The photo of a majestic golden statue in a church speaks to me of strength and power. It also suggests that a powerful man was once revered for his greatness and the fact that it is set in a church suggests that his legacy will continue to be celebrated. Clearly this is a metaphor and it is a beautiful one at that.

In a more literal sense photography refers to the creation of images using a light sensitive medium such as photographic film or digital sensor. The photograph is then printed onto a piece of photographic paper or canvas in order to create a final image.

Photography has existed since the 1800s but it is constantly evolving in form, technology and purpose. It has a wide range of uses that span from visual art to commercial and documentary purposes.

Getting the right image requires careful planning and attention to detail. This includes the choice of lens and camera equipment that will best capture the subject matter as well as consideration of how the image will be used once it has been created.

A photographer also needs to understand how to control the light that enters a scene in order to get the best results. This is called exposure and it involves balancing the amount of light that hits the camera’s sensor over a specific period of time that could be as little as fractions of a second or as long as hours.