Photography

It's impossible to be less than enthusiastic about using the Web for exploring photographic topics. The sites below cover the following topics - the history of photography, photographic techniques, digital cameras and digital imaging techniques, museums, galleries, online photographic collections, historic photographs, and individual photographers. As you will see, the Web is ideal for displaying photographs, both in color and B&W. The images appear on the monitor as if backlit and are often more striking than when presented on paper.

George Eastman House
www.eastman.org
The International Museum of Photography and Film. "The Museum displays the art, technology, and impact of photography and motion pictures over 150 years, and interprets the life of Mr. Eastman, an influential industrialist and philanthropist." The site has a growing digital image sampler (over 15,000 images) of the vast photography holdings of the George Eastman House.

Photography
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photography
Wikipedia site.

The National Geographic Society Photography Site
www.nationalgeographic.com/photography

Corbis
www.corbis.com
The Web's largest collection of images for professional and personal use.

A History of Photography
www.rleggat.com/photohistory
A British site about the history of photography from its beginnings till the 1920s. "In addition to pen-portraits of many of the most important photographers of the period, it contains information on some of the most significant processes used during the early days of photography." Learn about the bromoil print process (also known as "muck spreading" by its detractors) and other historic photographic processes.

Eadweard Muybridge
www.temple.edu/photo/photographers/muybridge/index.html
On June 15, 1878, Eadweard Muybridge photographed the first successful serial images of fast motion - a trotting horse. This site contains about 100 examples of his serial motion images, not as stills but as flip-book motion pictures. It is hosted by UCR / California Museum of Photography (photo.ucr.edu/california) which displays online many of the photographs of its current and past photographic exhibits.

The Photograph Collection
gowest.coalliance.org
The online collection of the Denver Public Library contains some 80,000 images and catalog records of Native Americans, pioneers, early railroads, mining, Denver and Colorado towns. The collection includes Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and the Clarence Moreledge photographs at Wounded Knee.

Digital Library Collection
digital.nypl.org
The digital library collection of the New York Public Library.

American Memory
memory.loc.gov
Historical collections for the National Digital Library. The site offers more than 7 million digital items from more than 100 historical collections. A truly amazing collection. You'll never leave this site!

Selected Civil War Photographs Collection
memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwphome.html
From the Library of Congess' American Memory, the collection contains 1,118 photographs. "Most of the images were made under the supervision of Mathew B. Brady, and include scenes of military personnel, preparations for battle, and battle after-effects. The collection also includes portraits of both Confederate and Union officers, and a selection of enlisted men."

Civil War Photography Center
www.civilwarphotography.com
Photography in the United States was 21 years old when the Civil War started. Three basic forms of photography existed during the war - individual one-of-a kind portraits of soldiers, carte de visite or portraits of officers capable of multiple copies, and photographs taken in the field by well-known photographers such as Mathew Brady which were mainly stereo views. Many examples of these photographs are shown at this site.

Fine Art Photography - Gallery and Forum
www.artphotogallery.org
A display of hundreds of fine art photographs.

The Empire that was Russia
www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire
The Prokudin-Gorsky photographic record recreated. "The photographs of Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863-1944) offer a vivid portrait of a lost world--the Russian Empire on the eve of World War I and the coming revolution. His subjects ranged from the medieval churches and monasteries of old Russia, to the railroads and factories of an emerging industrial power, to the daily life and work of Russia's diverse population."

Digital Photography Review
www.dpreview.com
Provides reviews and specifications of the latest digital cameras from all the major manufacturers, a digital camera buyer's guide, a glossary of digital imaging terms, side-by-side comparisons of digital cameras, sample images, and more.

Popular Photography
www.popphoto.com/index.asp
Popular Photography magazine online.

PhotoLinks
www.photolinks.net
A photography portal to the Web. Links to hundreds of sites organized by category.

Images of History on the Web
www.infotoday.com/searcher/may02/mattison.htm
Article on historical photographs and links.

Photography Tutorials
huntfor.com/photography/tutorials.htm
Traditional photography, digital photography, computer editing, and more.

PHOTOBANK
photobank.unesco.org/exec/index.htm
A selection of UNESCO's collection of photographs and slides made available online to professionals and the public at large.

