Better Photography February 2010 Issue Preview

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TWO SUPPLeMENTS: BASIC GUIDE TO IMAGE EDITING • SHOWCASE OF NIKON-BP POY 2009

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MAKING the BEST OF YOUR COMPACT CAMERA • NIkon-BP POY 2009 SHOWCASE • Sebastião Salgado

Capture the perfect moment to make spectacular pictures MAKing THE BEST OF YOUR

COMPACT

CAMERA How to overcome its limitations & use it in every possible situation

Vol. 13 • No. 9 • FEBRUARY 2010

EXCLUSIVE TESTS Tokina 16.5–135mm Tamron 17–50mm f/2.8 VC

of Winners

N? O H T A N I WAre you one of the!m inside Find out

On Assignment

Larger-than-life portraits of tiny, weird insects

GREAT MASTERS

The life & work of elusive legend Sebastião Salgado

Photofeature

Incredible vistas from the daunting, frozen Zanskar river

CM YK

PROFILE

Ritesh Uttamchandani's quirky views on photojournalism

February 2010

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SnapShots

GearGuide

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Software of the Month Poladroid

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Book Review A History of Photography – From 1839 To The Present

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44

Test

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Tamron SP AF17– 50mm f/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical [IF] Is this lens better than standard zoom lenses?

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Shooting Technique

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The Decisive Moment Focus on the right moment to make better compositions

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ON ASSIGNMENT

I Have A Compact Camera… Help!

Learn to make the best of your camera’s abilities

Look Who’s Shooting Sarika Dandona

48 A search for India’s finest wedding photographers For the first time in India

Tokina AT-X 16.5–135mm DX More than just a kit lens?

BetterPictures

See page no. 38 for details

MICRO TEST

Bags, cards, chargers and more

Bugs Magnified!

Larger-than-life portraits of small, icky creatures

InFocus

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94 ShowCase

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Pieces to Panographies Using more than one photograph to represent a scene

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Profile

Ritesh Uttamchandani On his search for the perfect way to describe photojournalism

PhotoFinish

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DIFFERENT STROKES

What Makes A Good Photographer?

164 From the 1900s, History of Photography

With Love Retracing the role of picture postcards

166 Specialise Your Way MARKET SENSE

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TIPS & TRICKS

Create moods, shoot unusual long exposures and more

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to Success Grow your business by focusing on one genre

My Best Shot

Anirban Brahma Great Masters

Sebastião Salgado The life and work of this elusive, world-famous photographer

167

Royalty-Free Images Its fundamentals and applications

168 When the Wrights Took Story Behind the Picture

the First Flight

Regulars Photofair 2010 Glimpses of the 15th Edition

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Are you one of the lucky winners? Find out!

102 Vivekanand Nagwekar PHOTOFEATURE

150th issue Winathon Results 38

Walking On Ice

Feedback.............................................................12 PHOTOCRITIQUE................................................... 72 Q & A................................................................... 82 1000 WORDS........................................................100 Your Pictures...................................................108 BP Buyer’s Guide...............................................148

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Samsung WB-series cameras

Advocate Wins Photographer of the Year 2009

Samsung have announced the WB600 and WB650, updates of the previous WB-series cameras, the WB500 and WB550. These two compact superzoom cameras boast of a number of firsts.

Both these 12.2MP cameras claim to be the world’s slimmest 15x zoom cameras, and have their lens starting at an equivalent of 24mm at the wide end. They also shoot HD video at a resolution of 720p. Between the two of them, the WB650 has a more exhaustive list of features. It includes built-in GPS and also has a 3-inch AMOLED display.

As compared to conventional LCD displays, AMOLED screens show better visibility in snulight, enhanced colours and contrast, and also help preserve battery life.

Samsung ST-series cameras

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Samsung have also updated their ST-series of cameras. The 12.2MP ST60 and 14.2MP ST70 both offer similar features, with 2.7-inch LCD screens and 720p HD video recording. The cameras also offer a variety of new Scene Modes including Fisheye, Lomo and a Fog Lifting mode that claims to cut through haze for clearer images.

The ST60 has an equivalent focal length of 27.5–110mm, while the ST70 has a 27135mm lens.

