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In Each Wild Idea, Geoffrey Batchen explores a wide range of photographic subjects, from the timing of the medium's invention to the various implications of cyberculture. Along the way, he reflects on contemporary art photography, the role of the vernacular in photography's history, and the Australianness of Australian photography.The essays all focus on a consideration of specific photographs--from a humble combination of baby photos and bronzed booties to a masterwork by Alfred Stieglitz. Although Batchen views each photograph within the context of broader social and political forces, he also engages its own distinctive formal attributes. In short, he sees photography as something that is simultaneously material and cultural. In an effort to evoke the lived experience of history, he frequently relies on sheer description as the mode of analysis, insisting that we look right at--rather than beyond--the photograph being discussed. A constant theme throughout the book is the question of photography's past, present, and future identity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

For every true photo enthusiast
This book helps you digest the "Truth" about photography.It is perfect for the photographer who wants to know more about photography (not HOw-To-Take-Photos).It is a must-have for the true photographer. ... Read more

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War and Photography maintains that photographs convey a wealth of information about the collective attitudes and beliefs particular to the culture in which they operate. Drawing on the work of Barthes, Eco, Foucault, Baudrillard, Burgin and Tagg, and on the historians of mentalities, War and Photography presents a theoretical approach to the understanding of press photography in its historical and contemporary context. Brothers applies her argument with special reference to French and British newspaper images of the Spanish Civil War, a selection of which is presented in the book. Rejecting analyses based upon the content of the images alone, she argues that photographic meaning is largely predetermined by its institutional and cultural context. Acting as witnesses despite themselves, photographs convey a wealth of information not about any objective reality, but about the collective attitudes and beliefs particular to the culture in which they operate. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fashionplate
Fantastic.Highly informative and entertaining.A must read for every fashion photography aficionado. ... Read more

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Photographs shaped the view of the world in turn-of-the-century Central Europe, bringing images of everything from natural and cultural history to masterpieces of Greek sculpture into homes and offices. Sigmund Freud's library--no exception to this trend--was filled with individual photographs and images in books. According to Mary Bergstein, these photographs also profoundly shaped Freud's thinking in ways that were no less important because they may have been involuntary and unconscious. In Mirrors of Memory, lavishly illustrated with reproductions of the photos from Freud's voluminous collection, she argues that studying the man and his photographs uncovers a key to the origins of psychoanalysis.

Photographs in Freud's era were viewed as transparent windows revealing objective truth but at the same time were highly subjective, resembling a kind of dream-memory. Thus, a photo of a ruined temple both depicted the particular place and conveyed a sense of loss, oblivion, of time passing and past, and provided entry into the language of the psychoanalytic project. Bergstein seeks to understand how various kinds of photographs--of sculptures; archaeological sites in Greece, Rome, and Egypt; medical conditions; ethnographic scenes--fed into Freud's thinking as he elaborated the concepts of psychoanalysis. The result is a book that makes a significant contribution to our understanding of early twentieth century visual culture even as it shows that photography shaped the ways in which the great archaeologist of the human mind saw and thought about the world. ... Read more

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A comprehensive survey of women photographers and their female subjects.

Women have been making photographs since the medium's invention, for scientific purposes, to earn a living through portraiture or journalistic activities, and for artistic expression. For almost that long, they have been turning their cameras on other women: at first taking the easiest models available to them—their mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, and servants—and later choosing feminist standpoints or investigating the conditions of femininity in their own cultures.

This compendium of camera work by and of women embraces a chronological survey of the medium as well as an emotional journey through women's relationships caught on film. Photographers like Julia Margaret Cameron and Gertrude Kasebier share space with Dorothea Lange, Berenice Abbott, and Cindy Sherman. These well-known photographers in turn sit side by side with lesser known, sometimes virtually anonymous women who have left behind an invaluable record of the way they viewed the world. 159 duotone photographs. ... Read more

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Since Magnum was founded in 1947, its members have been on hand to bear witness on the front line of world history. From Robert Capa's stark photograph of a Loyalist soldier being shot in the head during the Spanish Civil War to Eve Arnold's astonishingly intimate portraits of well-known faces - from Joan Crawford to Malcolm X - Magnum has changed how we perceive our political leaders, social crises, and the communities next door.

