how photography helped to free the 'Carolina Twins'

Millie-Christine McKoy (1851-1912), twins joined at the lower spine, was born into slavery on a North Carolina plantation. From infancy onward, she was exhibited to paying audiences as freak, wonder, and medical curiosity at venues such as state fairs and P. T. Barnum’s museum. The twins’ career was managed for most of their lives by Joseph Pearson Smith, a North Carolina merchant, and his family.  Joseph Smith was thier last legal owner even though they were abducted from his care twice by men who sought to exploit them. Smith toured with the girls throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe before the start of the Civil War. During the war, Smith hid the twins near Spartanburg, South Carolina, to prevent their capture. Freed after the war, Millie-Christine again traveled and performed in practically every state, and were seen by European royalty. Queen Victoria of England enjoyed their performances and presented them with jewelry. As she grew up, touring Europe and America as “The Two-Headed Nightingale,” Millie-Christine became a accomplished performer–playing the piano, dancing, and composing songs and poetry. Cartes-de-visite of Millie-Christine served an important role as publicity for her performances.  Carte-de-visite, literally ‘visiting card.’ In an article in Antiques Journal Lou McCulloch noted ‘The mounted card was approximately 2½ by 4 inches, slightly larger than a calling card, and, correspondingly received the French equivalent for a visiting card as its nom de plume. Millie-Christine’s performances earned her a great deal of money and she was able to buy the plantation on which she were born and retire comfortably around 1900.

how to build a narrative in a photograph

Nicholas Brewer

This picture was taken today in London at Pillow Fight Day that took place all over the world including Trafalgar Square. What made this particular image stand out for me, amongst the couple of hundred that I made this afternoon, is the  story within the frame. There is the pointing finger accusing the older of the two brothers. I believe that they are brothers as there is a strong resemblance between them and as the elder sibling he is most probably the leader. There is a relaxed and mischievous smile of the younger man so maybe the pointing hand belongs to a friend. Due to the (relatively) warm weather and the fun nature of pillow fighting it could be a stranger caught up in the excitement. The closeness of the subjects to the camera helps to create a sense of intimacy and the wide angle lens which was 18mm adds to this. There is a great deal of repetition in the images that I created today which is to be expected. I have included a couple of others for your appraisal.  The most important thing is to keep taking pictures of what you can, when you can and with what you can.

what is a holga camera?

Inggrid kurniawan

In the digital age why should any one use a camera that leaks light, is unpredictable and expensive to run? The reason is this amazing image I found on Tumblr and taken with a Holga 120GN camera. The colour cast caused by leaking light through the back of the camera is part of the charm. The image proves a fundamental point about photography.  A good picture touches the viewer regardless of being shot on a Phase 1 or a cheap plastic toy, which is how some describe a Holga. They have a fixed lens which is slightly wider than the eye sees and the aperture ranges from about F8 to F11. One of the settings on the Holga is from sunny to cloudy and this opens the aperture by one stop. The shutter is fired manually by a leaver on the side. They use 120 film so you can scan the negs or get  darkroom prints made. There is a 35mm version but is not recommended. The Diana camera's were popular during the sixties. The Holga is the child of Diana! If you like safe predictable out comes then Holga or Diana cameras are not for you. If you have an open mind and want to experiment rewarded by exciting effects you may have found your medium.

tips for landscape photography

nicholas brewer

Welcome to the latest blog.
My recent images of the Peak District have helped me to understand a different type of photography and do some soul searching along the way. Standing out in the cold waiting for the right light provided a valuable lesson in patience. Definitely a quality we need as photographers. Make sure that you have a comfortable camera bag, tripod and a selection of formatted memory cards. With quickly changing light it is advisable to have a few cards so the work gets spread around. It is another good way to back up your work so get decent ones. I always use a tripod, a sturdy one which is easy to carry makes the experience much more enjoyable. The picture above is very pictorial, it looks like a painting. You may have noticed the small white flower near the bottom of the picture in the middle. I will remove this slightly distracting highlight and improve the view.

nicholas brewer

how to photograph a bridge?

Nicholas Brewer

From London this morning. The image has been cropped slightly to try and get it a little straighter apart from basic tweaking in Photoshop this is how I saw it. 'Visualization' as Ansel Adams would say. I used a tripod, self-timer as the exposure was six seconds, and an aperture of F5.6 @ 400 ISO.

It was very overcast this morning and dark under the bridge. The first image I have taken this year!

what to look for in a photography weekend

Nicholas Brewer

Learning about photography is not only fun but opens up new and exciting opportunities during the process. I know that not everyone will have the time or desire to go to college learning  hands on  with expert tuition. Learning at a college, which I was fortunate enough to do, helps to make life long friendships and a shared experience is more enjoyable and increases knowledge by learning from each other. Next month I am starting a series of photographic workshops in the gorgeous English countryside in the Peak District National Park. With small class sizes and plenty of active learning you will make stunning landscape pictures supported by plain English theory lessons. If you are a beginner or intermediate and looking to step up then this could be for you.The workshops are held at Biggin Hall Hotel a grade two listed building that sits 1,000 feet above sea level providing stunning views and clean air. With a diverse landscape and ancient market towns there are plenty of locations to photograph. There are many providers of this kind of activity holiday so how do you find the quality ones and avoid those simply looking to take your money with little in return.
Here are the three key points to consider:

• Is the tutor qualified? This does not just mean that they hold a qualification in photography but do they have a teaching qualification?
• How will they check your prior knowledge? If the group has a wide gap in knowledge the more experienced will get bored or the others may get left behind. Making sure the gap is measured improves your knowledge and is a more enjoyable experience.
• Will your learning be supported after your break? Staying motivated once you get home is essential otherwise your knowledge will disappear.

Naturally as a qualified lecturer and photographer I can provide all of this and much more.
Biggin Hall Hotel  is near Buxton Derbyshire and there are spaces available in Feburary, March and April. Click on the link  to find out about dates and prices.

how to understand bit depth bytes and why they are important

For most aspiring photographers one of the biggest challenges is understanding the technical stuff especially if you are taking pictures to scratch your creative urges. Understanding some technical information will enable you to deepen your knowledge and make the whole digital world less of a mystery.

Digital means the 0s and 1, black or white or on or off. As you are probably aware digital cameras only record in B&W but they output in colour.

Bits and Bytes.

Bit stands for a binary digit: 0 or 1.   1 byte = 8 bits

A byte (or 8 bits) can therefore represent 256 different states; 2^8th power. Generally speaking there are 256 shades between black & white and this is what your camera will record in. Most of the digital world operates on 8 bits including your monitor and inkjet printer. 

This is why you don't want to print a B&W image on an inkjet printer using just black ink. The printer would only be able to provide  256 shades of gray, from black to white and these are not nearly enough for a decent image. Instead you should print using colour inks as well, which means that all three primary colours (Red, Blue and Green) will be mixed together to create 16 million shades of gray (256X256X256). More than enough.

As you can see from the diagram one of the biggest advantages is the smooth gradation of the tones that look more natural and are easier on the eye. The less tonal information that you have the less memory it will take up although the extra memory is a false economy if you are trying to achieve a natural and professional looking result.

 This is a 'byte sized' version of the subject of bit maps, yes I know but I could not resist, and will hopefully have answered a few questions.