fade away.

Louis Daguerre

Fellow Frenchman, Louis Daguerre was also experimenting to find a way to capture an image, but it would take him another dozen years before Daguerre was able to reduce exposure time to less than 30 minutes and keep the image from disappearing afterwards.

The Birth of Modern Photography

Louis Daguerre was the inventor of the first practical process of photography. In 1829, he formed a partnership with Joseph Nicephore Niepce to improve the process Niepce had developed.

In 1839 after several years of experimentation and Niepce's death, Daguerre developed a more convenient and effective method of photography, naming it after himself - the daguerreotype.

Daguerre's process 'fixed' the images onto a sheet of silver-plated copper. He polished the silver and coated it in iodine, creating a surface that was sensitive to light. Then, he put the plate in a camera and exposed it for a few minutes. After the image was painted by light, Daguerre bathed the plate in a solution of silver chloride. This process created a lasting image, one that would not change if exposed to light.

In 1839, Daguerre and Niepce's son sold the rights for the daguerreotype to the French government and published a booklet describing the process. The daguerreotype gained popularity quickly; by 1850, there were over seventy daguerreotype studios in New York City alone.

Negative to Positive Process

The inventor of the first negative from which multiple postive prints were made was Henry Fox Talbot, an English botanist and mathematician and a contemporary of Daguerre.

Talbot sensitized paper to light with a silver salt solution. He then exposed the paper to light. The background became black, and the subject was rendered in gradations of grey. This was a negative image, and from the paper negative, Talbot made contact prints, reversing the light and shadows to create a detailed picture. In 1841, he perfected this paper-negative process and called it a calotype, Greek for beautiful picture.

Tintypes

Tintypes, patented in 1856 by Hamilton Smith, were another medium that heralded the birth of photography. A thin sheet of iron was used to provide a base for light-sensitive material, yielding a positive image.

Wet Plate Negatives

In 1851, Frederick Scoff Archer, an English sculptor, invented the wet plate negative. Using a viscous solution of collodion, he coated glass with light-sensitive silver salts. Because it was glass and not paper, this wet plate created a more stable and detailed negative.

Photography advanced considerably when sensitized materials could be coated on plate glass. However, wet plates had to be developed quickly before the emulsion dried. In the field this meant carrying along a portable darkroom.

Dry Plate Negatives & Hand-held Cameras

In 1879, the dry plate was invented, a glass negative plate with a dried gelatin emulsion. Dry plates could be stored for a period of time. Photographers no longer needed portable darkrooms and could now hire technicians to develop their photographs. Dry processes absorbed light quickly so rapidly that the hand-held camera was now possible.

Flexible Roll Film

In 1889, George Eastman invented film with a base that was flexible, unbreakable, and could be rolled. Emulsions coated on a cellulose nitrate film base, such as Eastman's, made the mass-produced box camera a reality.

Color Photographs

In the early 1940s, commercially viable color films (except Kodachrome, introduced in 1935) were brought to the market. These films used the modern technology of dye-coupled colors in which a chemical process connects the three dye layers together to create an apparent color image.

Dry Plate Negatives & Hand-held Cameras

In 1879, the dry plate was invented, a glass negative plate with a dried gelatin emulsion. Dry plates could be stored for a period of time. Photographers no longer needed portable darkrooms and could now hire technicians to develop their photographs. Dry processes absorbed light quickly so rapidly that the hand-held camera was now possible.

Flexible Roll Film

In 1889, George Eastman invented film with a base that was flexible, unbreakable, and could be rolled. Emulsions coated on a cellulose nitrate film base, such as Eastman's, made the mass-produced box camera a reality.

Color Photographs

In the early 1940s, commercially viable color films (except Kodachrome, introduced in 1935) were brought to the market. These films used the modern technology of dye-coupled colors in which a chemical process connects the three dye layers together to create an apparent color image.

Photographic Films

The first flexible roll films, dating to 1889, were made of cellulose nitrate, which is chemically similar to guncotton. A nitrate-based film will deteriorate over time, releasing oxidants and acidic gasses. It is also highly flammable. Special storage for this film is required.

