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Project Educate: Composition BasicsThe action of putting things together; formation or construction.
The term composition simply means 'putting together' and is applied to all forms of art. In this respect, composition is all about the placement, arrangement or organisation of the individual elements within a photo. The composition of a photograph is what catches the viewer's attention and is what makes the image pleasing to the eye. By practicing and developing basic composition techniques, you can produce pieces of work which can recreate the impact of the original scene.
Some tips for developing composition skills are;
Look around using the viewfinder every time you take a picture.Look at each element and how it impacts the overall composition.Become familiar with your camera. Learn how it works, play around with settings and really get to know how each setting changes the overall image.Experiment and practice. Experiment and practice. Experiment and practice.Study other pieces of art; photogr

Project Educate: Aperture, Shutter & ISO SpeedToday we'll take a quick basic look at Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO Speed.
Aperture
The aperture determines the amount of light that is allowed into the digital sensor. A small number indicates a large aperture whereas a large number indicates a lower aperture. For example, an aperture of 8 would let in less light than an aperture of 4. Imagine your eye, specifically your pupil; the bigger the pupil is, the more light is being let in and the smaller it is, the less light. This is what is effectively happening with your camera. The aperture also determines the DOF (depth of field).
The numbers you usually see on the side of lenses look like this;
F 22 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 5.6 | 2.4
The larger the number, the less light is allowed in. Each number depicts double the amount of light allowed through the lens. For example, an aperture of 5.6 will allow twice the amount of light in than 8, but only half the amount of light than 2.4.

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Project Educate: Photography - The Basics Project Educate: Photography 3rd October 2011 -> 9th October 2011

Project Educate has launched for 2011/2012 and I'm delighted to announce that the first week will be brought to you by myself and `ScENeYmE
As two of the General Photography Community Volunteers we will be posting topic specific weeks later on in the year. But for now we thought it would be nice to launch with a week of Photography Basics for those of you who are uncertain where to start - and those who just want some new tips and beautiful features to look at!
Keep an eye on the blog over at #communityrelations as each CV will be posting announcements about their weeks there. Also head over and make sure you are watching #projecteducate where we will be collating all the links to the articles over the coming months.

Shooting in RAW

It's surprising how many peop

Project Educate: Basic Photography TerminologyPhotography Terminology
Bokeh
This is a term that refers to the way the lens blurs the image and the aesthetic quality of that blur. Some lenses cause the image to blur that is pleasing to the eye, whereas others blur in a more unpleasant or distracting way. It is considered good practice to have the subject of the image in focus, while the background is blurred. Bokeh occurs in the part of the image that lies outside the depth of field and photographers sometimes use a shallow focus to make the out of focus regions more prominent.

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Depth of Field
This refers to how much of the scene is in focus. In portrait or macro photography, it is better to have a shallow depth of field and keep only part of the image in focus, as opposed to landscape photography where you'd generally want a larger depth of field and keep everything in focus.

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Ma

Birthday Celebrations on dAmn!Birthday Celebrations!
That's right! It's close to that time of year again and that means one thing... a dAmn party hosted by myself and ^Kaz-D to celebrate!

So on the 7th of August, the day that deviantART will be turning 11, come and join us in :#communityrelations: for fun, games and the chance to win prizes

What can you expect?
If you join us you'll be bombarded with games and tasks. Tasks will be thrown out at random and could be just about anything. Other games will include a sketchmatch and a treasure hunt

When and where?
To join in the fun make sure you're in :#communityrelations: at 8pm BST through until 10pm on the 7th of August. You can find your local time here
Prizes?
Yep. Now onto the good stuff. There are loads of prizes up for grabs including a dA

Project Educate - Architecture OverviewThis week ^Kaz-D and myself are bringing you an overview of the Photography Galleries on deviantART. This won't replace the full weeks planned by the specific community volunteers for specific galleries - but instead it will help to give you a mini introduction into what's out there.
Architecture

Sub-Categories

Bridges & Suspended Structures
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Photographs of bridges and other suspended architectural structures.