Magnum's photographers are some of the most talented, brave, and resourceful in the world: the founders, Robert Capa, David Seymour, George Rodger, and Henri Cartier-Bresson; and recruits, including Eve Arnold, Bruce Davidson, Mary Ellen Mark, Susan Meiselas, Inge Morath, James Nachtwey, Eugene Richards, and Sebastiao Salgado. Magnum follows them on assignment, facing bodyguards and visa troubles and taking to the risk-filled trenches of several wars for the perfect shot. Full of wonderful stories and heroic feats, Magnum is an essential volume for anyone interested in photography or photojournalism.Amazon.com Review
"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not closeenough," said Robert Capa, the legendary photojournalist who,with Henri Cartier-Bresson and other documentary shooters, founded theMagnum press agency in 1947. Capa got close to the action, of course;he died under fire in Indo-China in 1954, seeking the perfect image ofwar. Other Magnum photographers died in places like Afghanistan,Israel, and Chechnya, always at the forefront of battle and strife,always with an eye on capturing history as it unfolded. In thiswell-written study of their work, British journalist Russell Millershows how their images have changed the ways in which we respond towar, politics, and crises. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

A must-read for anyone interested in Magnum
This book gives great insight and details concerning Magnum Photos. I knew quite a lot of the facts about the organization, but to read it in detail and with interviews of the key players was fantastic. I now have a greater understanding and appreciation of the characters in the drama that was and is Magnum.

Good reading - this is history for photographers
Well written, good reading. this is paper-back novels for photographers.:-)

Full of funny quotes along the line of "at any time there are about 50 photographers wanting to leave Magnum, that is the entire agency". This book documents the drama and creative energy of having a agency run by creative individuals.

As a official worshiper of Magnum, I can say, this is required reading.

If you don't know what Magnum is, and could not care less, then honestly this book is going to be a complete waste of money... BUT if you are trying to understand how 50 creative photographers have managed to work together for this long, then this is one of the books you want to read.

Magnum: Fifty Years at the Front Line of History: The Story of the Legendary Photo Agency
Excellent account of the Agency and it's many historic members; their strenghths, weaknesses, idosyncasies, and talent. Most of the best photo-journalists in the world wanted to become a Magnum photographer, but only a few were ever granted the opportunity. If you're interested in the history of some of the best photographic talent of the last 50 years, this is a must read.

so so
Not bad but not that great either. The writing style is a little too bland and doesn't do much aside from state facts and dates.

the gate to the world of photo-journalism
For me this book became the guide through the world of photo-journalism. Each page gives me a name, a place or an event which I'm using as a hyper links. This book is amazing. ... Read more

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In Vogue is a fascinating look at the history of the world's most influential magazine. The complete compendium is illustrated with hundreds of covers and archival interiors of past Vogue editions, featuring the work of some of the twentieth century's most respected artists, cover illustrators, and photographers—from Edward Steichen, Toni Frissell, and Erwin Blumenfeld to Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, David Bailey, Helmut Newton, Annie Leibovitz, Mario Testino, Steven Klein, Bruce Webber, and Herb Ritts. In 1909, an entrepreneurial New Yorker named Condé Nast took charge of a struggling society journal and transformed it into the most glamorous fashion magazine of the twentieth century. In Vogue traces the history, development and influence of this media colossus—from its beginning as a social gazette in the late nineteenth century, to the exploration of modern fashion photography and new visuals in the mid-twentieth century, to its status as the top style magazine today. The book explains the makings of the magazine—from runways, to editorial meetings, to the pages of Vogue.The thoroughly researched story incorporates first-person accounts, interviews with editors and photographers, and excerpts from stories written in the magazine by many world-renowned writers, including Truman Capote, Aldous Huxley, Richard Burton, Federico Fellini, and Marcello Mastroianni. Unparalleled in its scope and exceptionally illustrated,In Vogue is sure to be among the most important publications on the subjects of culture, art, fashion, photography, and media. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Brilliant purchase
Thoroughly brilliant - beautiful book, great photos of decades past, brilliant text and one for the mantlepiece

Horrible Shipping
The book is AMAZING! However, the shipping took forever! I ordered it on Dec 14, hoping to get in for a Christmas gift for a friend. However, it didn't arrive until Jan. I was extremely disappointed in the provider.

In Vogue: The Illustrated History of the World's Most Famous Fashion Magazine
Great book ... a lot of text and outstanding pictures. Now laying in the on board a superfast ferry between Scotland and Ireland - in the business class. Ladies love it.

FANTASTIC BOOK
I ORDERED IN VOGUE FOR MY DAUGHTER AND SHE JUST LOVES THIS BOOK IT IS A GREAT BOOK FOR WOMEN AND MEN INTERESTED IN THE HISTORY OF VOGUE AND FASHION. VERY ENJOYABLE SHE SAID.

