The Photograph

Hallowen

2009-10-30T04:44:00.000-07:00

Halloween (also spelled Hallowe'en) is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints. It is largely a secular celebration but some have expressed strong feelings about perceived religious overtones.[1][2][3]
The day is often associated with the colors black and orange, and is strongly associated with symbols like the jack-o'-lantern. Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, ghost tours, bonfires, visiting haunted attractions, pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films.
History

Halloween has origins in the ancient festival known as Samhain (pronounced sow-in or sau-an),^[4]^[5] which is derived from Old Irish and means roughly "summer's end".^[5] This was a Gaelic festival celebrated mainly in Ireland andScotland. However, similar festivals were held by other Celts – for example the festival of Calan Gaeaf (pronounced kalan-geyf) which was held by the ancient Britons.

The festival of Samhain celebrates the end of the "lighter half" of the year and beginning of the "darker half", and is sometimes^[6] regarded as the "Celtic New Year".

The celebration has some elements of a festival of the dead. The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family's ancestors were honoured and invited home whilst harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm. In Scotland the spirits were impersonated by young men dressed in white with masked, veiled or blackened faces.

Samhain was also a time to take stock of food supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. All other fires were doused and each home lit their hearth from the bonfire. The bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames.

Sometimes two bonfires would be built side-by-side, and people and their livestock would walk between them as a cleansing ritual.

Costume sales

BIGresearch conducted a survey for the National Retail Federation in the United States and found that 53.3% of consumers planned to buy a costume for Halloween 2005, spending $38.11 on average (up $10 from the year before). They were also expected to spend $4.96 billion in 2006, up significantly from just $3.3 billion the previous year.

Portrait Photos

2009-10-29T05:17:00.000-07:00

portrait photos

From Miss Universe 2009

2009-10-26T23:21:00.000-07:00

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2009-10-26T06:06:00.000-07:00

What's Digital Photography

2009-10-16T06:18:00.000-07:00

Digital photography, as opposed to film photography, uses electronic devices to record and capture the image as binary data. As such, the images can be displayed, printed, stored, manipulated, transmitted and archived using various kinds of digital technology, including personal computers and the Internet. On the digital camera itself it is possible to view the recorded images immediately and to delete the ones not wanted.

Digital cameras now outsell film cameras and include features that are not found in film cameras such as the capacity to store many more images on a memory device than on a roll of film, the ability to record video with sound and functions to automatically and manually make edits to images and even delete images. Digital cameras in various forms are now found a a great number of devices ranging from PDAs and mobile phones to vehicles through and even in space on the Hubble Space Telescope.

A digital camera is an electronic device used to capture and storephotographs digitally, instead of using photographic film like conventionalcameras, or recording images in an analog format to magnetic tape like manyvideo cameras.

Modern compact digital cameras are typically multifunctional, with some devices capable of recording sound and/or video as well as photographs. In theWestern market, digital cameras now outsell their 35 mm film counterparts.

BANTAENG, SULAWESI SELATAN

2009-10-16T06:03:00.000-07:00

Keindahan alam pantai di Kabupaten Bantaeng, Sulawesi Selatan, sangatlah indah. Secara geografis Kabupaten Bantaeng terletak pada titik 5^o21'23"-5^o35'26" lintang selatan dan 119^o51'42"-120^o5'26"bujur timur. Berjarak 125 Km kearah selatan dari Ibukota Propinsi Sulawesi Selatan. Luas wilayahnya mencapai 395,83 Km2, dengan jumlah penduduk 170.057 jiwa (2006) dengan rincian Laki-laki sebanyak 82.605 jiwa dan perempuan 87.452 jiwa. Terbagi atas 8 kecamatan serta 46 desa dan 21 kelurahan. Pada bagian utara daerah ini terdapat dataran tinggi yang meliputi pegunungan Lompobattang. Sedangkan di bagian selatan membujur dari barat ke timur terdapat dataran rendah yang meliputi pesisir pantai dan persawahan.

maps.google.com

Batik Cigugur Kuningan

2009-10-15T04:20:00.000-07:00

Batik Paseban Cigugur Kuningan, saat ini semakin menampakkan diri. Selama beberapa tahun Pangeran Djatikusumah melakukan penelusuran untuk menghidupkan kembali warisan tersebut.