Exterior

Photographs depicting the exterior of a building or any finished architectural construction.

Interior

Photographs depicting the interior of a building or any finished architectural construction.

Statues & Monuments

Photographs of statues, monuments and mortuary stones.
Photographing Architecture - Tips
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Presenting: Community VolunteersA BRIEF OVERVIEW
Over the years, we've been proud to offer the opportunity to volunteer with deviantART. We believe that our volunteers play a crucial role in helping our community develop and grow in positive ways.
The Gallery Moderator (previously known as Gallery Director) and Message Network Admin (MN@) teams have become a much loved and appreciated role, with many volunteers proudly detailing their experience in applications to enter into successful careers with companies who all recognise the value of volunteering in such a vibrant and eclectic community. Did you know that some of our now full time Staff were once volunteers? $fourteenthstar, $Moonbeam13, $pachunka, $aunjuli, $y2jenn, $damphyr, `Tachy-on, $dxd and $Ikue all volunteered in various roles -- and we are all very proud of that fact!
Over the past few months, we've been taking a close look at the volunteer experience -- what's worked, what hasn't worked a

Project Educate: Night PhotographyProject Educate: Photography
A shot in the Dark

This short article coupled with Photographing Fireworks will hopefully aim to share some tips and skills at shooting in the dark and how you can make the most of the darker evenings drawing in (for most of us anyway!)

Requirements

Camera – it needs to be capable of long exposure to capture the best of night time photography. Bulb Settings are very important to enable you to hold the shutter open for a long time.

Lenses – Wide angle, telephoto – a range is best if you have access to it. Wide angle lens are fantastic for capturing those motorway shots from bridges of long distance traffic light trails. Telephoto lens are more useful for captures of the moon and other details.

Tripod – This is

Urban & Rural/Architecture - August 2011 DDs:iconcommunityrelations:
#communityrelations
August 2011 Features

Education by ~CharmCity
Suggester says; He knows how to capture the right textures and the right lighting with the right angles.Education by ~CharmCity
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by ~KissiePie)

Beyond the Shadows by ~VikklePickle
Suggester says; I love the colours. And the branches, too. Somehow, that makes the picture perfect. I'd like to be able to capture somewhere with this much melancholy. Beyond the Shadows by ~VikklePickle
(Featured by :d

Life Through a Lens #1Welcome to the first edition of Life Through a Lens - a regular photography feature showcasing some of the recently submitted deviations within the Photography gallery.
Features

Please show the artists some love and

the article if you liked it!

Project Educate: Shooting Fireworks! Shooting Fireworks

USE the Tripod. It's not there as a leaning post. It's not there to look pretty or to rest your camera on when you feel like it. It's there to be used!

USE your remote shutter release!

Choose your frame – Horizontal/Vertical – make sure you have your position and your image scope sorted out before you begin. With Fireworks it's very easy to get distracted!

Choose your Aperture – Most of the time it's best to shoot between f/8 to f/16.

Choose your Shutter Speed – Don't l

Life Through a Lens 7Welcome to the seventh edition of Life Through a Lens - a regular photography feature showcasing some of the recently submitted deviations within the Photography gallery.
Features

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Previous Features
Week One; Week Two; Week Three; Week Four;

Photography Discovered #1Welcome to the first edition of Photographers Discovered! This series was inspired by $Moonbeam13's Discovered journal series. The following deviants were found using nothing but the Discovery Tool.
~peetrusha

*DeingeL-Dog-Stock

~nnIKOO

~popp2

~dincturk

Please show the artists some love and

the article if you liked it!
Check out #Through-a-Lens for more awesome photography.