In Vogue
Thanks so much the book was perfect for my daughter's christmas present - just what she asked for and hoped it would be. ... Read more

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The first complete narrative history of Civil War photography, this work brings together the remarkable experiences of M.B. Brady, Alexander Gardner, George S. Cook, and other photographers, many of whom had careers stretching back more than two decades to the dawn of American photography in 1839. Step by step throughout the war, American photographers, North and South, advanced their craft to new heights, acting independently, but seemingly as if part of one great team, moved to act by a spirit in their feet. With their wet plate cameras, they produced many firsts, including the first combat action photographs, the first photo essays of news events as they happened, and the first photos deemed so controversial that they were censored by the federal government. Zeller also examines the impact of photography on average Americans.

The American Civil War was extensively photographed, not only to preserve history, but because the leading American photographers realized that they could make a profit by mass marketing the images. Complete with more than 150 illustrations, including previously unpublished Civil War images, as well as all known Civil War battle action photos, this work fills a huge gap in the history of America's greatest conflict. It tells the stories of the men who created the images that students of history know so well, men whose personal legacies became confused by myths and misinformation, were shrouded in obscurity, or have simply not been documented—until now.

Customer Reviews (2)

Much More Than a Coffee-Table Book!
I thought this book might just be a nice coffee-table book with some good Civil War photos, but it is so much more. While true, the book is filled with great photos, many I had never seen before, THE BLUE AND GRAY IN BLACK AND WHITE: A HISTORY OF CIVIL WAR PHOTOGRAPHY, by Bob Zeller, is just what the title implies; a photo and written history of Civil War photography.

Zeller, founder and president of the Center of Civil War Photography, has dauntingly researched his subject, and it shows in this book. Of course, Zeller includes the most notable of Civil War photographers, such as Matthew Brady and Alexander Gardner, whose over 1000 images of the war include the first images of war at Antietam and his photos of Gettysburg; however, much of the book chronicles the career of southern photographer, George Smith Cook.

The information on Cook is really a short biography within the pages of the larger work. Although Cook, who was present at Charleston, apparently and sadly missed the opportunity to chronicle the initial engagement with images, many of Cook's accomplishments are highlighted, such as the first photos of prisoners of war taken at Castle Pinkney, his photos of Major Anderson and the destruction at Fort Sumter as well as the ironclads in action.

Not being a photographer, there is a good bit of information here that was foreign to me as far as the early processes of photography.I am sure photographers would gain fruitful knowledge from such information and have a much deeper appreciation for this work, as Zeller's research was obviously painstaking and meticulous.