In addition:

Groups, Associations, Museums, Photo Tours and Workshops
Advertising Photographers of New York - Professional association for advertising photographers
Antique & Amusement Photographers International - Professional association for costume and amusement photographers.
American Society of Media Photographers - Foremost association for professional photographers (ASMP)
ASMP Chicago/Midwest - Local chapter for photographers in Chicago and the Midwest
ASMP Houston - Local ASMP chapter for photographers in Texas and Louisiana
Better Photo.com - An online resource for information about photography including newsletters, workshops, contests, Q&A and other material of interest
Berkshire Mountain Photographic Workshops - Located in the beautiful Berkshires in Western Massachusetts
Big List of Photography - A free listing service with links to many camera clubs and photographic organizations around the world.
California Museum of Photography - Museum dedicated to photography
Camera Clubs of Region 15 - Homepage for links to various clubs in New England and New York
Center for Creative Photography - Located at the University of Arizona
Chicago Area Association of Camera Clubs - Serving many of the clubs in the Chicago area in the state of Illinois
Civil War Photographs Collection - From the Library of Congess' American Memory, the collection contains 1,118 photographs. "Most of the images were made under the supervision of Mathew B. Brady, and include scenes of military personnel, preparations for battle, and battle after-effects.
Civil War Photography Center - Photography in the United States was 21 years old when the Civil War started. Three basic forms of photography existed during the war - individual one-of-a kind portraits of soldiers, carte de visite or portraits of officers capable of multiple copies, and photographs taken in the field by well-known photographers such as Mathew Brady which were mainly stereo views. Many examples of these photographs are shown at this site.
Close-up Expeditions - Photographic adventures world-wide is their theme
Cotswold International Film/Video Festival - Annual competition where a PSA Gold medal is awarded
Daguerreian Society - History, art & science of the daguerreotype
Digital Library Collection - The digital library collection of the New York Public Library
George Eastman House - The International Museum of Photography and Film. "The Museum displays the art, technology, and impact of photography and motion pictures over 150 years, and interprets the life of Mr. Eastman, an influential industrialist and philanthropist."
The Empire that was Russia - The Prokudin-Gorsky photographic record recreated. "The photographs of Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863-1944) offer a vivid portrait of a lost world--the Russian Empire on the eve of World War I and the coming revolution
Euro-Picamera vzw Belgium - Belgian Photographic Association
Corbis - The Web's largest collection of images for professional and personal use
Friends of Photography/Ansel Adams Center - Promotes understanding of contemporary photography
Fototreks - Based in New Jersey, they operate nature photography tours.  Contact their office manager, Lucia Rapier, for further information
Graflex - All you wanted to know about Graflex photography
A History of Photography - A British site about the history of photography from its beginnings till the 1920s. "In addition to pen-portraits of many of the most important photographers of the period, it contains information on some of the most significant processes used during the early days of photography."
In Focus - Extraordinary adventures in exotic destinations with Michele Burgess
Institute of Medical Illustrators - (IMI in the UK)
Leica Historical Society of America - Everything and anything about the history of the Leica camera
Leslie Scott Photo Tours - A variety of photo tours organized by Leslie Spurlock, a member of PSA
The London Salon - is an organization, membership of which is by invitation only, which promotes pictorial photography
Maine Photographic Workshops - Located in beautiful Rockport, Maine - some great programs
Eadweard Muybridge - On June 15, 1878, Eadweard Muybridge photographed the first successful serial images of fast motion - a trotting horse. This site contains about 100 examples of his serial motion images, not as stills but as flip-book motion pictures.
The National Digital Library - Historical collections for the National Digital Library. The site offers more than 7 million digital items from more than 100 historical collections.
The National Geographic Society Photography Site - Photo galleries and tips
New England Camera Club Council - Sponsors annual 3 day conference at UMass/Amherst in Massachusetts and is the umbrella association for the camera clubs in New England
Palm Beach Photographic Centre - Workshops in the warmth of Delray Beach in Florida
Photobank - A selection of UNESCO's collection of photographs and slides made available online to professionals and the public at large
Photographic Alliance of Great Britain - (PAGB) An affiliation of camera clubs in the UK
Photographic Arts Federation of Turkey - (TFSF) 17 member society from every part of Turkey and the website is in the Turkish language - no other languages currently available
Photographic Historical Society - Rochester, NY
Photographic Historical Society of Canada - Dedicated to the history of photography
Photographic Resource Center - Affiliated with Boston University
Photographic Society of America - a world wide organization of photographers of all ages with many interests and levels of experience
The Photography Collection - The online collection of the Denver Public Library contains some 80,000 images and catalog records of Native Americans, pioneers, early railroads, mining, Denver and Colorado towns
Photography Schools - lists photography schools nationwide. School, Class, and Course descriptions.
Professional Photographers of America - Organization for portrait, wedding & commercial photographers
The Royal Photographic Society (RPS) Formed in 1853 to promote the art and science of photography
Santa Fe Workshops - Beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico is the setting for these workshops
Society for Imaging Science & Technology - (IS&T)
Society for Photographic Education - (SPE)
The Tuscany Photographic Workshops - in beautiful Tuscany near Siena in Italy
University Photographers' Association of America - (UPAA)
USGS Earth Science Photographic Archive
Wedding & Portrait Photographers International - And Rangefinder Magazine

