Fartash Photography Newsletter
Issue 2
Eastern Arts-Kaveh Golestan
Kaveh Golestan was the photojournalist with the longest constant presence in Iran from before the Revolution until his death in 2003. This retrospective exhibition of his severe black and white photography covers the period from 1975 to the late 1990s, beginning with his iconic social realism of Tehran's disenfranchised.
Golestan was an eyewitness to the Iranian Revolution and his photographs, not only capture the major political cataclysms that fundamentally changed his country into an Islamic Republic; they are an intimate representation of a people and society in rapid transition. Kaveh Golestan has covered all the major political cataclysms in his country. His photographs tell the stories of the Iranian Revolution, the Iran-Iraq War and the first Gulf War, the U.S.-led war against the Taliban in Afghanistan and the current war in Iraq. He started his work as a photojournalist in Belfast in 1972. He also worked in the offices of Associated Press and Time Magazine in Tehran. His photo coverage during this period earned him several international prizes, including the Pulitzer for his coverage of the Iranian revolution.
In 1975, he married Hengameh (Jalali); she survives him, as does his 19-year-old son, Mehrak, who has started following the family trade of journalism. Hengameh Golestan is considered a pioneer among Iranian women photographers and was the wife of Kaveh Golestan. Her photographs have captured life in Iran for the past 28 years. In 1988, Kaveh Golestan was one of the only photographers who captured the nerve gas attacks outside of the village of Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan.
He was very proud and happy about the work he had been doing, and talked excitedly about doing more and better. "When I'm in situations like these, I feel I am me," he said.
The landmine which ended the 52-year-long life of prizewinning photojournalist Kaveh Golestan was a packed-in version of the explosive convulsions which have wracked postwar Iran and dispatched his distinguished family to all corners of the world.( On 2 April 2003 on assignment).
Photo - Copyright
In this modern world of Art, one needs to be creative and have ideas which stand out to be noticed. The main ingredients to a good art work are the artist’s skill, style, creativity and ideas. There are great shots of other photographers which are somehow copies of other great works, and these are important for preserving treasures of past ages. But there is a totally different concept when we talk about a carbon copy or better yet Photo Theft which is not a new thing and is a great concern for Photographers everywhere. Now the question is - Where does copyright come into play? Copyright is a good to know subject for all artist. Copyright in most works of art, which includes writing, photography and digital images occur as the work is created. To put it as simply as possible, the second you click the shutter button, the resulting image belongs to you. To define Copyright in a nutshell I would say: “Copyright is a property right and should be seen in the same way as any other sort of property. It gives the owner certain rights which are detailed in the eyes of the law. It also gives the owner the right to stop other people doing any of these actions without permission”. However, there are certain limited rights as individuals regardless of the property right which is largely concerned with economic value. No formal registration is needed in more than 140 countries in the world, to receive basic legal protection. But regardless, if you do feel that you don‘t understand certain legal points, you would be well advised to speak to your legal advisors. Although the law protects your copyright from the moment the shutter is released and there is no other formalities to be observed, I would strongly advise that you mark every single photograph with the word “copyright" followed by your name, or use the international copyright symbol followed by your name: © - xyz. Copyrights are most useful for a photographer when a picture is going on the internet.
The most debated subject for photographers these days is whether their pictures are safe over the internet. Well being a photographer myself I’ve learnt that being paranoid about sharing my work with the rest of the world will not get me anywhere. I feel safe when I know that there is a copyright on every picture I upload - anywhere on the internet. All that aside, today originality is often understood, as doing something completely new and unprecedented, as necessitating a break with the traditions of the art. Each new artist stands on the shoulders of his predecessors to create beauty and truth that is both new and yet grounded in the past.
There is a real belief that a work is someone’s property because it’s their own original creation, but so much of what we do is based on those who have come before us. In the end of the day it’s nice to know that all your effort and time spent on your work is protected and secured by your copyright.
By Pearl Rynjah.