Samsung PL80 This 12.2-megapixel budget compact camera has a 5x zoom lens that offers a 35mm equivalent focal length of 28–140mm. The camera includes other features like Dual Image Stabilisation (both optical and digital) and focus tracking. The camera also has a unique Perfect Portrait system that combines features like Face Detection, Smile Shot, Blink Detection, Red-Eye Fix and Beauty Shot for better people photographs.

Shridhar Kunte

Bengaluru-based Harish N N was declared the winner of the title ‘Nikon-Better Photography Photographer of the Year 2009’. From L to R: Editor of Better Photography K Madhavan Pillai, judge of the final face-off Pablo Bartholomew, actress Manjiri Phadnis, winner Harish N N and Hiroshi Takashina, Divisional GM of Nikon India.

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he 5th edition of India’s biggest photography awards received a staggering 40,000 entries across eight themes and two categories. Harish N N, an advocate and wildlife photographer from Bengaluru won the title of NikonBetter Photography Photographer of the Year 2009, a Nikon D300S, and has also become the Evangelist Photographer for Singapore Tourism Board for a period of one year. Aatish Khairnar, a 12th standard from Nashik was declared the Young Photographer of the Year 2009.

The winners were felicitated at a grand

event at the Hyatt Regency in Mumbai on 7 January 2010. Handpicked from among 90 nominations, the eight finalists of the Senior category were flown to Singapore to compete in the final face-off that had the theme From Singapore with Love: Celebration of Life. After three days shooting thousands of images, the contestants submitted 80 images in all. Eminent photographer Pablo Bartholomew judged these images and chose Harish as the winner. Look out for the winning images and details of the fivemonth journey in the special supplement with this issue.

The basic material of photographs is not intrinsically beautiful. It’s not like ivory or tapestry or bronze or oil on canvas. You’re not supposed to look at the thing, you’re supposed to look through it. It’s a window.

John Szarkowski (1925–2007) Thaddeus John Szarkowski was a photographer, curator, historian and critic. The former Director of Photography at New York’s Museum of Modern Art for nearly 30 years grew up in the small northern Wisconsin city of Ashland, in the US. He wrote a number of books about photography and photographers too. His most popular one titled Mirrors and Windows: American Photography Since 1960 is said to have taught the world how to look at pictures.

Better Photography

Image source: www.guardian.co.uk

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snapshots

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Panasonic SDXC Cards

International CES 2010 Gets Bigger and Better

Panasonic has announced its first ever SDXC memory card. This card is available in capacities of 48GB and 64GB, offering Class 10 speed with a maximum data transfer speed of 22MB/s.

These cards are fully compatible with digital cameras and camcorders, with the large capacities being ideal for long photography trips or for shooting HD videos.

The cards have been tested to be function from a temperature range of -13°F to 185°F.

Toshiba SDXC Cards

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Toshiba have also introduced SDXC cards for the first time. Two types of 64GB cards have been launched—while one of them has a maximum read-write speed of 60MB/s, the other one has a maximum speed of 35MB/s.

Lexar CF Cards Lexar has upgraded its professional line of Compact Flash memory cards. The high-end Professional 300x CF card is now available in a larger capacity of 32GB, while the Professional 233x cards are now available in 32GB and 16GB capacities.

Additionally, the Professional 133x SDHC cards have been upgraded and made faster, now boasting of a Class 10 speed rating.

Bibble 5 Pro Bibble Labs have announced the latest version of their RAW workflow software, Bibble 5 Pro. This latest version has been in development since September 2006 and it was actually expected to launch way back in late 2008. Due to the delay in release, Bibble is offering a free upgrade for people who have bought Bibble 4 Pro since September 2006.

The company claims that Bibble 5 Pro is up to 88 times as fast as ‘similar applications’. A fully-functional 14-day trial version of the software is available on www.bibblelabs.com.

Better Photography

T

he International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2010 at Las Vegas was a grand success, with the number of trade exhibitors, product launches being more than ever before.

