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Study: Photographs Help Ease Pain

We feel better when we look at a photographs of people we love. Need some science to prove it? Here you go: Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles recently published a study showing that looking at photos helps people experience less physical pain.

The experimenters applied painful heat to the arms of female volunteers under several different conditions. The subjects were asked to rate the discomfort they felt while…

(a) holding the hand of their long-term romantic partner (as he sat behind the curtain),
(b) holding the hand of a male stranger (also behind the curtain),
(c) holding a squeeze ball,
(d) viewing the partner’s photographs (taken upon his arrival) on a computer screen,
(e) viewing photographs of a male stranger (ethnicity-matched to the participant’s partner),
(f) viewing photographs of a chair, and
(g) viewing a crosshair.

The subjects reported the lowest levels of discomfort under condition (d), viewing a photograph of their partner. Surprisingly, looking at a picture made them feel better than when they were holding their partner’s hand.

The researchers conclude:

“The findings suggest that bringing loved ones’ photographs to painful procedures may be beneficial, particularly if those individuals cannot be there. In fact, because loved ones vary in their ability to provide support, photographs may, in some cases, be more effective than in-person support. In sum, these findings challenge the notion that the beneficial effects of social support come solely from supportive social interactions and suggest that simple reminders of loved ones may be sufficient to engender feelings of support.”

The study was published in the November 2009 issue of the journal Psychological Science. View a PDF of the report or read more in a UCLA press release. Spotted via The New York Times Well Blog

George Menon Wedding Photograhy

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George Menon is born and brought up in Christchurch, New Zealand. Now he is a well established wedding photographer in London. His work reveals the magic of joy and his creative style by capturing the spontaneous emotions and magical moments. He is an expertise in black and white images too. He believes in capturing casual, natural and contemporary images, as his photos are creative, expressive and emotive.

Surge Images – Expressive, Artistic, and Contemporary

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Surge Images is the photography studio of Gary Umberman.

Gary has been professionally shooting for over eight years, His personality and passion for creating beautiful portrait images has become a major draw card for editorial, portrait and wedding clients alike. Whether it is commercial, fashion, portrait or wedding photography, Gary combines his extensive photographic knowledge with a unique style and creativity. The result is photography that is both artistic and contemporary

Sanjay Austa Photography – Diverse Hues

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Sanjay Austa studied English literature in college and started out as a journalist without a clear writing mandate. So he got an opportunity to cover a range of issues (and non-issues) ranging from socialite evenings to socially and culturally relevant stories.  He wrote about politicians and prostitutes. About writers and vamps. Good samaritans and criminals. About triumphs and failures and joys and tragedies.

The switch to photography was gradual. His photographs and his choice of subjects however reflect his journalistic pedigree. His first assignment took him on an adventurous two-month expedition to Kanchenjunga, where unshaved and unbathed for that duration, he documented the Indian Army’s climb to the summit. Since then he dabbled in all forms of photography. But he reserves a special liking for photo-essays on different human-interest issues. These are published regularly in the Indian and the International Media. His photo-essay on the 1984 anti-Sikh Delhi riots was exhibited in California by various human rights groups. More recently he has done four picture books on four different Indian Monuments for Penguin Books.

Top 50 Selection – Pixpa Photo Challenge

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This website contains shortlisted final entries of The First International Pixpa Photo Challenge 2010.

About The First International Pixpa Photo Challenge!
Pixpa was looking for best works from 2009 – evocative, dramatic and interesting images that you have captured in 2009. The images could be black & white or color under any category – abstract/illustrative, portrait or landscape.

About Jury:
The First International Pixpa Photo Challenge 2010 judged by Amit Sharma and Mustafa Quraishi. Amit and Mustafa have brought all their experience and distinct view points for the challenging task of selecting the winners from the many interesting, diverse and evocative expressions that we have received as entries for this photo contest.

To view their body of work, please visit:
Amit Sharma – www.amitworks.com
Mustafa Quraishi - www.mustafaquraishi.com

Check out all entries at: http://www.facebook.com/PixpaCommunity

The organizer of this photo competition is Pixpa – http://www.pixpa.com

Ted Nelson Photography – A visual journey that started 20 years back

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Photographer Ted Nelson’s visual journey started in New York. With over 20 years in still and motion picture photography, Ted now spends a lot of time teaching photography as well.

In his own words: I can’t imagine doing anything else that would provide the satisfaction I receive from sharing y work with others, opening windows that helps enrich their lives and appreciation for the intrinsic value of wild things and wild places.

Students often ask me what the ‘perfect picture’ is and that is simple: The perfect picture is the one that drives you to make another one. Each image should be seen as a stepping stone to the next. That is the philosophy that drives my creative vision.

Amit Sharma: Multi-faceted expressions

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“….It is important to be true to the subject and not cloud it by ego or  a certain style.”

Amit Sharma is a self taught photographer based in Delhi, working mainly in the field of lifestyle, fashion and travel. He shoots regularly for Publications like Travel + Leisure, Maxim and has shot prestigious assignments for Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Harpers Bazaar, Femina etc.