Manufacturers
My Product Advisor - List of product recommendations based on your individual preferences.
Agfa - Homepage for Agfa products
Canon USA - Still, video and digital information
Contax Cameras - Another great 35mm camera plus a 645 SLR and digital cameras
Eastman Kodak Company - All kinds of imaging information
Entré Electronics Corporation - Manufacturer of photographic equipment and slide projector dissolve units.  Builder of units for Kodak and Califone as well as under their own brand name.
Epson - Inkjet papers, superb inkjet printers, supplies, digital cameras, scanners and more
Fuji Film - Requires Macromedia Flash to be installed in your browser
Hewlett-Packard - Printers, supplies, computers, scanners, digital cameras and more
Leica Camera USA - US home of the great Leica Camera
Leica Camera Germany - Home of Leica in Germany (English)
Minolta - USA - Information concerning USA products of Minolta
Nikon Home Page - Still and digital cameras and computer stuff from Nikon
Noritsu - World Leader in Mini-Lab and Photofinishing Equipment
Olympus America - Information and details about Olympus products
Polaroid - All you want to know about their products
Pentax USA - Links to all Pentax locations worldwide
RMF Industries - Slide mounts and slide/dissolve units
Sigma Corporation - Sigma lenses and the new Foveon chip Sigma SD9 Digital camera
Slik - Tripods and accessories
Tamron/Bronica - Fully integrated site of Tamron and Bronica products
Tenba - Full range of products - cases and other items
Yashica Camera - Website for the US market


Suppliers and Vendors
B&H Photo-Video - Super photo and video shop in NYC and on the Net (Journal advertiser)
Fargo Enterprise - List of sources for parts and service worldwide
Freestyle Photographic Supplies - Los Angeles photographic materials store & PSA Journal advertiser

Digital Photography

  • Digital Cameras
    (See Manufactures above for a list of digital camera manufactures)
  • Digital Darkroom Software
    • Adobe - Photo-editing software
    • Picnik - Web-based editing software. Picnik, which comes from a small Seattle company called Bitnik, isn't meant to compete with Adobe Photoshop, or to serve professional photographers or dedicated hobbyists. Instead, it's for the same casual photographer who would use the limited editing tools in Apple's iPhoto or Microsoft's Windows Vista Photo Gallery.
    • Better File Rename for Macs - Batch file renaming tool
    • Google's Picasa - Locate and organize all the photos on your computer. Edit and add effects to your photos with a few simple clicks. Share your photos with others through email, prints, and on the Web: it’s fast, easy and free.
    • Better File Rename for Windows - Batch file renaming tool
    • Photoshop CS3 - A tutorial from Quamut, the Barnes & Noble how-to site (http://www.quamut.com).
    • Photo Mechanic - Image browsing and managing
    • Adobe's DNG (Digital Negative) Converter - The public, archival format for digital camera raw data
    • Digital camera raw file support - The Photoshop Camera Raw 2.3 update now also supports raw files in the DNG format

Photo Sharing Sites (Comments from the Wall Street Journal, Mossberg, 8/1/07)
Kodak Gallery
This is a solid site for sharing albums with friends in a few straightforward steps. Though its options for editing photos tend to feel a bit clumsy, they're probably the best out of the five sites. Most sites expect users to edit images before sharing them. Earlier this year, Kodak introduced a new version of its EasyShare desktop software program with richer editing features, such as images that expand to almost the entire screen.
Shutterfly
Shutterfly seemed to be the simplest site, though it isn't the most attractive or user friendly. All of its features are free. Shutterfly does away with two conditions that Kodak Gallery and Snapfish have: It doesn't require any purchases in order to keep your account from being deleted nor does it ever require your friends to sign in before viewing a shared album.
Snapfish
Snapfish is Hewlett-Packard Co.'s photo-sharing site, and it stands out because it has the most restrictions. Along with its requirement that you purchase something at least once a year to keep your account, guests who view your albums must always sign in; you can't change this setting like on the other sites. To skirt this issue, Snapfish emphasizes its Group Rooms, or personalized sharing Web sites that users view with a specific URL and a password (if you choose to have one).
Flickr
Photobucket
Of the two community sharing sites, I preferred Flickr over Photobucket. The site felt cleaner, with fewer distractions and one less advertisement than Photobucket. For people who aren't used to these more progressive sites, Photobucket and Flickr may seem extreme. They offer things like tagging and use terms that can be confusing. Flickr uses "sets" in place of "albums," and photos are organized within "batches." Photobucket organizes albums, but then lets you create sub albums within an album. Neither site requires annual purchases, and both allow free high-resolution downloads of photos. Instead of one-time sharing, the sites use photostreams, or constantly updated photo blogs that friends can check.

Other Links of Interest
Popular Photography - Popular Photography & Imaging magazine online
PhotoLinks - A photography portal to the Web. Links to hundreds of sites organized by category.
Images of History on the Web - Article on historical photographs with links
Photo tips - Photo tips and tutorials
Photography Magazines - A list of online magazines from Yahoo

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