Arkansas, AR

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River.

Its diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the Ozarks and the Ouachita Mountains, which make up the U.S. Interior Highlands, to the eastern lowlands along the Mississippi River.

The capital and most populous city is Little Rock. The name Arkansas is a French pronunciation of a Quapaw word meaning "land of downriver people". The pronunciation "arkansaw" was made official by an act of the state legislature in 1881.

Geography

The Mississippi River forms most of Arkansas' eastern border, except in Clay and Greene counties where the St. Francis River forms the western boundary of the Missouri Bootheel, and in dozens of places where the current channel of the Mississippi has meandered from where it had last been legally specified.

Arkansas shares its southern border with Louisiana, its northern border with Missouri, its eastern border with Tennessee and Mississippi, and its western border with Texas and Oklahoma. Arkansas is a land of mountains and valleys, thick forests and fertile plains.

Northwest Arkansas is part of the Ozark Plateau including the Boston Mountains, to the south are the Ouachita Mountains and these regions are divided by the Arkansas River; the southern and eastern parts of Arkansas are called the Lowlands. All of these mountains ranges are part of the U.S. Interior Highlands region, the only major mountainous region between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains.

The so-called Lowlands are better known by names of their two regions, the Delta and the Grand Prairie. The Arkansas Delta is a flat landscape of rich alluvial soils formed by repeated flooding of the adjacent Mississippi.

Further away from the river, in the southeast portion of the state, the Grand Prairie consists of a more undulating landscape. Both are fertile agricultural areas.

The Delta region is bisected by an unusual geological formation known as Crowley's Ridge. A narrow band of rolling hills, Crowley's Ridge rises from 250 to 500 feet above the surrounding alluvial plain and underlies many of the major towns of eastern Arkansas.

Arkansas is home to many caves, such as Blanchard Springs Caverns. It is also the first U.S. state in which diamonds were found (near Murfreesboro).

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Arkansas".

Understandable Digital Photography Light Techniques!

by Dan Eitreim

Digital photography light is exactly the same as for film cameras. AND it can be ANY source of light! Or not even an actual light at all! Once you've learned to control one source of illumination, you're set! They all work the same.

Here are the basics...

For the most part, studio photographers like to employ a 3 light set-up for a huge majority of their sessions. This is the most simple set and should be the first one you learn.

But one portrait lighting concept that many beginners/amateurs don't realize - an illumination source doesn't inevitably need to be an actual studio strobe. Or even an actual light for that matter.

Of Course we would all like to own the latest studio strobes with all the various doodads, but it just isn't essential. Consider...

The 1st light in a 3 light set-up is called the main (or the key) light. This is the light source that you establish first. You will take your meter reading from this light and set all your other lights based on the main light. Remember it doesn't have to be a studio flash.

The main light source could be the sun, it could be one of those mechanic's work lights (the light you see hanging from a hook under the hood of your car), you could even employ your automobiles headlights or even use a simple flashlight.

Put your pocketbook away and study the lighting basics with whatever light is at hand. Once you develop an in depth knowledge of light, how it works and how to adjust for it - THEN - is the time to buy expensive studio strobes.

Position your main light to be around 45 degrees between the subject and the camera's position. Then raise your light to be approximately 45 degrees higher than the subject. This creates a shadow on one side of the face. It's a good thing - that's what makes your model appear 3D rather than flat and lifeless.

If the light is fixed - like the sun - obviously you would have to move the model into the correct position rather than moving the light.

The 2nd light source is known as the fill light. It's use is to lighten up the shadow part of the face, so that detail is visible. It can be a studio strobe, an on camera strobe, a mirror or other type of reflector.

Position it either behind and above the camera position or opposite to the key light. The intensity of the light is where your creative vision kicks into place.

The 3rd light is the separation light and is generally placed in back of the model. It's used to throw light on the background to separate the subject so they don't merge with the backdrop. Or the light is turned around and used to light the back of their body (rim light) or their hair (hair light). The 3rd light too can be a light, reflector or mirror.

I once saw a video by the late Dean Collins that demonstrated how - by strategically employing mirrors and other reflectors...1 main light can be the only illumination for a highly involved 5 light set! So, in your studies of digital photography light, don't overlook the idea that it doesn't have to be a light at all!

About the Author

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