Almost 70 compact cameras were announced in the pre-CES week and during the show, and a number of new technologies were introduced and showcased at the show. The registration figures during this four-day show indicate more than 120,000 industry professionals attended the 2010 International CES, up from the 2009 CES that hosted 113,085 verified attendees.

The sheer volume of cameras introduced at this international trade show revealed some interesting trends.

Most manufacturers continue to be a part of the megapixel race, with many cameras sporting 14MP sensors. HD video is almost becoming a norm, zoom lenses are going wider with 28mm becoming common and newer technologies like GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and AMOLED screens are being introduced.

Nikon and Fujifilm were two companies that did not make any new announcements. All eyes are now on the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) that starts on February 21.

Canon Launches Budget Compacts Canon launched four new products in their A-series of PowerShot cameras. The PowerShot A3000IS and A3100IS are

the first A-series cameras to use Li-ion batteries. Additionally, the A490 and A495 replace the PowerShot A480 at the bottom of Canon’s budget compact camera line.

12 Compact Cameras from Sony Sony introduced as many as 12 compact cameras. Features introduced last year like

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test

Tokina AT-X 16.5–135mm DX

Many Lenses in One

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Shridhar Kunte tests the latest lens from Tokina, the AT-X 16.5–135mm DX, to find out if it can replace the kit lens in your camera bag.

T Weightage of parameters 10% 15% 15% 25%

35%

Features Performance Build Quality Ergonomics Warranty & Support Better Photography

okina had designed lenses with a focal range of 24–200mm in the film era. However, such a focal range gives a rather awkward field-of-view on DX bodies. Now, the company has grabbed this opportunity and introduced the 16.5–135mm (approx.

24–200mm in the 35mm format). This also helps the company differentiate from close competitors like Sigma and Tamron.

Despite the fact that Tokina does not have image stabilisation, its wider focal length is an advantage.

Features The focal length starts at 16.5mm and this will be particularly handy while shooting landscapes and interiors. The 8x focal length and a total body length of 78mm makes this lens a true travel companion.

The lens has a three-fold construction and when set at 135mm the total body length of the lens becomes 120mm.It can be fitted with 77mm threaded filters. The lens has a minimum focusing distance

of 50cm throughout the focal range. It also has a magnification ratio of 0.18x at this distance. The AT-X 16.5–135 DX is fitted with newly designed high-precision mechanical zoom cam system minimises play and eliminates zoom creep.

While focusing, the front element of the lens does not rotate, making it easier to use a circular polariser filter. Typically, varifocal lenses tend to lose contrast at the extreme telephoto end and are susceptible to chromatic aberrations. To overcome this problem, this lens is equipped with five special elements—one all glass precisionmoulded element and two compound elements that yield high contrast.

Additionally two Super-low Dispersion (SD) glass elements correct chromatic aberration. Also, the lens is supplied with BH-777 flower-type lens hood to keep away the stray light entering in the lens.

Handling For testing purposes, I used the lens on a Nikon D70s and found that it has excellent

P lu s • Wide focal range • Overall sharpness • Compact size Minus • No IS • No built-in AF motor f e b r ua ry 2 0 1 0

test

Tamron SP AF17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical [IF]

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Just Another Standard Lens?

Neha Mutreja tests the Tamron SP AF17–50mm f/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical [IF] lens for cameras with small sensors, to see if performs better than other standard zoom lenses.

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35%

Features Performance Build Quality Ergonomics Warranty & Support Better Photography

ith the emergence of a whole new range of cameras with smaller sensors, lens manufacturers have specifically begun to cater to these camera users as well. Tamron, too, has joined the bandwagon, by launching the SP AF17–50mm f/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical [IF] lens. This high-speed, wideto-moderate-telephoto zoom lens has been designed for cameras with sensors that measure 24 X 16mm, and not for 35mm film cameras or full-frame DSLRs. We tested the Nikon mount version of the lens.

Features With a field of view equivalent to 25.5– 75mm (in 35mm parlance), this lens is ideal for capturing landscapes, portraits, interiors and travel scenes. (The field of view may differ slightly from mount to mount, considering the crop factor of each camera manufacturer.)

