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Most of the winners have used older iPhones
The winners of the iPhone Photography Awards 2020 have just been announced – and the victorious entries prove that you don't need an iPhone 11 Pro to take gallery-worthy snaps.

The iPhone Photography Awards (or IPPA for short) have been running since 2007 and this year have crowned winners in 19 categories, including landscapes, news and an overall photographer of the year.

What's most noticeable about the hugely impressive variety in the winning photos is how relatively unimportant the actual model of the iPhone has been in producing an award-winning result.


We tallied up all of the iPhones used for each photo in first, second and third place in each category, and around half of the winning entries (26 from 57 winners) used an iPhone 8 (or older) model to take their snap.

One entry – Omar Lucas' dramatic "Knitting to heal wounds", which won the 'People' category – was even shot on the iPhone 4, which is now over a decade old.

Interestingly, the most represented model iPhone Photography Awards 2020 was the two-year-old iPhone X, which was responsible for a quarter of the winning snaps, including the 'Grand Prize' winner shot by Dimpy Bhalotia (below).

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Snapping skills
Of course, the spread of iPhones represented in the IPPAs may be an intentional part of the selection process. And the iPhone X's high representation could also be down to its combination of having relatively new tech like dual 12MP cameras, while being out in the wild long enough to capture some stunning moments.

But whatever the reasons for the variety of iPhones in the awards, the photos show that factors like composition, color, editing and being prepared to break conventions like the 'rule of thirds' are just as important as features like 'Night mode' and an ultra-wide lens, like the one on the iPhone 11 Pro.
For example, the winner of the 'travel' section shot by Kristian Cruz (above), is an extraordinary bit of composition created by anticipation, an understanding of light, and experimenting with low angles to add drama. It was shot on an iPhone X.

Another important factor is editing. The rules for the IPPAs state that "photos should not be altered in any desktop image processing program such as Photoshop", but that "it is okay to use any iOS apps". Many of the winning photos have clearly benefited from some editing polish, whether that's lifting the shadows or boosting contrast.

We asked some of the winners to tell us their favorite editing apps, and there was a huge variety in the responses. Nico Brons, whose won second place in the 'Landscape' category (below), is a fan of SnapSeed and DistressedFX.
Renata Dangelo, whose superb black-and-white shot (above) won second place in the 'Portrait category', instead recommends Photoshop Express for fine-tuning your images.

That said, Fernando Merlo (whose dramatic shot above won first place in 'News & events') simply relies on the native iOS Camera app, which has relatively limited editing tools. And Dimpy Bhalotia (Grand Prize Winner) says: "I rarely devote any time to editing – maybe a few photos but also then just a minute number of plus or minus of highlight".

Photographic toolkit
Clearly, the lesson is to experiment with the many iOS tools available to you, and find which works best for you.

Shooting in Raw is one of those tools that can have a big impact on your iPhone photography. Apple added the ability to shoot and edit Raw files on iPhones in iOS 10 in 2016. These files contain a lot more information than compressed HEIC files, which can give you extra leeway when it comes to editing your snaps.
Not that you should always shoot in Raw – these files are around three times bigger than their compressed cousins and Apple's built-in Smart HDR processing has become an increasingly impressive time-saver. But Raw shooting is another tool that can give you improved detail and editing flexibility in tricky situations, like scenes with dark shadows and bright highlights.

The real benefit of recent phones like the iPhone 11 Pro is that they give you extra photographic tools. Aside from point-and-shoot image quality, the reason why that model sits second in our best camera phones list is because it gives you extra versatility in the form of a 13mm ultra-wide angle lens and Night mode.

We expect to see these features represented more in future IPPAs as snappers have more time to play with them. But in the meantime have a leaf through this year's impressive gallery of winners (above and at the IPPA site) to spark your photographic imagination.

Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan inaugurated the 16th edition of 'Kala Ghoda Arts Festival' in Mumbai, which is the nine-day festival, it will be celebrate from Saturday 7th February to Sunday 15th February 2015 and It is open to all, free of charge. The festival is conducted over 9 days and across several locations.

In the festival one gets to see an array of events related to music, dance, literature, theatre, street stalls, films, workshops and heritage walks, Literature and Workshops for children as well as adults, is aimed at preserving the culture of Mumbai city.

Abhishek Bachchan, who was accompanied by Bollywood debutant Akshara Haasan, substituted his father and Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan who was to inaugurate the festival. Abhishek inaugurated the festival by lighting the ceremonial lamp.

The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival,now in its 16th year, is a community celebration of the arts within one of the most beautiful and historic precincts of Mumbai, The Kala Ghoda Art District.

The Festival has grown exponentially, and is hugely successful, drawing over 150,000 people from all over the city to 350 events over 9 days. Tourists from all over the world plan their trip to Mumbai to witness the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival

Kalpana Gandhi, Vipta Kapadia, Girish Shahane, Maneck Davar, Gurcharan Singh, Papri Bose, Raell Padamsee were some of the noted guests at the do.