Nitrate film is historically important because it allowed for the development of roll films. The first flexible movie films measured 35-mm wide and came in long rolls on a spool. In the mid-1920s, using this technology, 35-mm roll film was developed for the camera. By the late 1920s, medium-format roll film was created. It measured six centimeters wide and had a paper backing making it easy to handle in daylight. This led to the development of the twin-lens-reflex camera in 1929. Nitrate film was produced in sheets (4 x 5-inches) ending the need for fragile glass plates.

Triacetate film came later and was more stable, flexible, and fireproof. Most films produced up to the 1970s were based on this technology. Since the 1960s, polyester polymers have been used for gelatin base films. The plastic film base is far more stable than cellulose and is not a fire hazard.

Today, technology has produced film with T-grain emulsions. These films use light-sensitive silver halides (grains) that are T-shaped, thus rendering a much finer grain pattern. Films like this offer greater detail and higher resolution, meaning sharper images.

· Film Speed (ISO) — An arbitrary number placed on film that tells how much light is needed to expose the film to the correct density. Generally, the lower the ISO number, the finer grained and slower a film. ISO means International Standards Organization. This term replaces the old ASA speed indicator. The slower the film, the more light is needed to expose it.

Photographic Prints

Traditionally, linen rag papers were used as the base for making photographic prints. Prints on this fiber-base paper coated with a gelatin emulsion are quite stable when properly processed. Their stability is enhanced if the print is toned with either sepia (brown tone) or selenium (light, silvery tone).

Paper will dry out and crack under poor archival conditions. Loss of the image can also be due to high humidity, but the real enemy of paper is chemical residue left by photographic fixer. In addition, contaminants in the water used for processing and washing can cause damage. If a print is not fully washed to remove all traces of fixer, the result will be discoloration and image loss.

Fixer (Hypo)—A chemical, sodium thiosulfate, used to remove residual silver halides (grain) from films and prints when processing them. Fixer "fixes" the remaining silver halides in place on either film or prints. Fixer is also called hypo.

The next innovation in photographic papers was resin-coating, or water-resistant paper. The idea is to use normal linen fiber-base paper and coat it with a plastic (polyethylene) material, making the paper water-resistant. The emulsion is placed on a plastic covered base paper. The problem with resin-coated papers is that the image rides on the plastic coating, and is susceptible to fading.

At first color prints were not stable because organic dyes were used to make the color image. The image would literally disappear from the film or paper base as the dyes deteriorate. Kodachrome, dating to the first third of the 20th century, was the first color film to produce prints that could last half a century. Now, new techniques are creating permanent color prints lasting 200 years or more. New printing methods using computer-generated digital images and highly stable pigments, offer permanency for color photographs.

By definition a camera is a lightproof object, with a lens, that captures incoming light and directs the light and resulting image towards film (optical camera) or the imaging device (digital camera).

All camera technology is based on the law of optics first discovered by Aristotle. By the mid-1500s a sketching device for artists, the camera obscura (dark chamber) was common. The camera obscura was a lightproof box with a pinhole (later lens were used) on one side and a translucent screen on the other. This screen was used for tracing by the artists of the inverted image transmitted through the pinhole.

Around 1600, Della Porta reinvented the pinhole camera. Apparently he was the first European to publish any information on the pinhole camera and is sometimes incorrectly credited with its invention.

Johannes Kepler was the first person to coin the phrase Camera Obscura in 1604, and in 1609, Kepler further suggested the use of a lens to improve the image projected by a Camera Obscura.

Daguerreotype Cameras

The earliest cameras used in the daguerreotype process were made by opticians and instrument makers, or sometimes even by the photographers themselves. The most popular cameras utilized a sliding-box design. The lens was placed in the front box. A second, slightly smaller box, slid into the back of the larger box. The focus was controlled by sliding the rear box forward or backwards. A laterally reversed image would be obtained unless the camera was fitted with a mirror or prism to correct this effect. When the sensitized plate was placed in the camera, the lens cap would be removed to start the exposure.

Box Camera

George Eastman. a dry plate manufacturer from Rochester, New York, invented the Kodak camera. For $22.00, an amateur could purchase a camera with enough film for 100 shots. After use, it was sent back to the company, which then processed the film. The ad slogan read, "You press the button, we do the rest." A year later, the delicate paper film was changed to a plastic base, so that photographers could do their own processing.