A Millimetre Closer-Macro Lenses-Part 1
Macro lenses are special lenses designed for close-up works with insects or small objects. Their specialized optics allow them to focus down to very close distances at magnifications usually up to 1:1, or 100% life-size, without requiring any other equipment. 1:2 would be 50% life-size; 1.5:1 would be 150% life-size, etc. Some macro lenses, like the 
Canon MP-E 65 mm f/2.8, can achieve even better magnification, up to 5:1 macro, Make bringing the structure of small insect eyes, snowflakes, and tiny objects into striking focus, possible .Insect will often frightened away at ES-F 60 f/2.8 Macro Lens 9 cm1:1 working distance particularly Butterflies, Moths and Dragonflies .
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Lens-Canon EF 180mm f/3.5 L USM Lens
For most photographers the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Lens will be the ideal macro lens. It offers a sufficient working distance from the subject and superb image quality at a reasonable price. It has quite, fast Ring USM AF and makes a nice portrait lens also. For those willing to take their macro photography to the next stage or require more working distance, the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5 L USM Lens is the answer. It is well-built, incredibly sharp and has first-rate image quality. The 180mm focal length yields are obviously more diffuse background blur than the shorter focal length macro lenses. the ES-F 100 f/2.8 Macro Lens allow about 15 cm and EF 180 mm f/3.5 L USM Macro Lens allows about 24 cm of working distance at 1:1 magnification.
Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens
I have to confess, when the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens was announced, I was less than excited over a new short focal length macro lens compatible only with the EF-S lens mount Digital SLRs. But now that I've had a chance to use it, I think the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens is a very precious lens. Canon have got to believe that the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens is very heavy-duty as they only consist of a piece of double-thick corrugated cardboard and a bubble wrap bag for padding in the box. And it does appear to be reasonably well-built. The focus ring is relatively wide and smooth functioning. The lens is pretty small and quite light - it feels very nicely balanced on the Canon 350D/Digital Rebel Series. The design looks and feels modern. Autofocus illustrates its technically up to date performance - it is fast, quiet and accurate. The Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens incorporates Canon's excellent USM (Ultrasonic Motor) with FTM (Full Time Manual) focusing. An internal focusing design is used. The lens does not adjust length while focusing nor does the front element rotate - a big advantage when using the compatible Canon MR-14ex and Canon MT-24EX Macro Flashes. First-rate sharpness and very good overall image quality in a nice package - the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens will have many pleased owners.
Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x Macro Lens
The Canon MP-E 65mm Macro Lens is a tremendous macro lens and it is unlike any other Canon lens I have used to date. And I recommend that you read the manual for this lens - it will help you understand its individualities. I should perhaps tell you right up front that the Canon MP-E 65mm Macro Lens is a manual focus lens. This is not a bad thing for a macro-only lens as this is how macro lenses are regularly used anyway. Turning the focus ring does indeed bring the subject into focus, but this effect zooms in and out on the subject (other lenses do also, but it is very noticeable). You can either set the magnification you want and move closer/farther away to focus (magnification priority), or you can change the magnification by turning the ring until your subject is in focus. Well, it will focus on your subject as long as you are within the Canon MP-E 65mm Macro Lens' tiny focus distance range. Starting at 1x, the MP-E subject is in focus at a little more than a 100mm working distance. By 2x, the working distance drops to 63mm. continuing on a distance curve, the MP-E allows only 41mm of working distance at 5x. You can forget trying to snap a portrait with this lens - unless the portrait is of an insect or something similar. With effective apertures this tiny, a huge amount of light and or a long shutter speed is required for sufficient exposure. Another issue is the handling of the camera at these magnifications. Principally, you will need a very stable tripod and a static subject or you need a flash. The Canon MP-E 65mm Macro Lens also enlightens you to a whole new world of sensor dust. Make sure your sensor is clean or plan to spend lots of time with Photoshop's healing stamp cloning! This Canon MP-E 65mm Macro Lens inspires creativity. I don't recommend this lens for beginner macro photography as it might inspire frustration. With patience however, you can create fabulous images! Then, which macro lens should you pick? Excellent question. Choosing the right focal length depends on the subjects that each photographer wants to shoot with it. Longer focal length macro lenses generally give you more distance-to-subject working space for the same subject framing. Insects will not hang around long at the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens' 3.5" or so (9cm) 1:1 minimum working distance (MWD). The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens allows about 6" (15cm) and the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5 L USM lens allows about 9.5" (24cm) of working distance at 1:1 magnification.