24 students of Mahmudul Haque and Rokeya Sultana Shafiuddin present new work

A group print exhibition “Under Pressure,” supported by Shafiuddin Bengal Printmaking Studio, began on July 5 at the Bengal Art Lounge with 24 artists who obtained three month’s training under the guidance of Prof Mahmudul Haque. The exhibition also features works from a group of artists who completed a ten-day workshop on woodcuts and etchings with Rokeya Sultana. The programme was conducted at the studio.

The traditional method of printmaking is still practiced and adopted by artists. A pioneer printmaker in Bangladesh, the late Shafiuddin Ahmed introduced the modern technique of printmaking to the Bangladesh art arena.

The legendary artist and printmaker employed a semi-abstract style on geometrical shapes and traditional pattern that is quite eye-catching and unique. The traditional printmaking has a strong impact over the artists and is considered as a high art form. The method of printmaking challenges the artist by applying means of toxic materials and is physically strenuous.

About the exhibition, printmaker Prof Mahmudul Haque expressed: “While painting is considered to be collected by elite people, printmaking artworks are affordable for the masses. The exhibition embraces the beauty of printmaking and holds artwork up to the people by presenting them with something modern to appreciate. During the training, artists worked on woodcuts and etchings. The fifty-five prints are on portraits, objects, abstract and semi-abstract forms, which show that the artists developed their concepts in their mind.”

Artist Rokeya Sultana stated: “I shared my knowledge and experience with the participants, and they were very enthusiastic about it. I would say the workshop was an exchange of learning and sharing opportunity by both sides.”

A participant Bishwajit Goswami said: “Printmaking is a method to play with, and that is what makes the entire method so interesting. The process has a few advantages and risk factors.” He said he enjoyed “working with numerous tools and elements, and watching the chemical reactions that relate to a mental response. I have worked with my concept of metamorphosis and it was amazing and liberating to see it on print.”

These promising printmakers are challenged to give something new and unique to the people. One could say they are under pressure to uphold the legacy of Shafiuddin Ahmed.

The exhibition will continue till August 10.

Famously known as Satyajit Ray’s photographer, lensman Nemai Ghosh, has worked in close association with him for over 25 years capturing the master filmmaker in his myriad moods.

During his 35-year career as a photographer Ghosh’s lens has also photographed some of India’s most haunting onscreen characters, yet for years Ghosh had found no takers for his immense collection to be archived, until just recently.

Ghosh’s entire collection comprising 1,20,000 pictures of cinestars, yesteryear Bollywood starlets and shots of some famous characters from the movie sets of the country’s only Academy award winning director has been acquired by the Delhi Art Gallery, which is putting a selection up for show here.

The exhibition, of limited edition archival photographic prints, attempts to bring to light his lesser-known but equally extensive documentation of cinema, both mainstream Hindi cinema from Mumbai as well as regional Bengali cinema.

“For years I had urged people to come forward and take my collection, but no one, either collectors or documentary makers on Ray’s life came forward,” Ghosh told PTI.  The frustration of this long struggle is evident in what Ghosh sought to do with his entire life’s work.

“I had decided to immerse all the photographs in Ganga if there were no takers for them,” says the octogenarian photographer whose work captures the most glorious age of Indian cinema.

Most prominent of his photographs are candid stills of Satyajit Ray caught on camera on the scenes of many of his famous directorial ventures.

Nemai Ghosh says that in his association with Satyajit Ray he barely exchanged probably about 25 words with him, but both connected and understood each other perfectly.

“One example would be the shoot from ‘Ashani Sanket’ where a particular sequence shows Babita being molested in the woods. Ray begins to run behind the attackers with the camera and at the same time I too began running alongside them and captured the shot I was looking for,” says Ghosh.

Ghosh treasure trove also includes several iconic images of actors, scenes, sets and locations during the filming of Satyajit Ray’s films as well as the filmmaker at work, as well as an array of images of regional films and actors.

The lensman, now 79, says he had several buyers and galleries in art hubs such as London, Paris and Japan interested in his photographs but he preferred to hold on to the rich piece of film heritage. He has been scouting for a suitable Indian taker for his work for the past one and half decade.

The Delhi Art Gallery acquired Ghosh’s collection in 2006 and started digitising it.

A total of 250 of Ghosh’s work is being displayed at a solo exhibition here beginning tomorrow and scheduled till January 28.
This exhibition also marks the Gallery’s exploration into the medium of photography.

“We started digitising in 2008 till mid-2010. We had our first show in 2011 and now in 2013. Ghosh, did not only click Satyajit Ray’s photographs but also photographs of many other famous directors of that time,” says Kishore Singh, Head of Exhibition and Publishing, Delhi Art Gallery.  The show “Nemai Ghosh: Satyajit Ray and Beyond” also marks the occasion of the centenary of Indian cinema.

“This is going to be a travelling exhibition. We are going to take it to Mumbai, Kolkata and we also have plans to tie up with foreign galleries and museum. This exhibition is going to travel all round the year,” says Singh.  Meanwhile, Ghosh says he is relieved that he has “before my last days my art is going to receive its due share of recognition.”