Monty Rainey
www.juntosociety.com

On the Battle Line with Civil War Photographers
The Blue and Gray in Black and White A History of Civil War Photography by Civil War author Bob Zeller has added an exciting new dimension to the history of Civil War photography that will appeal to a broad spectrum of American historians, Civil War enthusiasts, and those who study photography as an art form. With newly discovered photographs and primary sources, Bob Zeller's study has captured the Civil War photographer on the edge and sometimes in the midst of the battlefield pointing his wet plate camera into the thick of battle smoke across the Rappahannock River at Fredericksburg, on the sandy beach of Morris Island at Charleston's harbor as the huge Union ironclad, New Ironsides bombarded Confederate forts, and in the shivering cold of Nashville as a General Hood's army met its destruction.
Bob Zeller, author of his high successful The Civil War in Depth Volumes One and Two and president of The Center for Civil War Photography, "a non-profit organization dedicated to the study, presentation, and preservation of Civil War photography" has "walked the walk" in his thorough and exhaustive research of Civil War photographs. He has traveled the breadth of the country visiting private and public photographic and documentary collections in museums, historical societies, personal interviews, and the new digital collection at the Library of Congress. As a reader, I studied his thoroughly academic note section at the back of his study with great satisfaction.
The Blue and Gray in Black and White is the key primer how Civil War photographers such as Captain Andrew J Russell, the Union army's only photographer, Timothy O'Sullivan, George Barnard, and southern photographers George S Cook and J.D. Edwards visually captured on delicate wet plates the most bloody war in our Nation's history. The author weaves an engrossing story of photography as an art form and has also chronciled the industry of photography from its beginnings in late 1839 to the eve of war in 1860. In those twenty one years, we read the personal encounters of "daguerreian artist," Platt Babbitt who captured the "doomed" Joseph Avery clinging to life on a shifting log just above the American Falls on the Niagara River, Roger Fenton who traveled to the Crimea outside the Russian city of Sebastopol as he may have photographed the wisps of artillery smoke from Allied siege guns, and how the Cooper Union photograph of Lincoln had a tremendous national impact.
Bob Zellers story of Civil War Photographers as they applied their craft on the war torn American landscape has set the standard to study the entire history of Civil War photography.
Civil War photographs will no longer be incidental adornments to the pages of history texts. Publishers will have to ensure that historians have carefully dated and researched their photographic views. The author, moreover, carefully researched newly discovered photographs to illustrate the humorous side of the war. We the readers see General George B McClellan's staff drinking about the time President Abraham Lincoln visited the soon to be fired McClellan in October, 1862. In the chapter, Embedded With The Troops, we witness Union soldiers in a tree looking across the Rappahannock River as the smoke of battle rises behind the captured town of Fredericksburg.
The story of Civil War photography is not complete without tracing the perilous journey of the photographs "negatives" through nearly 80 years of American history as well as giving us a personal sense of poignancy to the life changing experiences major personalities of photograhic history have had.
In his first chapter, Bob Zeller tells us how a photographic exhibit in 1840 dramatically changed Edward Anthony's life and how his fascination and love for photography would build the largest photographic supply company in the United States. Bob Zeller completed the circle of life changing experiences how a young boy of nine in 1955, William A.Frassanito, read a Life Magazine article on the Civil War and the article's photograhs ignited all his youthful energies into the study of the photographs of the Civil War. Twenty years later, Frassanito, would write Gettysburg: A Journey in Time that established the academic standard for investigating Civil War photographs as documents of history. The author's tale is not complete until the reader has the opportunity to note the important efforts being made to preserve the images by the digitizing project of the Library of Congress.
It is a great book and I highly recommend it.
John R Kelley
Photographic Historian
Poughkeepsie, NY ... Read more

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Go beyond the bottle and step inside the minds- and vines- of Virginia's burgeoning wine industry in this groundbreaking volume. Join grape grower and industry insider Walker Elliott Rowe as he guides you through some of the top vineyards and wineries in the Old Dominion. Rowe explores the minds of pioneering winemakers and vineyard owners, stitches together an account of the wine industry's foundation in Virginia, from Jamestown to Jefferson to Barboursville, and uncovers the fascinating missing chapter in Virginia wine history. As the Philip Carter Winery's motto explains, 'Before there was Jefferson, there was Carter.'

Rowe goes behind the scenes to interview migrant workers who toil daily in the vineyards, makes the rounds in Richmond with an industry lobbyist and talks shop with winemakers on the science and techniques that have helped put the Virginia wine industry on the map. Also included are twenty-four stunning color photographs from professional photographer Jonathan Timmes and a foreword by noted wine journalist Richard Leahy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This author is funny, especially if the reader is from Albemarle Co. I learned to appreciate folks who grow grapes!
Condition damaged via USPS damage and poor packaging. Asked for reduction and got it. Seller could be more customer responsive as I only heard about credit from Amazon.

Book left me wanting to know more about growing grapes! Author nearly gossips, which is not expected and refreshing! I was surprised at how many characters I know. ... Read more

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This wide-ranging collection explores the relations between photo-journalism and history, investigating how photographs shape both, what we remember and how we remember. Contributors discuss dramatic changes in the press's coverage of presidential death from McKinley through Kennedy and examine the selective use of picture postcards in World War I to support the particular image of the war effort that the government wished to cultivate. Other essays examine divergent public reactions to Edward Steichen's "Family of Man" exhibition and the curious distillation of enormous collections of war photographs-from the Civil War, the Holocaust, and other cataclysmic events-into a handful of images that have become cultural icons. Ranging from the rise of photo-journalism in the 1930s and its idealization of American life to the issue of authenticity in documentary photography, "Picturing the Past" provides valuable insight into how photographs influence collective memory, generate a sense of national community, and reinforce prevailing social, cultural, and political values. ... Read more

