Chautauqua Institution, located in Chautauqua, NY., offers a weekly morning lecture series on topics of interest to many.

Week Two of their summer program highlights five National Geographic photographers that have worldwide recognition in their photographic fields.

The following photographers will be speaking at the Chautauqua Institution at 10:45 a.m. at the amphitheater.

Annie Griffiths Belt begins the National Geographic lecture week. Belts photography deals with the environment. She tries to hold the wonder of the world and capture it in her photography. She also is involved with fundraising events, which help communities or raise awareness for all to give back to the world.

Wade Davis is known for his strong interest in the environment. He wrote “In Search of One River” which was made into a film.  He also starred in “Grand Canyon Adventures” a movie about Davis and Robert Kennedy Jr., which follows their trip on the Colorado River. Davis, Kennedy and Kennedy’s children took a trip on the Colorado River and their adventure brought to attention environmental issues.

Kobie Boykins, an engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will be discussing the challenges and triumphs of mars exploration. In his lecture he will share images, current discoveries and his love for the Mars Exploration Project.

Ronald Johanson has a background in fossil exploration, which included the famous “Lucy” skeleton fossil”. This fossil is unique in the fact is has ape like qualities along with human qualities. Lucy, the 3.2 million year old skeleton is now being displayed throughout museums in United States.

Mattias Klum has dedicated 20years to flora and fauna of Borneo, He is a highly regarded natural history photographer with his work dealing with nature, culture and history. His recent trip to Borneo in 2008 documents the massive damage by man to the lowland rainforests.

Photography has been a way to share culture, history and images otherwise not available to millions of people. This series of lectures will carry you to far away places and make you aware of current environmental issues that shape our world.

If you are unable to catch the lectures tapes are available on their lectures at the Chautauqua Institution Kiosk or through the Chautauqua Institution.

The history of Photography began in the 1820’s. Niepce and Daguerre are credited with being the first inventors of modern photography. In simple terms, they used a chemical mixture made of silver and chalk, which they applied to glass. The glass was then exposed to light. The mixture would darken from the exposure to light and an image would appear.

It took many years to perfect the timing it took to create a good image, sharpness of an image and how to take photographs in different and often time difficult lighting. And photography in the early years was often dangerous and uncomfortable.

Uncomfortable? Yes! Early photographs often needed a very long exposure to create an image so in order to keep people from moving, neck and arm braces were used to hold people in place. You will also notice in vintage photographs many people were leaning on chairs. This was also a way to help people to stay still and not move during a long exposure.

Many advances have been made since the 1820’s, and even more changes have occurred in the last 10 years. It has been a challenge to keep up with new photographic equipment and ideas.

But light is still an important factor in photography, whether its film photography or digital photography. Poor lighting or washed out areas in a photograph can ruin an image and even with retouching or using Photoshop the image may not be able to be saved.

By studying the history of photography and understanding the process that master photographers used to create an image you will be able to apply some of their techniques and improve your photography.

A rule to follow when photographing is: The best photographic image is one that is the best quality at the time is it created.

And this brings forth a question that has been asked for many years. Is Photography an Art?

Many will say that photography is not an art because you just point the camera and take an image. And with the introduction of the digital camera where anyone can take a photo, “How could this be art?”

I am a firm believer that photography is art. Even a photograph taken at a reunion or picnic has artistic value. Image quality, meaning of the photograph that you are taking and knowledge of your photographic equipment is what will help you capture that moment in time and preserve it.

And by knowing design, the effects of lighting, the value of color or lack of color in an image will help you create a strong image that will be remembered.

Emotion also plays a part in a successful image. Emotion adds to the artistic expression that can be captured in photography. Joy, humor, sadness, are only a few of the feeling that can be stirred by a powerful photographic image and will make the photo stand out.

And by turning back to the history of photography and studying the advances in equipment and the extensive work of master photographers, you develop skills that are essential in creating a memorable image.