Batik Paseban memiliki karakter yang berbeda dengan batik yang telah ada di Jawa Barat, khususnya Garut dan Cirebon yang terkenal dengan motif Wadasan. Motif-motif yang telah direproduksi dari hasil penggalian, sepeti Mayang Segara, Geger Sunten, Oyod Minggang, Aduh Manis, Sekar Galu dan Rereng Kujang.

Batik Paseban Cigugur Kuningan, now increasingly appearing. For many years Prince Djatikusumah scanning to revive the heritage. Batik Paseban has a different character with the existing batik in West Java, like Cirebon and Garut in particular the famous Wadasan motives. Motives which have been reproduced from the excavation, a chest of Mayang Segara, Geger Sunten, Oyod Minggang, Aduh Manis, Sekar Galu dan Rereng Kujang.

Time.com Quotes of the Day

2009-10-15T01:09:00.001-07:00

INDONESIA CONSTRUCTION PHOTO COMPETITION 2009

2009-10-14T06:28:00.001-07:00

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO COMPETITION 2009

DEADLINE DIUNDUR MENJADI 6 NOPEMBER 2009

T E M A :
" Menuju Konstruksi Indonesia yang Berkualitas dengan Menekankan pada Keselamatan dan Kesehatan Kerja "

MAKSUD DAN TUJUAN
Maksud kegiatan ini adalah mendukung penyelenggaraan kegiatan Konstruksi Indonesia tahun 2009.
Sedangkan tujuannya adalah agar :
Melalui lomba foto konstruksi dapat memberikan gambaran tentang keberhasilan kegiatan konstruksi di Indonesia kepada masyarakat luas.
Melalui lomba foto konstruksi, dapat menumbuhkan kebanggaan terhadap kegiatan konstruksi di Indonesia.
Melalui karya foto yang ditampilkan akan memicu para pelaku konstruksi nasional untuk mengikuti keberhasilan yang ditampilkan.
Memberikan peluang kepada peserta untuk menampilkan karya fotonya kepada masyarakat jasa konstruksi dan masyarakat pada umumnya.

PESERTA
Masyarakat umum dalam maupun luar negeri yang mengabadikan obyeknya di Indonesia melalui media fotografi.
JENIS KOMPETISI
Kompetisi dibagi dua kategori:
Kategori 1 : Jenis foto hitam putih (BW)
Teknik foto : Bebas (Konvensional/Analog dan Digital)
Memperebutkan juara 1, 2 dan 3 kategori 1.

Kategori 2 : Jenis foto berwarna.
Teknik foto : Bebas (Konvensional/Analog dan Digital)
Memperebutkan juara 1, 2 dan 3 kategori 2.

FORMAT KARYA
Jumlah karya foto setiap peserta adalah maksimal 10 buah karya foto untuk masing-masing kategori jenis kompetisi yang diikuti.
Ukuran Minimum 12.5 cm x 18 cm (5x7 inchi).
Ukuran Maksimum 20 cm x 25 cm (8x10 inchi).
Foto tidak boleh ditempel diatas mat board, tidak diperkenankan mencantumkan nama atau identitas lainnya di atas atau di belakang foto, kecuali untuk judul foto dan lokasi pengambilannya.

J A D W A L
Foto diterima paling lambat tanggal 6 Nopember 2009
50 karya nominator akan dipamerkan pada acara puncak "Konstruksi Indonesia"
3 Desember 2009

PENDAFTARAN DAN PENYERAHAN KARYA
Kirimkan karya dan alamat serta data pribadi pada alamat :
Pusat Komunikasi Publik (PUSKOM) - Departemen Pekerjaan Umum.
Jl. Pattimura 20 - Keb. Baru - Jakarta Selatan.
Gedung Bina Marga Lt 1.
Telepon dan Fax : (021) 725 1536.
Website: www.pu.go.id
Contact Person : Lisniari Munthe HP : 0812 8015007

Suatu Ketika Di Jeumpa, Bireuen, NAD, Indonesia (Once Upon at Jeumpa, Bireuen, Aceh, Indonesia)

2009-10-14T04:25:00.000-07:00

Sekolah MTS Swasta di Dusun Jeumpa, Alue Limeng, Bireuen, Propinsi Nanggroe Aceh Darusalam, Indonesia. Sebelum bangunan sekolah ini berdiri, guru dan para murid melakukan aktivitas belajar-mengajar di bawah pohon Ara. Kegiatan ini berlangsung cukup lama, hingga akhirnya pemerintah daerah membangun gedung sekolah yang baru dan pohon Ara, saksi hidup sekolah tersebut, tetap berdiri kokoh di halaman sekolah ini.