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Since it was first developed by Daguerre in the 1840s, photography has followed an interesting and varied course in its progress from a practical means of documentation to an art form with its own icons, heroes, galleries and collectors. This eye-catching and engrossing book contains every sort of photography, all of it arranged in an easily accessible and fun format. Pictures of famous events such as the Royal Wedding and the first landing on the moon are here, next to familiar shots by the masters of photography such as Bill Brandt, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Cecil Beaton and Robert Doisneau.There is fashion, sport, natural history, reportage and society portraiture, as well as social documentary and art. The 500 photographers features range from William Henry Fox Talbot and Julia Margaret Cameron to Larry Clarke and Herb Rittz, from Robert Capa and Josef Kondelka to Nan Goldin and Pierre et Gilles.Arranged alphabetically, each full-page photograph is accompanied by an illuminating text which gives useful insight into the work and its creator, as well as extensive cross-references to others working in the same field or the same style. Glossaries of technical terms and movements and a directory of museums and galleries are included in the back of the book to provide a fully comprehensive and self-contained volume.Amazon.com Review
The concept for this book is simple: 500 photographers, 500pages. Arranged alphabetically, each of the photographers--fromcontemporary Dutch cameraman Hans Aarsman to mid-century New Yorkshutterbug James Van Der Zee--gets a full, oversized page. On it is alarge, expertly reproduced image and a concise caption packed withinformation about the photographer and his or her work. Thecoincidental alignment of photos of different eras and aestheticsensibilities provides unusual and exciting contrasts that add anextra dimension to readers' perception of the work. Rineke Dijkstra'scolor-saturated shot of a bikini-clad beachgoer in South Carolinafaces a Mike Disfarmer portrait of a rural Arkansas couple in1943. Imogen Cunningham's inimitable Nude is here, along with amore surprising image--My Mother, Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire, acolor-photo collage by painter David Hockney. With iconic photographslike Alfred Eisenstaedt's shot of a sailor and a nurse kissing inTimes Square on V-J Day, historic ones like Larry Burrows's shot ofwounded U.S. soldiers in Vietnam, and pop images like DavidLaChapelle's picture of a bodybuilder posing amid a cluster of littleboys aping his stance, the scope of this visual encyclopedia is trulyepic. And with its incredibly low price tag, there's no better valueout there for fans of photography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

disturbing images
Maybe I have a different taste in photography but I hate this book. It was all depressing black and white pictures. A quarter of the book is of dead people or people being killed. Not the kind of pictures I want to inspire me.

What exactly are you looking for?
First of all, the book is about 6 inches tall. My sandwiches are bigger! And the font size is about 4 so it's kind of hard to read. Now, that being said, it is very informative if you want to know the history of photography and you want the "implied meanings" of the photos and "what the artist was trying to convey". It has really helped me fall asleep on several nights.

Best one-book history of photography

This is an excellent and inexpensive one book history of photography that includes about 500 images ranging from the very earliest days of photography through the present. Each page contains a separate image by an influential photography along with explanatory text. This is definitely the first creative photography book to buy.

Depth of field
What do you get when you collect one great photo each from a century and a half of talented photographers? You get "The Photo Book."

Each page of this fascinating books contains a full page copy of terrific photography. The greats and well-knows are here -- Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier Besson and Richard Avedon all get a page. Notorious and iconic pictures are included too, including Edie Adams' photos of the execution of a Vietcong soldier and Nick Ut's shot of Vietnamese children fleeing a napalm attack. The pictures in the book are by turns serious, comic, touching, whimsical and sexy. A short paragraph brings the reader's attention to the historic and artistic elements of the photos. It's almost a guarantee that, unless you are a photo historian, you will not have seen 95% of the images in the book.

Note to parents an gift-givers: there is some male and female nudity in the book, but nothing pornographic.

amazing collection
An amazing collection of photographs and photographers! The descriptions under each photograph are very explanatory and insightful to the historical context, highight important details, and expose the intention of the photographer. ... Read more

Product Description
A unique survey of photography from its origins until nowFrom a delivery boy to one of the most important industrialists in American history, George Eastman’s career developed in a particularly American way. The founder of Kodak died in 1932, and left his house to the University of Rochester. Since 1949 the site has operated as an international museum of photography and film, and today holds the largest collection of its kind in the world. The continually expanding photography collection contains over 400,000 images and negatives - among them the work of Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Ansel Adams and others - as well as 23,000 cinema films, five million film stills, one of the most important silent film collections, technical equipment and a library with 40,000 books on photography and film. The George Eastman House is a pilgrimage site and a place of worship for researchers, photographers and collectors from all over the world.