Eastman's first simple camera in 1888 was a wooden, light-tight box with a simple lens and shutter that was factory-filled with film. The photographer pushed a button to produce a negative. Once the film was used up, the photographer mailed the camera with the film still in it to the Kodak factory where the film was removed from the camera, processed, and printed. The camera was then reloaded with film and returned.

Flashlight Powder

Blitzlichtpulver or flashlight powder was invented in Germany in 1887 by Adolf Miethe and Johannes Gaedicke. Lycopodium powder (the waxy spores from club moss) was used in early flash powder.

Flashbulbs

The first modern photoflash bulb or flashbulb was invented by Austrian, Paul Vierkotter. Vierkotter used magnesium-coated wire in an evacuated glass globe. Magnesium-coated wire was soon replaced by aluminum foil in oxygen. On September 23, 1930, the first commercially available photoflash bulb was patented by German, Johannes Ostermeier. These flashbulbs were named the Vacublitz. General Electric made a flashbulb called the Sashalite.

Filters - Frederick Charles Luther Wratten (1840-1926)

English inventor and manufacturer, Frederick Wratten founded one of the first photographic supply businesses, Wratten and Wainwright in 1878. Wratten and Wainwright manufactured and sold collodion glass plates and gelatin dry plates.

In 1878, Wratten invented the "noodling process" of silver-bromide gelatin emulsions before washing. In 1906, Wratten with the assistance of Dr. C.E. Kenneth Mees (E.C.K Mees) invented and produced the first panchromatic plates in England. Wratten is best known for the photographic filters that he invented and are still named after him - Wratten Filters. Eastman Kodak purchased his company in 1912.

35mm Cameras

As early as 1905, Oskar Barnack had the idea of reducing the format of film negatives and then enlarging the photographs after they had been exposed. As development manager at Leica, he was able to put his theory into practice. He took an instrument for taking exposure samples for cinema film and turned it into the world's first 35 mm camera: the 'Ur-Leica'.

Polaroid or Instant Photos

Polaroid photography was invented by Edwin Herbert Land. Land was the American inventor and physicist whose one-step process for developing and printing photos created instant photography. The first Polaroid camera was sold to the public in November, 1948.

Disposable Camera

Fuji introduced the disposable camera in 1986. We call them disposables but the people who make these cameras want you to know that they're committed to recycling the parts, a message they've attempted to convey by calling their products "single-use cameras."

Digital Camera

In 1984, Canon demonstrated first digital electronic still camera.

The Daguerreotype

After several years of experimentation, Daguerre developed a more convenient and effective method of photography, naming it after himself - the daguerreotype.

George Eastman - The History of Kodak

George Eastman invented dry, transparent, and flexible, photographic film (rolled photography film) and the Kodak cameras that could use the new film in 1888.

35mm Still Camera

The history of the 35mm still camera.

Digital Camera

The history of the digital camera.

Master Photographers

From Abbott to Winogrand, learn about each master photographer and their impact on the history of photography.

A History of Photography

From its beginnings till the 1920s - significant people, processes, and history.

Still Photography

The science and art of making permanent images on light-sensitive materials.

The Camera Obscura : Aristotle to Zahn

An apparatus in which the images of external objects, formed by a convex lens or a concave mirror, are thrown on a paper or other white surface placed in the focus of the lens or mirror within a darkened chamber, or box, so that the outlines may be traced.

Aerial Photography

Andrew Heafitz applied for and received his first U.S. patent for the camera shutter.

Photoflash Bulbs

The first modern photoflash bulb (or flashbulb) was made by Austrian Paul Vierkotter, who used magnesium coated wire in an evacuated glass globe


Wednesday 9 February 2011

What is Photography

Call it vision, imagination, or seeing; it all comes down to the same thing: the ability to envision a final result in your mind's eye, and then to make it so with your tools at hand.

It's never been about the gear. It's always been about seeing something, knowing how you want it to look, and making it so. Making it so is the easy part; seeing it in the first place is what makes a photographer. Powers of observation are everything. Snapping a camera is trivial.

