Photography!!! Science or an Art???

"Dont move", "Say Cheese"... (click)
Is there anyone out there who has not posed for a photograph? I dont think so. Its wonderful to capture those special moments and revisit them at different stages of life. But how many have wondered what it takes to get that frozen moment.
From the making of the camera tto the moment it sits inur album, hardcover or digital, it goes through so much science.But at the end of it, to a layman's eyes, its the art in it that is more capturing than the physics.
Starting with a box camera, today we have cameras of different makes, different specifications which even children can handle. If all that mattered was the art, why do we have so many different cameras?
Those who just need memories, would not be bothered about which country the camera comes from. And for those where a photograph is more than just a memory, there is lots more in store to know.
Does it mean you ought to know the science behind it to know more about the subject?
I would say "YES". What looks like an amazing picture to my mom and dad might not be so to another photographer for he wud find technical errors in it. And that for me is not demotivating but a learning.
My exploration about my camera goes as far as certain features in it. But when it comes to the lighting, the aperture, the shutter speed, the focal length, the use of flash, zoom, framing and the various other details, I am far from being a photographer.
Inspite of lack of this knowledge, some of my pictures are appreciated and that fact is what tells me, its not just the science but the art in it that I have been able to capture. It also has made me take more interest into the science part of it and take my art of photography more seriuosly.

Here is a small tip that a fellow photographer on a networking site shared with me:

This is to avoid reflection of flash on the subject.

Try this - Create a light tent - A contraption in a small area,use white chunni or dhoti or any semi transparent fabric/plasitic enclosed. Light it with a table lamp/spt. light (Kind of ikea lights)from outside (It can be under the contraption or on the side. If the light is forming shadows then use 2 lights from different angles and it will cancel out.Now set the camera with f stop/shutter to your satisfaction (Manual)- Don't use flash.

And here is an article from a professional which is worth sharing with everyone interested in photography.

www.photocritic.org/2007/how-to-win-a-photography-contest/

Now, what are you waiting for? Pick up that camera and start exploring the world....