This volume shows in chronological order the most impressive images and the most important developments in the art of light that is photography. It provides in its huge collection and themes a unique survey of the medium from its origins until now. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

To move forward you need the past
A great history of photography in one book. I found by looking back at photography's masters. I could refresh old ideas into new projects for myself. Where, I applied lessons learn in the past with today's cameras and I found it has made me a better photographer. Not only were many of these masters leaders in what they chose to photograph, but also raised the bar for those coming after them. A great book for anyone wishing to move their photography into an art form. ... Read more

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"This book will become the most complete and useful English-language text on its subject, and will be the essential starting point for anyone wishing to incorporate Mexican material into a photographic survey course, to add photography to a course on Mexican culture, or to do more research in the field."-Martha A. Sandweiss, Associate Professor of American Studies and History, Amherst CollegeThe history of photography in Mexico was a largely untold story until the 1994 publication of Olivier Debroise's Fuga Mexicana, un recorrido por la fotografía en México. Based on ten years' research in public and private photographic archives in Mexico, the United States, Guatemala, and Europe, Fuga Mexicana provided the first comprehensive survey of Mexican photography from the advent of the daguerreotype in 1839 to the present. Now this benchmark publication is available in English as Mexican Suite. Olivier Debroise and Stella de Sá Rego have revised this edition to include more current material and explanatory notes for an audience less familiar with Mexican history. They have also eliminated some of the general history of photography and added more of the early history of photography in Mexico, as well as many new, previously unpublished images.The book is organized both chronologically and thematically, which allows viewer/readers to follow the evolution of major photographic genres and styles. Debroise also examines the role of photography in the development of modern Mexico and the influence of prominent foreign photographers such as Edward Weston, Tina Modotti, and Henri Cartier-Bresson. In its totality, Mexican Suite constitutes an extended essay on Mexican culture as a whole and on how this culture has been read, interpreted, and imagined. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Award Winner for Book Design
This book has received an Honorable Mention from the 2001 Southern Books Competition. "One of the challenges of book design is to thoughtfully create a readable and engaging package for outstanding intellectual content. Jose Orozco Farias has done an exemplary job here and deserves warm praise. Color continuity from jacket through title page to chapter openings is exceptional. The table of contents is clear, simple and easy to use. Chapter openings are beautiful. Images are thoughtfully and effectively arranged. The text is extremely readable with thoughtful use of white space." Congratulations to the authors, designer Jose Clemente Orozco Farias, and the University of Texas Press.

just order it!
If you got this far, you are probably going to buy this book, since it is the only survey in English of the rich history of photography in Mexico. But in case you have any doubts about spending the 40 odd dollars, put them out of your mind, since it is really a great art book, even if you aren't interested in Mexico or photography! Reads like a series of fascinating "tales"....I'm a very biased reviewer but thought someone had to be the first to review this excellent book. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (29)

Not for the average photographer
If you buy this book, hoping to learn useful tips from a pro, forget it. This book is more on Stephen Johnson, his work and contribution to the digital imagery era than it is on digital photography. Furthermore, this book is more on scanning back system than on digital photography with the average user tools (digital camera from Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc). What was the aim of the book? Other than putting the author under the lights, I cannot figure it out. There is nothing in this book that you can't read for free on the Internet. And all the explanations on taking photography and photo development/retouching on the computer are limited to basic.

For example, Johnson says that an histogram is the best tool to analyse your image. How do you actually analyse an image with an histogram is barely said. And how do you improve your image using the histogram is almost limited at showing how to use the levels/curves dialog box in Photoshop... Could somebody be more basic than this?

I am giving a 2 for the beautiful photos in the book, but if you wish to improve your photographer skills, this book does not worth the money. Buy something else.

Mixed camera bag
I'm very glad to have found this book. It's inspiring in its discussion of photography on the most basic level -- not the techniques, but the motivating forces in photography's technological development and its potential for the future. I was also fascinated by Johnson's uncommon personal approach to the craft, and deeply impressed by his photos.

Unfortunately, I also found the book needed a good deal of editing. First in content, because there was far too much that was just sketchy retreads of technical tips you can find in other books. It felt like padding. But worse were the scads of typos and other errors throughout the text. I honestly don't think this book was ever read carefully by any editor or proofreader. The photos are gorgeous, but the treatment of the text was amateurish. Certainly not what a book like this should merit.

I hope this publisher will be ashamed enough of this product that it will issue a second edition with corrections. And to other reviewers I say, PLEASE stop accepting garbage editing in photography books! It seems to be almost a fashion!

