Art is Language is a blog about the art of photography. In each post I discuss a different topic, from how to take better photos to how to edit your photos in an image editor. It’s all about the practice of photography and how you can do it better.

I started writing Art is Language because I wanted to share my knowledge with others and because I enjoy writing (and reading) about photography. I’m passionate about photography and am constantly trying to improve my own work.

The blog is updated regularly (usually once or twice a week). I usually write one blog post per week, but sometimes I write more or less depending on my other commitments.

The topics are varied: some are specific photographic techniques, others are more general topics that apply to every photographer no matter what their interests. The most popular posts so far have been tutorials on how to use the various features of Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, although I also feature posts on photo composition, the business side of photography (including one piece on how much photographers actually make), and a few other miscellaneous topics.

Most importantly, everything on Art is Language is completely free! All the articles are available for free as text, as well as in audio format (with transcripts) if you prefer to listen instead

This is a place for art and photography related discussions. I hope you will participate in the comments section. Feel free to write whatever you want, just remember, it’s not a blog about photography only and it’s not my blog so I don’t think I have to follow my rules 😉

If you want to participate, please register using the form in the right upper corner of the site. If you are an artist or a photographer, feel free to write yourself. The posts are moderated but no censorship will be made.

Art is language and photography is art, Art&Language said it already in 1977, Robert Hirsch said it as well in his book about conceptual photography (2009), two books that were in my mind when I decided to create this blog, because I believe that there are many photographers who can teach us something about life and it’s not just the other way around: our life can teach us something about photography!

I love all kinds of art and I love art criticism so here we go!

Art is the most direct language. That is why we need art in our life. Art makes us feel, think and understand what we see. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then art can be said to be worth a million. It is the reflection of the reality around us or a mere illusion or imagination of it.

Hence, the importance of Art in our day-to-day life cannot be undermined. People who claim that art is not worthy neglects its importance and value in their own lives. Thus, it has been observed that only those people who do not appreciate art are less likely to produce it (Art is Language).

Art is one way of assessing the extent to which people have evolved as human beings. It also gives us a glimpse into the prevailing culture at any given point of time. The basic idea behind this concept is that by studying artworks produced in different historical epochs you get an idea about what were the beliefs and values of artists at that time. In short, art helps us reach out to its viewers; it lets them know what was happening or was going through the minds of people belonging to a particular period in history (Art is Language).

Art is a language: It communicates directly to people. It is a universal language that does not need any translation.

Friedrich Schiller once said, “Art is the proper task of life.” The word “task” implies an activity that requires effort and discipline. Art is an activity that we should engage in on a daily basis. It requires patience, courage, and hard work.

Art is easy to learn, but difficult to master. An artist needs to be free from all the distractions of life; he needs solitude and total concentration. He needs to focus his mind and soul on creating art for himself, for his own satisfaction and nothing else.

Art has no boundaries; it’s limitless. There are no rules when it comes to creating art although there are guidelines that help the artist stay focused on his projects – see 50 rules for artists .

Art is subjective; it cannot be measured with scales or tape measures in order to determine if it meets the standard or not. A work of art can only be measured by the effect that it leaves on its viewers or audience.

The photographic community will be celebrating another World Art Day on the 21st March, 2012. This day is being organised by the World Photography Organisation with the aim of promoting photography and photographers across the globe. It is a day to celebrate photography as an art form and to appreciate the important role that it plays in contemporary culture.

This year the focus of World Art Day is “Shooting Back”. What does this mean? Well, it means exactly what it says: shooting back! It’s about turning the camera around and taking photos of people taking photos of you.

It also refers to artists taking back control of their work by creating their own versions of iconic images that have been used by advertisers or media organisations. In doing so they are not only reclaiming their image rights but creating new visual statements that carry different meanings and messages.

This is one way of looking at “shooting back”. Another way is to recognise that we live in a world where there are many active participants in our culture and not just passive consumers. To shoot back is to become an active participant yourself, not just a spectator.

While I was in high school, the local art museum had a photography exhibit. It was the first time I had seen any photographs larger than wallet-size, and they were beautiful. My parents bought me a small box camera for Christmas that year, and after that I spent all my free time taking pictures with it.

I’ve been doing it ever since.

Around the same time, I read John Hersey’s Hiroshima. The book is a powerful retelling of what happened on August 6, 1945, when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city. The first two pages are particularly impressive:

At exactly fifteen minutes past eight in the morning, on August 6th, 1945, Japanese time, at the moment when the atomic bomb flashed above Hiroshima, Miss Toshiko Sasaki, a clerk in the personnel department at the East Asia Tin Works, had just sat down at her place in the plant office and was turning her head to speak to the girl at the next desk. Miss Sasaki had been feeling unwell since early morning – she had probably eaten something bad for breakfast – but now she felt better and her spirits had risen as she fixed her eye on a large illustration on a calendar hanging opposite: a rabbit dressed in Chinese clothes standing sideways with