Back to Basics Photography - Understanding RawdSLR cameras and most bridge cameras have the option to shoot in raw, but what exactly is it and what are the benefits? Let me attempt to explain.
A camera raw file contains all the data that is captured when the shutter button is pressed whereas a JPEG is compressed and a lot of the data is lost. They are often called digital negatives as they serve the same purpose as the negatives in film photography; they are not ready to be used as the final image, but hold all the information and data needed to produce one. This all means that you are left with a higher image quality which also allows you to have more control and manipulate more parameters than a JPEG. All of the metadata is also still in tact, meaning that the original state can always be referred back to if needed.
So, surely you want to see the difference, right? Well you're in luck.

Top - straight out of camera (SOOC) raw. Bottom - basic adjustments done in LightRoom raw.
This can ei

Project Educate: Black and White Photography Project Educate: Black and White Photography

In a world where all number of ways of editing and manipulating an image are coming to light, we often forget about the very simple techniques that we have to hand - that actually have very impressive results.
I rarely upload the originals of my work if I have made changes for the greater good! I like people to see the final product and not the flaws. But for the purposes of black and white Photography here is an example of how you can improve your work.

Ikea car park. Yup! Nightmare to drive in because it's so twisty! I took this out the car window whilst screaming with my arms flailing. Hence the slight motion blur. I kid . I then processed it with an editing program called Picasa . I used to think that Picasa was God. Now I know better. But I still drag all my images through the program by way of storing them.
So everything done to this image was achieved in a free editin

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Urban and Rural DD Roundup - February 2011

by `ScENeYmE, Feb 28, 2011, 5:47:51 AM
Journals / deviantART, Inc. / Community Relations

#communityrelations

February 2011 Features

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S O V A . M E D . S P O K E N by ~interFEARia

A stunning piece of work with a beautiful surreal mood.
S O V A . M E D . S P O K E N by *interFEARia
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by *Ilman-Lintu)

Baltimore IV by ~SewerRar

Baltimore IV by ~SewerRar is brilliantly executed to make the viewer feel as if they are there. The composition and angle couple together to make this shot a stunning example of urban and rural photography.
(Featured by `ScENeYmE)

Night: Bolte Bridge by ~DanielleMiner

Suggester says; Night: Bolte Bridge by *Punkdiva is a beautiful nighshot of Melbourne with a lot of interesting details. The serene atmosphere makes the photograph even greater.
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by ~brammoolenaar)

Ile St Louis, study 2 by *RamDam-Project

Ile St Louis, study 2 by *RamDam-Project is a stunning minimalistic piece which works perfectly well with the monochrome tone to create a beautiful atmosphere.
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by ~ShadyBlues)

Charm City II by ~cenkphoto

With a stunning colour scheme and beautiful reflections, Charm City II by ~cenkphoto is truly a fantastic shot.
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by *Serend1pity)

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Nuclear One by !photolitherland

A fantastic clean shot with a beautiful symmetry.
Nuclear One by ~photolitherland
(Featured by `ScENeYmE)

Everthere by ~adamlack

A great atmosphere and beautiful tones make this a perfect shot
Everthere by *Cerique
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by ~NettyC)

Sunset Skyline by ~Shooter1970

Suggester says; This photo is amazingly painting-esque, especially when it comes to the reflection in the water. Each detail of the actual buildings is quite defined. Every aspect of this shot is stunning.
Sunset Skyline by ~Shooter1970
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by `Emerald-Depths)

HongKong island by ~garki

_{=GraphiteColours says; This is one of the most interesting shots of Hong Kong that I've ever seen. It's an unusual angle for a cityscape, but the mesmerising colours of the water and the sky contrast nicely with the modern skyline, making it look like something out of painting
*Mishelangello says; What a beautiful view! Everything looks like straight from dream, city in magical sunrise! Soft lighting and colors create very beautiful mood! Fantastic!} HongKong island by ~garki
(Featured by `ScENeYmE)

this morning by ~tea-house-moon

Suggester says; Absolutely breathtaking! The atmosphere is beyond any words that could come to mind.
this morning by ~tea-house-moon
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by ~Me-Myself-And)

