Slow Photography

"That photo ain't got no punctum*," I told her as we looked at the screen. "Punk dom, l ike a kingdom of punks?" she said, looking skeptical. "No. Punctum." I said, the corners of my mouth sliding upwards. "Yeah, so what is it?" she asked, smiling. I paused. "It's a point in a photo that pricks you  in a visceral, non-verbal way, like a haiku." "Let me explain," I said. "The question is how can you mobilize your photography to create a meaningful image. You want the viewer to look. To do this, we've gotta put meaningful details in the picture." OK, so what's a punctum? A punctum is a small, poignant detail that commands us to keep looking at the photograph, not because we think the detail adds beauty, but because it disturbs us. Punctum come into a scene, we do not necessarily search them out when photographing. In the final frame, a punctum hol...

"I have a Point and Shoot Camera" OK, great. Here are beginner and expert tips. Beginner 1. Stabilize your camera as best you can. For sharp pictures,  put your camera on a stable platform. If you brought a tripod, use it to get the camera rock solid. 2. Choose the wide angle setting of your zoom range.  3. Find your Program Dial or Menu. There may be a mode called Fireworks in your SCN or SCENE Mode options. Choose the Fireworks Mode. This automatically gives you a long time exposure of 2 seconds or longer and sets the ISO automatically. Press the shutter. 4. Avoid touching the camera or tripod once the exposure starts.  Expert  Try to get a Double Finale. If you do not have a tripod, and brace yourself well, then hand-hold your camera. On most cameras, the fireworks mode turns the flash off, sets the focus to infinity, disables the exposure compensation, and lowers the ISO to about 160  "I have a Digital SLR Camera" 1. Star...