You want to get the word out about your latest product, service, or event. You're already touching thousands of prospects and customers every day through your existing online marketing channels. Wouldn't it be great if you could engage those prospects and customers in a new social way and have them share your message with their colleagues and friends?

B2B Social marketing leverages this sharing behavior, greatly increasing the reach and impact of your messages. People trust recommendations from a "friend" on a social network far more than a message from a company. Marketo allows you to dramatically expand the effectiveness of your existing programs with new interactive B2B social media applications in three key areas.
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Tapping into this powerful channel will put a lift on all your campaigns and content, increase conversions, and set up your sales team to close the deal. Leverage your audience's network with apps that work right out of the box, or configure them to your detailed specifications.

Images can be a very effective tool for increasing your blog’s traffic. For one, including images in your posts is a valuable SEO trick in the blogging community. Secondly, high quality illustrations, photographs, graphs, or charts improve the look and feel of your posts. Keep in mind, though, that not all images are created equally. And you have to be careful about copyright laws and other rules for using images on your site.

In an ideal world, you would grab your own camera and snap some shots for your posts. But that's often just not practical, and many bloggers don't have the equipment or experience to do this well anyway. So we very often have to rely on stock images or graphics we find on the web. And just because you have great graphics doesn't mean you're getting the most leverage possible out of them; images can work toward increasing your blog's visibility if optimized the right way.

As you you start adding images to your posts, consider the following points to save yourself both time and trouble, and also to make sure your images work as effectively as possible to increase your visibility online.
Quality over Quantity

Your blog images should be, at a minimum, 400 pixels in width. You can use a larger size for your width, of course, but never smaller than 400px. This minimum width ensures that users will be able to view your blog images without them appearing grainy or just too small to see. The size of your images will depend largely upon the width of your content on your site. For instance, if your main content section of your posts is 525px, then make your images slightly smaller than that size, such as 500px. Typically, images should be about 10-25px smaller to give room for any borders or other layout features your site might add to the image. Also, you usually do not need to worry about the height, unless the height is just so long that the entire picture cannot be seen without scrolling.
Resizing Images

If you find an image that you would like to use, but it is too large, you can downsize it fairly easily using any image editing software. Some popular free ones include Gimp and Pixlr. You can actually enter the size in pixels that you would like your image to be. Usually this feature is found under one of the drop down menus in the main toolbar along the top of the software screen, and is usually titled "image size." Do keep in mind, however, that you usually will not be able to increase the size of a photograph you found on the web without serious pixellation problems, unless the increase is minimal.
Keyword File Names

Choose file names for your images that are keyword rich. Simply labeling your image file names with a date or number is not enough. Instead, give a word or two as to the actual content of the image. For example, if you have a blog post about a recipe for strawberry pie you recently tried out, name your images something like "strawberry-pie-recipe.jpg" so that search engines understand the image relates to your blog post.
Double-Store

Double and triple store your images. For example, also save your images to your Facebook and Google+ accounts. Then you can link back to your blog, giving you more traffic from people who know you. They'll also be more likely to share what you have posted if they see it first on your social media site.
Follow trends

This does not mean that you need to jump off every single preverbal social bridge, but it is possible to implement ideas from social hot spots into your own style blog and blog images. For instance, memes are currently a popular image type. If you were to create a meme or several memes for your blog and use the word in your keyword file name, then it would increase your chances of being seen on engine searches when people search for memes in your vein of content.
Share

Every once in a while, it would be to your blog’s benefit to use shared or linked images from other sites. Certain blogs will allow you to do this through a “reblog” button. This will notify the other blogger as well as all of their followers, usually in the content stream of a post on the other site. When allowed by the other blog, this can be an excellent source of legitimate, quality images and a boost in traffic from the other site as well.
Creativity

Make your images something that people want to look at. You can do this by taking angled shots, using simple editing techniques (such as the kind you can find on the free Instagram app for smart phones), and including pertinent subjects. Your goal is to come up with something that is aesthetically pleasing without being overly-commercial. Why would people like your blog’s images more than something else they can find on the Internet?
Pinterest

Use the picture embedded in your blog post to make a new pin on Pinterest. When you create this pin, you will be given options on how to organize this pin. Locations, crafts, home décor, etc. You name it, they’ve got it. Users will be able to click this pin which will then lead them to your blog post.
Honor Copyrights

If you find that perfect image but the image is copyrighted, don't use it without asking permission. Most photographers are okay with letting you use their photos for free if they're amateurs. Professionals are more stringent, but that doesn't mean you can't take a few minutes to find their email address and send them a request. If a photographer finds his or her images in use on your site, often he or she can bill you for it, and you have to pay statuatory fines - often far more expensive than the cost of paying for the image in the first place. Search for stock photos on websites such as Stock.xchng and Shutterstock to find royalty free image in all sizes and resolutions. Or use a creative commons image finder, such as Photopin, one of my favorites.

Using the right images and optimizing them for visibility purposes is an important part of blogging. Never ignore the copyrights of images, create the right title, use good quality photos, and share your images on social media sites so that your blog images gain you the recognition you desire.