True professional
Steven Johnson Is someone that knows what he is doing and I am happy that there are still people like him in this world. Not only is he a true professional photographer but he is also aware of ethical and environmental issues regarding photography. I had the luck to be in one of his workshops and I an recommend it to you all. This book guided me there and I will never regret it. So buy the book and learn how to take real pictures. :-)

Thoughfully produced and will make you think about digitial photographic perspectives


Strengths:This practical guide has extensive information integrated with the screenshots, exquisite photographs and visuals. The tutorials and information are well done and provide much assistance for those Mac users who want to become familiar and gain and understanding of their system. Good for those who are starting with Macs or want to become more efficient with the

Weaknesses: Questions relating to troubleshootingin the first chapter could have better been placed in a section at the end or integrated into another chapter.

The authorStephen Johnson is a landscape photographer, designer and teacher. Hea world recognized digital photographer and pioneer. Many of his remarkable photographs are part of many collections in world institutions. Many of this photos and world famous photos from other photographers showcase the techniques and photographic topics.

Chapter 1 focuses with a great a great introduction to several reasons for working with digital imagery. Specific conceptual troubleshootingissues are elaborated upon while focusing upon real problems. However with all the emphasis on perfectionistic photography throughout the later parts of the book it was interesting how troubleshooting techniques were placed here. Possibly this was done to focus on what can go wrong to further demonstrate proper techniques but this section should most likely have been placed elsewhere as in the appendix.

The 21 chapters have sections relating tobasics of digital photography, Film camera techniques vs. digital, Practical approaches of the non film photographer, Techniques of the digital darkroom , A photographer (tm)s digital journey, Photography, art and the future. Among the most interesting parts of the book are a section oncompositing and faking of images (Chapter 19 : Photography and Truth - Imaging Ethics in the Digital Age),highlighted using photographs of space missions, Mt. St. Helens, and war related images. These different perspectives give a fresh perspective on comparing and contrasting historical and other techniques. What I liked is that photographic perspectives related to me personally and could relate to others based on how old you are. The author's perspectives and photographs of him standing on the rim of the crater of Mt. St. Helens compared to my experience as a teacher that was allowed to helicopter into the crater and videotape and photograph the inside of the crater. Other readers will relate to many other photos while others will be amused or uplifted by the clarity and poignant qualities of the photographs.

Conclusion:

This book is thoughtfully produced and comprehensively written. The author has crafted a book which covers many views of digital photography taken from a historical perspective as photography has progressed through time. While it is guide, it is not an easy. The troubleshooting perspectives, which I thought should go elsewhere, were important and would help with beginning essentials. It is the additional views and perspectives that this guide has in the rest of the book that a photographer can use over time,for producing better digital photographs. The bottom line it is not an easy read. You will have to pause and reflect on the importance of digital photography through the "eyes " of the author. That is what makes a great read.

A concise, practical, and immensely engaging book on digital imaging
'Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography' is an excellent book on the tools, techniques, science, history, and art of digital photography that will appeal to digital photographers of any skill level.Johnson is a genuine pioneer and evangelist in the field of digital photography.Drawing on over three decades of experience as an accomplished photographer, educator, and product consultant to the "Who's Whos" of the digital imaging industry, Johnson succinctly and eloquently imparts to the reader/student practical and interesting information on a variety of subjects.I found the coverage of digital camera techniques, color correction and editing, color management, and fine-art printing particularly useful.This information has truly helped me to make better photographs.

'On Digital Photography' is a timeless and inspiring book that is thoughtfully organized, richly furnished with numerous beautiful and educational 5-color photographs, and superbly bound with quality paper and a resilient binding.It's manufactured to last, which is great, as I refer to it often. ... Read more

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A wide-ranging and detailed survey dedicated to the protagonists of the contemporary art scene in Eastern Europe. As the title suggests, history, memory and identity are the principle "open questions" for many countries in Eastern Europe that have over the past twenty years seen their course in history change radically in the wake of the fall of the Berlin wall on November 9th, 1989. The catalogue includes twenty-nine artists from eighteen countries, including the Russian Federation, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia and Croatia, many of which are presented here for the first time in a survey comprising more than 150 photographs, films and video-installations. History Memory Identity marks a continuation of Asian Dub Photography (Skira, 2009) dedicated to Far Eastern art. ... Read more

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In the tradition of John Berger and Susan Sontag, Fred Ritchin analyzes photography’s failings and reveals untapped potentials for this evolving medium.One of our most influential commentators on photography investigates the future of visual media as the digital revolution transforms images, changing the way we conceptualize the world. From photos of news events taken on cell phones to the widespread use of image surveillance, digital media has fundamentally altered the way we receive visual information. Simultaneously, the increased manipulation of photographs has made photography suspect as reliable documentation, raising questions about its role in recounting personal and public histories.