To the next level by ~Calawa

Suggester says; is a well realized, composed and fascinating picture.
To the next level by ~Calawa
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by =zuckerblau)

The city sleeps II by ~ilsilenzio

The city sleeps II by ~ilsilenzio is a beautiful cityscape which captures a foggy New York at its finest.
(Featured by `ScENeYmE)

SHADOWSCAPES DUBAI by *SSquared-Photography

Suggester says; The people in this image creates a sense of self not normally seen in cityscapes. It makes me wonder where they've just been out to and where in the skyline are they returning to? Great shot
SHADOWSCAPES DUBAI by *slavophotography
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by *moviegirl78)

London Eye 2010 by ~sebastianwuttke

Suggester says; This is a very interesting use of long exposure! Unlike most photos of the London Eye, in this one it looks like it's actually spinning and the effect is really rather impressive!
London Eye 2010 by *sebastianwuttke
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by =GraphiteColours)

San Giovanni Bianco, cityscape by *WelshGlue

Suggester says; San Giovanni Bianco, cityscape by *welshglue is a beautiful wintry shot of this deviant's village. Despite my personal loathe of winter, I could probably handle it if I were to live in such a beautiful, classic rural setting.
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by *Topicality)

. . : : m a j e s t y : : . . by ~phoenixgraphixstudio

Suggester says; Serene and majestic, the soft colour palette of this photo complements the surreal atmosphere very well. A lovely winter shot that exudes a quiet beauty.
. . : : m a j e s t y : : . . by *the-eyes-of-edera
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by =GraphiteColours)

upside-down sbmssn by ~ouzouzouz

upside-down sbmssn by ~ouzouzouz shows that, with just a simple rotation, an image can be turned into an interesting and somewhat surreal piece of work.
(Featured by `ScENeYmE)

In cammino by ~alexdada

Suggester says; I love the fog and the tones, I can almost feel the cold.
In cammino by ~alexdada
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by `TwiggyTeeluck)

Moscow 2 by *andrewhitc

Suggester says; Moscow 2 by *andrewhitc is a smoggy yet picturesque view of Moscow. I personally love the color tones and the architecture of this shot; with addition of the uplifting smoke, this is a wonderful capture.
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by *Topicality)

Industrial Landscape Study 3 by ~MichelRajkovic

Industrial Landscape Study 3 is an intriguing piece of industrial photography. =MichelRajkovic has captured a stunning and somewhat surreal scene.
(Featured by `ScENeYmE)

Remembrance by *aleksivic

Suggester says; This is a beautiful skyline; the darkness helps to capture the essence of NYC and the glowing lights of the 9-11 memorial.
Remembrance by *aivic
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by `Emerald-Depths)

The next stage by ~Waveaside

Suggester says; It immediately stood out for me, mainly because the atmosphere is so profound! The overall tone and the way the path disappears into the distance really add depth to this piece. I can't help wondering what it would be like if the benches captured in this photo were a 'next step' in life.
The next stage by ~Waveaside
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by ^3wyl)

Le journal - Block CLXXIX by *bwiti

Le journal - Block CLXXIX is just one amazing example from *bwiti's gallery. *bwiti has captured a stunning winter scene with beautiful tones.
Suggested by ~QuietCity and *Yoiyami
_{Deviant also suggested by `Exillior and `PatrickRuegheimer}
(Featured by `ScENeYmE)

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One Dozen by `tangledweb

Suggester says; An unusual yet interesting scene, this makes for an impressive panoramic shot!
One Dozen by `tangledweb
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by =GraphiteColours)

Tokyo Metro by ~Shteuf

Suggester says; Tokyo Metro by *Shteuf is a excellent city life shot. The composition of the train turning into the station in this black and white shot is magnificent.
(Featured by `ScENeYmE, suggested by *Topicality)