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Charles S. has: 7 articles

Charles S. Johnson, Jr.

Charles S. Johnson, Jr. received a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from MIT. He taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana, Yale University, and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he is now Professor Emeritus. He has published approximately 150 papers on magnetic resonance and light scattering as well as books on laser light scattering and quantum mechanics. His interest in photography goes back to the 1950's; however, for many years his career in science left little time for serious photography. Now he is an avid nature photographer, and he blogs about photography here. In addition, he is making use of his scientific background to research and write about the physical and psychological bases of photography. His recent book, Science for the Curious Photographer, 2nd Ed, includes discussions of light and optics, sensors, factors that determine image quality, and the human visual system.

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What We See

 An essay by Charles S. Johnson, Jr. Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.  – Albert Einstein I don’t mean that the real...

Charles S. Johnson, Jr.

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November 1, 2023

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15 minutes read


Fig1 ColorMatch

Observing and Managing Color: Dealing with Color Vision Anomalies

The camera versus the human eye Superficially, the human eye appears to be similar to a camera.  Here looks certainly deceive because, other than a...

Charles S. Johnson, Jr.

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August 17, 2023

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18 minutes read


BlueRidgeParkway NC
Landscape & Environment

Star Trails and Exposure Times for Landscape Astrophotographers

Cherokee, North Carolina Do stars move in circles around Polaris in your camera? As the lawyers say, it depends. If you have the usual rectilinear...

Charles S. Johnson, Jr.

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January 31, 2022

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15 minutes read


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The Ethics of Photo Manipulation

By Charles S. Johnson, Jr.We are bombarded with images from television, computer screens, newspapers, and magazines.  There are advertisements, illustrations for news stories, snapshots from...

Charles S. Johnson, Jr.

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October 13, 2013

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11 minutes read


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Full Sized vs. Cropped Sensors

By Charles Sidney Johnson, Jr. Questions like this and misleading answers fill the photographic forums. One “expert” says that lenses are not equivalent to anything...

Charles S. Johnson, Jr.

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August 27, 2012

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34 minutes read


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Understanding What Makes a Good Image and Learning How to Use That Knowledge

By Charles S. Johnson, Jr. PART II: Understanding What Makes a Good Image and Learning How to Use That Knowledge New cameras don’t just capture...

Charles S. Johnson, Jr.

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January 13, 2009

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14 minutes read


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The Quest for Good Photographs and How the Brain Perceives Images

By Charles S. Johnson, Jr Science and art are products of the mind; they are of the mind yet they are the mind,Robert L. Solso What people...

Charles S. Johnson, Jr.

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January 13, 2009

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20 minutes read