In a world beset by critical problems and ambiguous boundaries, Ritchin argues that it is time to begin energetically exploring possibilities created by technological innovations, and to use them to better understand our rapidly changing world. 50 illustrations ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

I will never use the school bookstore again
I got the book quickly - within a week - and it cost a fraction of what the school bookstore was charging. Not to mention the book came to me in better quality than stated. It's practically new. I will never purchase books at the school bookstore again.

Comes from an expert in both photography and new media
After Photography comes from an expert in both photography and new media, and offers a fine mix of examination of how digital and photographic media has affected human consciousness, art, and ethics. The photo no longer 'captures a moment': it can be manipulated, repackaged, and shared online. The digital world thus has far-reaching ramifications over print photography and its impact, considered in AFTER PHOTOGRAPHY, makes for serious social concerns key to any high-school to college-level photography library.

More Questions Than Answers
Ritchin provides great examples of innovative uses of photography with new media today (web sites, artist's projects...) although he doesn't suggest much as to 'what's next.' He lays out important questions about authenticity with regard to digital photography and the 'truth' behind a photograph. He explains what he calls 'hyperphotography' as the new interactive web based format for photographs. I don't know if his idea about scrolling over a photo to 'see more' will catch on but he definitely got me thinking about the potential for new technologies in photography. This was an interesting read and I appreciate the reproduction of some great photographs.

New age of photography: Encore w/cell phones instead of lighters?
I actually got a signed copy from the author since he used one of my photos, "Encore by the Killers at Street Scene Concert in San Diego, California", in this book. A professor also asked to use my same photo.

The book itself is a sturdy hard back with the colorful jacket. The paper is of digital photo quality standard, which is more than appropriate here in order to enjoy the photos in the book. I'll admit that I have not read the whole book, but I did notice that the photos were a broad collection of old black and whites to modern shots. The most obvious trend is the photos of the various US presidents through time.

As for my picture, watching the crowd use their cell phones instead of lighters was an unforgetful (kodak) moment in which I knew I was part of a new age. Capturing on "film" (digital, that is) was even better because I could share it with the world!

If you want to get a nice gift for someone (or yourself) who appreciates photography, this may be worthwhile. I personally like to have it on my coffee table for my guests to peruse. Not to lessen it's value, but it is a nice picture book.

No Thought Unuttered
Photographers certainly know how to simplify their subjects and how to put a frame around a portion of the world so that nothing impinges on their image.However, perhaps because they look at the world through a viewfinder, they sometimes seem to miss not only the larger world around them but the place of their photography in that larger world.

Fred Ritchin, who teaches photography at N.Y.U., believes that the method of capturing images changes the world and that the world changes the method of capturing images.In a some times rambling essay, the author looks at various aspects of photography, with an emphasis on the changes wrought by the digital world.On the one hand he decries the easy malleability of the digital image, and on the other sees opportunity for greater understanding through the digital photograph.He explores possible uses of digital media in the future in ways that reminded me of the world of Neal Stephenson's 1992 science fiction novel "Snow Crash (Bantam Spectra Book)".(The Wall Street Journal recommended reading "Snow Crash" for a view of the future; better hurry up before that book is overtaken by events.)

Ritchin complains about the uses of digital media as a means of invading privacy and at the same time suggests that its use can aid humanitarian causes.Although he sees the possibility of either, or both, great benefits and great costs, he does not suggest what photographers can do to direct digital media toward the benefits.Furthermore, after exploring many bold possibilities, he seems to come down for the use of photography on the internet in sites that give the viewer options in how to examine the pictures presented by hidden captions or links of portions of pictures to other sites or similar techniques.It seems a simple direction for a book that aims at lofty goals for digital photography.

Ritchin is primarily concerned about the world of documentary photography and ignores the role of the digital in art photography, although I suppose that his interest in websites that present the viewer with options to follow could be bent to artful use as well as documentary.

While a well turned phrase is always appreciated, often the author's prose turns purple, or takes a flight of fancy, as when he suggests engaging an image of his long-dead grandmother in conversation.

The book is interesting and makes some valid points, but on the whole, it looks like the author had collected notes over the years and decided that no thought could remain unuttered.It will be hard for photographers, viewers and students of media to develop a useful picture of the role of photography in the future from this book.
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Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent !!
Photography and Cinema takes the reader through a well developed analysis of the similarities and distances between photography and cinema. The text is filled with a large and well selected body of references and images. Easy to read and absorb, David Campany did a good job on exploring the subject. The author shows an in depth knowledge of both fields and is able to take the reader along with him. ... Read more