Para siswa dan siswi MTS Swasta selalu bermain saat jam istirahat berlangsung. Ada yang dengan santainya menikmati makan yang dibawanya dari rumah, ada adik-adik mereka yang ikut bermain, dan ada pula yang bermain lempar batu. Belum tersedianya ruang perpustakaan membuat mereka bermain di luar ruang kelas.

Seorang staf pengajar yang sangat senior disini adalah Pak Ali. Pak Ali lah yang memberikan pelajaran pada saat di bawah pohon Ara tersebut. Murid-murid disini sangat antusias mengikuti pelajaran yang diberikan Pak Ali, seperti membaca Al'Quran.

Waktu pulang sekolah telah tiba. Perjalanan menuju rumah mereka sangat beragam. Ada yang harus menyeberangi sungai kecil, ada pula yang menggunakan sepeda melewati jembatan gantung jaman Belanda. Wajah mereka tidak menunjukkan kelelahan, "esok aku harus kembali ke sekolah", katanya. Sementara saya, sudah lelah berjalan naik-turun. Hari ini sudah cukuplah saya di Bireuen, Aceh, Indonesia. Entah esok kemana lagi.

Head to Head: Olympus SP-590 UZ vs. Nikon Coolpix P90

2009-10-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

Both the Olympus SP-590 UZ and the Coolpix P90 offer the best of what the ultrazoom category can offer. But which one will offer the best value at nearly the same price point? Read on for a breakdown of how these two cameras match up across a wide range of criteria.

Sophistication and Style
Taking a look at the SP-590 UZ and the P90 head-on, the similarities in their appearances are obvious. They're both cut from the same DSLR-like cloth. Both offer a deep handgrip covered in a tacky, non-slip material. They're both classic black, and only available in that color. Though they mimic the build of an SLR, they're both quite a bit more compact than one.

The style differences are subtle. The Olympus lens is accented in metallic silver, the Nikon lens is mostly black. The pop-up flash on the SP-590 gives the camera a little bit more height than the P90 as well as a more rounded look.

More differences appear on the back panel. The Olympus has a few more buttons clustered around the four-way controller, but they both adhere to the same basic control layout. The plastic molding around the Olympus's LCD is more angular, the Nikon is a little more rounded.

Nikon Coolpix P90

Olympus SP-590 UZ

DCR Contributor Jim Keenan, who reviewed both cameras, noticed a small amount of play in the lenses of both cameras. He points out that the problem is a bit less prominent in the P90. Overall, though, he liked the ergonomics of both cameras and thought they felt secure and steady. Judging only on looks, though, I favor the more simplistic, understated aesthetic of the Nikon Coolpix P90.

Based on http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/

Eat Session

2009-10-13T06:25:00.000-07:00

Balet

2009-10-13T06:19:00.000-07:00

Pos Indonesia Photo Contest 2009

2009-10-13T05:59:00.000-07:00

Pos Indonesia Photo Contest 2009

TEMA LOMBA FOTO

“MELESTARIKAN WARISAN BANGSA YANG TERLUPAKAN”
Obyek Foto merupakan aktivitas manusia dalam menghasilkan karya seni dan budaya sehingga mampu menjadi warisan bangsa. Dengan harapan bahwa warisan bangsa tersebut dapat meningkatkan citra dan kecintaan bangsa.

DEADLINE : SELASA, 1 DESEMBER 2009 (CAP POS)

HADIAH LOMBA FOTO
Juara I : Trofi & Uang Tunai Rp 13.000.000,-
Juara II : Trofi & Uang Tunai Rp 9.000.000,-
Juara III : Trofi & Uang Tunai Rp 6.500.000,-
Juara Harapan : Trofi & Uang Tunai @ Rp 2.000.000,- (3 orang) Nominasi : Trofi & Uang Tunai @ Rp 1.500.000,- (7 orang)
Pajak Hadiah ditanggung Pemenang

WAKTU KEGIATAN
Batas Akhir Pengumpulan Foto : Selasa, 1 Desember 2009
Penjurian Lomba Foto : Jumat, 11 Desember 2009
Pengumuman Pemenang : Minggu, 13 Desember 2009