The lens has three aspherical and two LD (low dispersion) lens elements. These ensure that the lens produces excellent-

quality images throughout the zoom range, effectively correcting any axial and magnification-related chromatic aberrations. The new BBAR (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection) multi-layer internal and external coatings minimise ghosting and flare; thus ensuring impressive performance and exceptional image quality even in tricky situations. It also has an XR (Extra Refractive Index) glass that has achieved compactness in the lens’s design and helps reduce aberrations.

Additionally, this zoom lens features Tamron’s proprietary tri-axial Vibration Compensation (VC) that minimises the effects of handheld camera shake. It allows you to shoot at shutterspeeds four stops slower than usual, making it very useful in low light situations. The minimum focusing distance of 0.27m allows you to get really close to your subject.

Handling I took this lens out on the streets to shoot dense crowds, and also shot portraits at a wedding. In both situations, the Tamron

P lu s • Excellent focusing speed • Effective Vibration Compensation Minus • Barrel distortion at the wide end • No manual override for focus f e b r ua ry 2 0 1 0

Sho ot ing T echniq ue

BetterPictures

I Have A Compact Camera‌ Help!

Raj Lalwani tells you how to solve the problems that are commonly associated with compact cameras, and use them in every possible shooting situation.

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Better Photography

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SHOOTING TECHNIQUE

ON ASSIGNMENT

ON ASSIGNMENT

The Decisive Moment Focus on the right moment

Bugs Magnified!

Extreme macros of small, icky creatures

Pieces to Panographies Use more than one photo to represent a scene

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right camera settings will help you overcome these problems and shoot fantastic images.

I am Not Able to Shoot in Low Light When the light is good, compact cameras seem to work fine, but the moment the light levels dip, your images start to suffer. To shoot in low light without a flash, you will need to take the support of a flat surface or push yourself against a wall to minimise

Compact cameras usually show best results when you underexpose by half a stop, as this enhances midtone colours like red and blue.

Camera: Samsung ST50 Better Photography

Raj Lalwani

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ow often has it happened that you have looked at your compact camera and felt that it is not good enough? If you are frustrated by your compact camera’s abilities or feel that its features and performance are not up to the mark, you have probably not explored the true potential of your camera.

Compact cameras do have some typical problems. But a few simple tricks and the

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Sho o t ing T echnique

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The Decisive Moment H

ave you ever expected that something is about to take place and realised that a minute later, it actually does? This is exactly what photography is all about. For instance, imagine that you are out shooting on the streets and you spot a group of children running back home from school. Your camera settings are in place and you F e b r ua ry 2 0 1 0

manage to get a few shots before the children are gone. But when you review the pictures later, you realise that the frame does not tell a story. This is because the decisive moment was missed.

Henri Cartier-Bresson coined the term ‘decisive moment’ and explained it as “the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as the precise organisation

The gestures of the boys, their position in the frame and the two crows, make a brilliant moment.

Exposure: 1/800sec at f/5.6 (ISO 100) Better Photography

Alok Brahmbhatt

Ever wondered why you missed out on that perfect shot? Ambarin Afsar explains how focusing on the right moment can help you achieve better compositions.

Bugs Magnified!

Thomas Shahan talks about his larger-than-life portraits of small creatures that often go unnoticed, or are misunderstood as ‘icky’ or just ‘weird’.

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or many people, bugs—spiders in particular—can evoke some unpleasant emotions.

Widespread misconceptions and irrational fears have created a general disgust of spiders among the public, making them widely feared and unappreciated. Upon viewing their profound beauty, remarkable diversity, and fascinating lives at high magnification, some may develop a newfound appreciation and adoration for the

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Better Photography

My Assignment Description Taking extreme close-up portraits of arthropods—a variety of spiders, robber flies, crane flies and others

Duration Ongoing

Notes Go out and observe life around you. Insects and spiders are largely harmless and highly beneficial animals that are often remarkably beautiful under high magnification.

I found this little female maevia iclemens on my back porch.

Through the viewfinder, I could see that bright red haze move about behind the spider’s exceptionally vivid eyes!

Lens: 28mm reversed to macro bellows Exposure: 1/125sec at f/8, ISO 200 (4 photos, 5:1 magnification)

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Shortly after I photographed this male paraphidippus aurantius jumping spider, he was killed by a female that was bigger and stronger.