Photography and painting are the same. Each renders imagination in tangible form. The difference is that painters can work completely from imagination, although most of us work from life as a starting point. Both can take lifetimes to master the tools to render imaginations exactly as we intend. With inkjet printing (giclée is the term stolen from painting), they are identical in that each of us is using tools to apply our imagination as physical colors to flat media, often canvas.

Tuesday 8 February 2011

The latest Nikon equipment to be used in the Russian segment of the International Space Station New orders received for Nikon D3S and D3X digital-SLR

Nikon Corporation (Michio Kariya, President) is pleased to announce that orders for one Nikon D3S and two Nikon D3X digital-SLR cameras, four interchangeable lenses including AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR, software and various accessories have been received from S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia, the general contractor of the Russian Federal Space Agency on the program operating the International Space Station(ISS). This equipment will be transported to the ISS via the Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft, to be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on June 16, 2010.

No special improvements or modifications will be made to these products. They will be the same products available to consumers, confirming the incredible reliability of the D3S, D3X and NIKKOR lenses. The new equipment will be used along with Nikon SLR cameras, such as the Nikon F5 film-SLR camera and D2X digital-SLR camera and a variety of NIKKOR lenses already used with on-board activities of Russian cosmonauts working in the Russian segment of ISS.

Nikolay Cherlenyak, director of operations for Energia's ISS program, has commented as follows regarding this order.
"The integration of Nikon photographic equipment in space exploration has a long history and goes back to the moment when there first arose the question of photographing research conducted in orbit. It was then when the first Nikon film cameras and NIKKOR lenses, notable for precision and reliability, were sent into space. They had been used even on the station "Mir". Since then, the range of photographic equipment has been frequently supplemented by new products and advanced developments of the Nikon Company. Now with the latest models of Nikon D3S and D3X digital cameras, photography in space will reach a new, previously unattainable level "

Nikon has spent many years contributing to the study of space through the development and manufacture of advanced and extremely durable cameras and interchangeable lenses. With total production exceeding 50 million, NIKKOR lenses make the most of Nikon’s optical technologies. In 2009, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ordered eleven D3S cameras and seven AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lenses for use in recording activities aboard the Space Shuttle and International Space Station.

In addition to the extreme environment of space, Nikon also provides official observation equipment used in exploring the Antarctic. Nikon equipment contributes to observation and research of these little explored regions with durability, reliability and technical capabilities that stand up to even the most severe environments.

EOS 1100D - a first step into the world of EOS


The EOS 1100D is a digital SLR for consumers who want to make a start shooting still images and HD video. It features many technologies developed for more advanced models and functions which make it even easier to capture fantastic images straight out of the box.

Compact and lightweight, the EOS 1100D is a versatile DSLR that’s easy to carry. When a scene lends itself to video as well as stills, 720p HD video capture is easily accessible via the dedicated movie function on the mode dial. The image can be viewed through the newly-designed, bright optical viewfinder, offering 95% coverage of the scene. Alternatively, Live View shows how different shooting modes will affect the final image on the large rear screen.

A Feature Guide in the menu system offers a brief description of each key camera setting and its effect, helping beginners to learn about their camera as they use it.

Basic+ and Creative Auto remove any confusing technical terms, using plain language to describe settings and their effect on the final image. Basic+ applies a different ambience to the scene, adjusting exposure, white balance and image processing settings according to easy-to-understand pre-sets based on the creative intent or lighting type. Alternatively, the background can be blurred to create more interesting results using Creative Auto, which takes all the confusion out of achieving the desired effect.

Shoot and share
The EOS 1100D makes it easier to shoot and instantly share images and HD video with friends and family. The 6.8cm (2.7-inch) LCD screen features a sharp 230k-dot resolution and wide viewing angle, making it easy to review the day’s shoot immediately. Alternatively, sit back and enjoy the big-screen image playback by connecting the EOS 1100D directly to an HDTV via HDMI, using the TV remote control to scroll through images and high-quality video.

EOS 1100D users can wirelessly transfer their images to a home PC or bypass this stage completely and upload images and video direct to an online sharing account like the Canon iMAGE Gateway or Flickr.

Other features
A 12.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor enables images to be recorded for printing up to A3 or cropped for exciting compositions, without compromising image quality. A DIGIC 4 image processing allows continuous shooting at 3 frames per second (JPEG file size only).