I took no part in his death and would never intentionally encourage them to kill each other.

Lens: 28mm reversed to extension tubes Exposure: 1/125sec at f/5.6 ISO 200 (5 photos, 4:1 magnification)

What is Focus Stacking?

This is a digital technique that involves taking a series of consecutive photographs of the same subject at different focus distances. The images are then ‘stacked’ together to form one image with a DOF greater than any of the individual images. f e b r ua ry 2 0 1 0

world’s arachnids. Close-up views of the fantastically odd world of bugs and spiders will surely assist one to understand our tiny and beneficial neighbours.

My Perspective I specialise in high-magnification macro photography for one reason: arthropods (invertebrates with exo-skeletons) are an absolutely beautiful and diverse group of animals that are seemingly infinite in supply. These remarkable creatures often go unnoticed, because of their relatively small size. By sharing these macroportraits, I am attempting to not only publicise the extraordinary beauty present in arthropods, but also change the general mindset towards bugs and spiders.

striking they were! As my enthusiasm grew, I began to read more about the species present in my area. Soon enough, I started heading out into rural areas of Oklahoma, US, searching high and low for arthropods to shoot. I had no trouble finding beautiful bugs to shoot; but I soon realised just how profoundly difficult, physically exhausting, and time-consuming photographing arthropods can be.

Extreme patience is without a doubt the single most imperative key to success with high-magnification macro photography.

I rescued this rabidosa rabida (rabid wolf spider) from being chopped by a lawnmower and took some photos before letting her go safely. Despite missing a leg, she was fast and made several, almost successful escape attempts.

Lens: 50mm reversed to extension tubes Exposure: 1/180sec at f/16, ISO 100 (3 photos)

The Process Shortly after buying my first DSLR just a couple of years ago, I quickly became interested in macro photography. As a result of my early experiments with reversing prime lenses, I developed a heightened appreciation for the bugs present in my backyard. Upon observing them closely, I realised how remarkably varied and Better Photography

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Pieces to Panographies 18-year-old Kushal Goenka shares how he uses more than a photograph to show what our eyes can perceive in a scene.

BRIGHT AND DARK: To make this image, I stood in the middle of the room and clicked all around, in rows, covering all the elements that I wanted to display.

Exposure: 1/160sec at f/5.6 (ISO 3200)

Better Photography

H

ave you ever come across a situation when you see a beautiful tree on your left, a towering office building on your right and a cloud-laden sky in the background? And have you wished that you could capture everything

you can see with your eyes? I have. But it is not always possible to capture it all in one shot, in one single frame.

My Perspective So I decided to take a number of pictures of everything I liked from that scene. f e b r ua ry 2 0 1 0

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My Assignment Description Making collages of photographs or panographies that display what cannot be seen or represented through one photograph

Duration A few minutes to shoot the pictures, and a few hours to assemble many images into one shot

Notes All works of art require an eye for beauty. You can try this technique whenever you see beauty around you. f e b r ua ry 2 0 1 0

Better Photography

Want to share your ideas and tips? Write to The Editor, Better Photography Infomedia18 Limited Ruby House, ‘A’ Wing J K Sawant Marg, Dadar (W) Mumbai-400 028, India E-mail: editor@betterphotography.in

silhouettes. Harsh light can make for stark, gritty images with high contrast. Such lighting can even lend a mysterious mood to both B&W and colour photographs.

Conversely, soft light can convey a mellow, less threatening tone in a photograph.

Shadows and Angles for Tension You can make use of slanted and other unusual camera angles to convey a sense of uneasiness. Jagged edges, corners, sharp contours and crazy angles can suggest suspense and tension. Similarly, you might find it useful to include shadows in the frame. Often, photographing a subject’s shadow can be just as effective as shooting the actual subject, and can be very successful in establishing visual tension.

Using Space Raj Lalwani

THE MOOD MAKERS Using Light Effectively

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Pay attention to the light in your composition, as it plays an important role in establishing the mood of a photograph.

For instance, backlighting can be used to create dramatic pictures as well as sharp

This image has a combination of shadows as well as angles used to draw attention to the central subject, the crow.