Low light scenes can be captured with minimal noise and without flash thanks to a sensitive ISO range of 100 to 6400. The fast, accurate nine-point autofocus (AF) system helps to ensure the subject is in focus no matter where it is in the frame. The EOS 1100D also uses the same iFCL metering system developed for the semi-professional EOS 7D, giving well-exposed subjects even in the most challenging lighting conditions.

The EOS 1100D will be available with a new addition to Canon’s range of EF lenses. The EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II is a new kit lens that offers EOS 1100D users the flexibility to shoot everything from sweeping landscapes to portraits. A lightweight construction means it’s easy to carry, and Canon’s Image Stabilization offers a 4-stop advantage to ensure sharp images at maximum zoom and when shooting in low light. The new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II will succeed the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS in Canon’s current lens portfolio.

Pricing and availability
• The EOS 1100D (body only): £419.00/€499.00 RRP incl. VAT.
• The EOS 1100D EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II: £499.00/€599.00 RRP incl. VAT.
• The EOS 1100D EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 III: £459.00/€549.00 RRP incl. VAT.
All available from early April 2011.

EOS 600D and new EF-S 18-55mm lens

Canon has launched the EOS 600D – a compact, lightweight digital SLR. The camera sits at the top of Canon’s entry-level EOS line-up, above the existing EOS 550D and the new EOS 1100D.

The EOS 600D provides all the tools to capture stills and HD movies. Picture detail is provided by a high-resolution 18 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor which combines with 14-bit DIGIC 4 processing to capture smooth gradients between colours. The camera’s low light shooting capability allows clear, natural images in darker conditions, with an ISO range of 100-6400 that can be further expanded to 12800.

The EOS 600D allows high-speed shooting at 3.7 frames per second. The 9-point autofocus system can track subjects using the autofocus points across the frame. Even more accurate focusing is providing by an extra-sensitive central AF Sensor, while the iFCL Metering system from the semi-professional EOS 7D features a 63-zone dual-layer metering sensor, helping to ensure that each shot is correctly exposed, even in difficult lighting conditions.

Scene Intelligent Auto analyses the scene and automatically picks the best settings to capture it. A new ‘Auto’ Picture Stylemakes fine adjustments to colours. Basic + settings change the mood to one of eight options, including ‘Warm’, ‘Cool’ or ‘Intense’.

Ideal for beginners, a Feature Guide has been added to the EOS 600D’s menu system, offering a brief description of each key setting and its effect.

A Vari-angle 7.7cm (3-inch) 3:2 ratio ClearView LCD enables overhead or ground-level shooting. Rich on-screen detail is provided in 1.04 million-dot resolution and the side-mounted hinge allows users to comfortably and creatively shoot from a range of unusual angles, or when using a tripod. A smudge-resistant fluorine coating and three anti-reflection coatings also ensures clear detail in a wide range of situations.

The EOS 600D offers several Creative Filters. Fish-eye-Effect creates a barrel-shaped distortion similar to a fish-eye lens, and you can instantly turn a scene into a small-scale model with Miniature Effect. Toy Camera Effect, Grainy B/W and Soft Focus offer additional options.

EOS movie mode

The EOS 600D includes a Full HD (1080p) movie mode, while a dedicated movie shooting mode means you can switch between stills and HD video instantly. Distant subjects can be reached using a new Movie Digital Zoom function which crops the centre of the sensor from 3x to 10x while still maintaining Full HD quality.

Video Snapshot mode shoots video in two, four, or eight second segments, creating clips that are short, easy to edit and of similar lengths to clips used in most TV programmes. As they are recorded, the clips are saved to a Video Snapshot Album and combined into one movie. A soundtrack can be added by choosing from tracks uploaded to the camera and the result viewed on the camera’s LCD, or on an HDTV via the built-in mini HDMI connection.

New EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II

Launching with the EOS 600D is the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II – a new kit lens that provides excellent performance for beginners. A lightweight construction makes it easy to carry; optical Image Stabilization allows photographers to use shutter speeds 4 stops slower while still maintaining a blur-free shot. The EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II will succeed the existing EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS in Canon’s lens line-up.

Pricing and availability

• The EOS 600D (body only): £679.00/€819.00 RRP incl. VAT.

• The EOS 600D with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II: £769.00/€929.00 RRP incl. VAT.

• The EOS 600D with EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS: £949.00/€1,149.00 RRP incl. VAT.

All available from early April 2011.

The Wide Angle - Academy of Excellence in Photography

“Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art“ -

Ansel Adams.

Photography is an art that lends life to one’s imagination. A photograph is a moment frozen in time and captured for eternity. Having the best of equipment does not necessarily qualify one as a great photographer. A whole gamut of intricacies goes into producing one great picture. Skill sets are acquired as a process of constant learning and evolution.

The need for an organized colloquium to identify talent and encourage this art paved the way for creating Wide Angle.

Wide Angle: The Academy of Excellence in Photography is a forum that provides a platform for all creative photographers to nurture, hone and transform their skills to a scale of excellence. Open to all people sans community, sex or nationality the cornerstones of this community are based on the four ‘E’s - execute, exchange, educate & excel.

Wide angle encourages members to be interactive and participative by sharing their work, views, doubts & knowledge creating the perfect atmosphere for wholesome learning leading to quality output.

Focus

Creativity is allowing oneself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep – Howard Aiken

This is precisely that which Wide Angle endeavors to do – Provide opportunities to learn from the masters in achieving perfection in photography.

Wide Angle is not another run of the mill site for photography. Its objective is to make a difference to its members in every aspect related to the art.

  • To provide a site for photographers [amateurs & professionals] to showcase their talent through displaying their work and allow for exchange of ideas and inputs from various quarters within the parameters of professional discipline and etiquette.
  • Encouraging them in their creative pursuit by offering the best of their work as stock photos for purchase by the general public.
  • Organizing interactive lectures and creative workshops by stalwarts in the field for members exclusively, to encourage constant learning and exposure to hitherto unexplored avenues in the subject
  • To serve as a forum to enable members to exchange technical knowledge by introducing and providing constant updates on the latest equipments / gadgets
  • To organize events / contests that nurture healthy competition and bring to the fore hitherto hidden potential in upcoming professionals
  • Plan trips to places that offer great scope for photography in terms of subjects & landscape.

The Composition

What happens when three highly talented and intensely creative people get together for a chat on their favorite subject - Photography?

The atmosphere is charged with a plethora of ideas born out of a wealth of knowledge. To culminate these into productive possibilities requires a vision extraordinaire.

Especially when it involves a broader spectrum of sharing acquired knowledge, with unknown enthusiasts, who could in all possibility get one up. But these were individuals who firmly believed in Arthur Koestler ‘s words -

Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual.

Thus was born Project Wide Angle.

The Pillars behind Wide Angle - Prabhakaran Sambandam, Kausthub Desikachar & Raghu Lakshminarayan – share a common passion in photography apart from being immensely gifted individuals with a thirst for learning.

While exchanging anecdotes and personal experiences they felt the need to have a community that could bring together people with similar interest in a cohesive manner and sustain interest

Once the Focus was in place, all Angles were explored and the Negatives Cropped, the Subject was Developed and Exposed into a meaningful channel called Wide Angle.

Calling the shots…Men behind the action!

Prabhakaran Sambandam is an avid photo enthusiast with an eye for detail - perhaps sharpened by his professional expertise as an antique dealer. Into serious photography since 2005 Prabhakaran endears himself to everyone with his readiness to impart all the knowledge that he has without restraint. Open to new ideas his areas of interest include Landscape, architecture, Portrait, Wildlife, Birds and Food photography.

Kausthub Desikachar holds a Doctorate from the Madras University and is an ardent practitioner of Yoga. Widely travelled his passion for photography leads him to experiment with varied formats. A member of the Royal Photographic Society, UK, Kaushtub has also edited books on photography. A self taught photographer, his portfolio has exceptional creative’s that have been displayed in exhibitions.

For someone who thrives on challenges and demands perfection in everything he does Raghu Lakshminarayanan’s foray into photography was no surprise to those around him. A multi faceted personality, who heads an IT firm, photography perhaps best satiates his restless creativity. Keen to gain overall mastery in this art – be it landscape, wild life, food, sports, birds or architecture – his no holds barred attitude to learning from any source has seen him come up with some exceptional work.