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A back-lit, B&W silhouette goes a long way towards establishing a subtle yet striking mood.

Shooting any single subject standing in a large area will create an instantaneous feeling of isolation. It does not matter what that one subject is, but the smaller it is in the scene, the greater the feeling of isolation and loneliness. A chair in a vacant hall, a swing in an empty playground, a solitary vendor walking on a barren road in the afternoon sun or even a battered signboard on a closed shop make for good moody photographs.

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Raj Lalwani

Experimenting with Focus Shooting with a wide aperture will have most of the frame out of focus because of a shallow depth-of-field. But this can give you dreamlike effects that tend to work particularly well for photographs of children—where soft focus highlights innocence and safety. Alternatively, if you are photographing a stark cityscape for instance, you might want a larger area of sharpness (by using a narrow aperture) to maintain the sharp edges, and therefore reflect the atmosphere of the place you are photographing.

The man has been captured in the upper right corner of the image, entering the frame. The rest of the image indicates the scale and severity of the flood effectively.

can be revoked. If you are asked to leave and you do not, then you are trespassing.

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Government and Private Property Government-owned properties such as railway stations, courts of law, town markets, city libraries, military bases, nuclear facilities and docks are prohibited from being photographed. If you are on a privately owned property and are asked not to take pictures, you are obliged to honour the request. If you are in a train that is standing

To achieve a softfocused image like this, fog the filter that covers your lens by blowing on it.

Add ‘Gritty’ Noise Images with a lot of luminance noise need not be bad images. You can experiment with noise levels to create stark, grainy pictures that look like they were made using film.

Increase ISO levels and switch off in-camera Noise Reduction. Alternatively, you could boost noise in Photoshop or use plugins.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE LAW Shooting in Public Places If a place is open to the general public, you can photograph it unless explicitly mentioned or ordered. This includes shopping malls, lobbies of office buildings, parks and shops. However, this permission F e b r ua ry 2 0 1 0

Raj Lalwani Better Photography

Prof i l e

ShowCase

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Ritesh Uttamchandani

• His photograph of Daksha Modi, a survivor of the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts, became the most iconic image of the event.

• He not only shoots quirky portraits, but enjoys posing in an equally funny manner for photographs.

• He loves going off for road trips on his own and believes that North-East India is a photographer’s delight.

Better Photography

Confessions of a Visual Mind With some unabashed criticism and a lot of idealism, young Ritesh Uttamchandani searches for the perfect way to describe photojournalism. Raj Lalwani finds out more.

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ver the past two years, Ritesh Uttamchandani has become a good friend of mine. That is why when we sat across the table for an ‘official interview’, it did seem weird to get down to a list of questions and answers. I did not know where to start, and the waiter came to our

table to give us two glasses of tea. Ritesh grinned and said, “Did I tell you that I was once a waiter at McDonald’s?”

From Cybercafés to Cameras With that shocking revelation, we continued the conversation. Ritesh describes his early days as a drifter and f e b r ua ry 2 0 1 0

Great Masters

Photo Feature

your pictures

SebastiãoSalgado Life and work of this world famous photographer

Vivekanand Nagwekar His long, arduous trek to the frozen Zanskar river

Winners of a photoP r o f i l e contest organised by iReboot

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This child was playing with his father’s gun in Champaran, Bihar.

According to Ritesh, the kid demanded that his portrait be shot, and Ritesh would dare not refuse! f e b r ua ry 2 0 1 0

Better Photography

UNICEF/HQ01-0123/ NICOLE TOUTOUNJI

Sebasti達o Salgado Samira Pillai sets out on a journey to discover the life and work of the elusive, enigmatic, much-loved, much-criticised, world-famous photographer Sebasti達o Salgado.

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Kuwait, 1991 Better Photography

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ome describe the 66-year-old Sebastião Ribeiro Salgado as a Brazilian social documentary photographer. Many look upon him as an institution, while others criticise his work and approach towards his subjects. But who is he really? f E B R UARY 2 0 1 0

A trained economist, a conscientious photographer who captures the lives of the dispossessed or a family man who does “a lot of work just to earn a living”? In an attempt to find an answer, I found myself studying a lot of information and peeling through several layers of this enigma.

Better Photography

From the postc

ard collection

of K Madhavan

Pillai

Histo ry

Divided-back postcards had the spaces for the message and address divided by a line on the back. The front side had the complete picture.

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From the 1900s, With Love Ambarin Afsar retraces the different roles that picture postcards have essayed throughout the twentieth century.

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2.5 million postcards were sold everyday in the US by 1910.

Better Photography

hen 24-year-old writer Helen MacGregor received a Christmas greeting in the form of a postcard, she was amazed to see that it was a picture of the town she grew up in.

The postcard showed her as a 3-year-old with her mother in the market town of Otley, West Yorkshire in England. This image was captured on camera and put on a postcard—and had found its way to her after two decades!

Snapshots like these can be found in antique shops and used-book stores. The charm of such postcards lies in the fact that they capture a thought, or even a concern through unique handwritten inscriptions.

Picture Postcard Trivia • The picture postcard first appeared in the early 1980’s with the arrival of hotel publicity cards. Meant to be used by guests, these cards had images of the Hotels which issued them, printed as a vignette on the top.

• Picture postcards are avidly collected by individuals and clubs. This hobby is known as deltiology.

• Advertisers have extensively used picture postcards to advertise their products and continue to do so even today.

• Modern picture postcards are called Chrome postcards.

The images on these cards are based on colored photographs, and are characterised by the glossy appearance given by the paper’s coating.

A chrome postcard of the ship, Christopher Columbus

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H i sto ry

Strange and Quirky Picture Postcards Old postcards open windows in time with a view of the world as it once was, almost as though they were posted across the ages.

Earliest Picture Postcards The first postcard was created by Dr Emanuel Hermann in Austria in 1869.

Within a year, this postcard spurred a revolution in the way messages were communicated. Between 1902 and 1910, the production of ‘divided back’ postcards skyrocketed. They accommodated an entire picture on the front and text on the back. Though limited by the 3.5 X 5.5-inch size, they allowed an astonishing variety of photographic expression.

Picture vs Real Photo

This postcard shows an inverted reflection in a glass globe. The era of the postcard is unknown. The image in the postcard is very reminiscent of famed architect, M S Escher’s imagery which featured explorations of infinity. All three postcards shown here are from Harvey Tulcensky’s collection.

Two major types of postcards evolved—the printed picture postcard and the real photo postcard. Printed picture postcards were mass-produced. The real photo postcards were chemically produced from a negative on photo paper with pre-printed postcard backs and hence, unique. In 1903, Kodak introduced an affordable, folding pocket camera that could take pictures that were printed directly on postcard-backs or postcard stock.

The Postcard Mania In Britain alone, the number of postcards passing through the post office rose from 313 million in 1895 to 926 million in 1914.

By 1910, 2.5 million postcards were sold everyday in the US! This golden era of postcards lasted till the beginning of the First World War. 75% of commercially produced postcards were printed in Germany. But since Germany was the enemy, the War blocked their import.

Though subsidised picture postcards were produced even after the War, people were not interested anymore because the movies became the new visual experience.

165 This postcard shows a photo-montage of Mona Lisa’s face superimposed on a giant woman. It was sent to a German lady named Marie-Thérèse Lemaire from Juliette, a Frenchwoman, in 1911.

The message inquires about Marie’s health and mentions how Juliette has written the message at a post office, using a nail.

Story-tellers Picture postcards allowed photographers to travel and document life. They took pictures of important buildings and sites, parades, fires and floods. Realtors used postcards to sell new housing by writing descriptions and prices on the back. Real photo postcards were also largely sold as souvenirs in local drug stores and stationery shops.

Today, picture postcards are compiled into books about countries and eras, as they allow us to view habits and styles now largely forgotten.

F e b r ua ry 2 0 1 0

There was depression in the wine market from 1902 to 1910, which led to taxation protests carried out by the wine-makers of France. This postcard photograph captures quite a unique and humorous manner of protest in the region of Poligny.

The translation of the text on the cart is, “The old wine press of our fathers turned into a fiscal press.”

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