Eliot
Porter: The Color of Wildness, photos by Eliot Porter,
essays by John Rohrbach, Rebecca Solnit and Jonathon Porter,
(Aperture, 2001, New York, NY)
In association with Amon Carter Museum, Aperture
unveils the first in-depth look at the life of master color
photographer Eliot Porter (1901-1990). Porter was one of the
first major artists to explore and fully pursue color landscape
photography, taking it as far as Ansel Adams’ work with
black-and-white landscapes. Porter’s photographs—with
their tremendous variety, complexity, delicacy and beauty—have
changed the way that people look at nature, as well as how
they consider the environment and conservation.
Over the course of his lengthy career, Porter
pursued a wide range of subjects. He spent his childhood summers
off the coast of Maine, dreaming about one day visiting the
Galapagos Islands and Antarctica. With the success of his
1962 Sierra Club book “In Wildness Is the Preservation
of the World,” he became famous for environmental causes.
“Eliot Porter: The Color of Wildness”
reveals Porter’s ecological interests, as well as his
fascination with humanity’s cultural roots. His later
work consisted of evocative portraits of Greek and Egyptian
ruins, as well as images from China. The book investigates
the artistic, scientific and humanistic sides of Porter. It
also addresses his “radical break” from classic
black-and-white techniques created by Adams and Paul Strand.
An exhibition of Porter’s work (including
many pieces in this book) will open sometime in 2002 at the
Amon Carter Museum in Ft. Worth.
Alan Greene’s “Primitive Photography”
explores the hand-made photographic process in its entirety,
demonstrating how to make box-cameras, lenses, paper negatives
and salt prints using cheap tools and materials found in most
hardware and art supply stores. He presents step-by-step procedures
along with theoretical explanations and history. He demonstrates
streamlined calotype procedures, as well as developing-out
printing methods.
This guide combines the simplicity of pinhole
photography, the handmade quality of alternative processes
and the precision of large-format. Greene also designates
a small area to commercially made material and digital photography.
The book presents step-by-step instructions
for building cameras and lenses, and features more than 135
photographs. The author also includes suggested reading lists,
sources for supplies and safety tips.
Chapter titles include: The Film Holder and
Focusing Screen; The Camera Body; The Lens; The Calotype Paper
Negative Process; The Calotype Salt Print Positive; and many
more.
Greene is both a photographer and teacher, and
his specialty lies within view camera technique, black-and-white
printing and historical processes. His photographic themes
cover small-town life along the Mississippi and Wabash rivers,
as well as images depicting the American Revolution. He also
teaches pinhole photography and camera/lenses construction
workshops. Greene is currently working on his next book that
explores 19th century photographers and photographic processes.
In preparation for Aperture's 50th anniversary, the photographic
organization celebrates the life work of artist Pirkle Jones,
deemed an integral part of the California photographic community
that gave rise to this photo foundation. Featuring 90 duotone
images, the book shares insight into the life of the former
National Endowment for the Arts Photography fellow and San
Francisco Arts Commission "Award of Honor" recipient.
For 60 years, Pirkle Jones has chronicled Northern California
life and its splendid setting. Jones unearthed a universe
of beauty and meaning, photographing everything from yard-sale
items to some of the most important American social movements
of the past half-century.
Jones reveals with great sensitivity the beauty of the land,
in the tradition of Ansel Adams, Minor White and Edward Weston,
with whom he knew well and often collaborated. Once said Adams,
"Pirkle is an artist in the best sense of the term. His
statement is sound and resonant of the external world as well
as the internal responses and evaluations of his personality.
His photography is not flamboyant, (and) does not depend on
the superficial excitements. His pictures will live with you,
and with the world, as long as there are people to observe
and appreciate."
The book includes Jones' politically controversial essay
on the San Francisco-based Black Panthers movement, and the
1956 essay which he created with Aperture founder Dorothea
Lange to document the destruction of the Berryessa Valley
and the dislocation of the local community before the area
was flooded upon completion of a nearby dam. Produced as a
single Aperture issue called "Death of a Valley,"
the essay remains a powerful testament to the price of progress.
If you’re a fan of photography books on
Native Americans, then this is definitely for you. Photographer
Edward Sheriff Curtis devoted more than three decades of his
life (the late 1800s to the 1920s) to photographing and documenting
vanishing Native American cultures. His life’s work consists
of 40,000 photographs and 20 volumes of “The North American
Indian.”
Author Anne Makepeace brings to light the fascinating
story of Curtis, who is best known for his poignant portraits
that reflect both the dignity and sorrow of well-known Indian
leaders like Chief Joseph and Geronimo.
Born in poverty in the Midwest, Curtis became
friends with President Teddy Roosevelt, and was later bankrolled
by J.P. Morgan. (Sadly, in 1928, Curtis was forced to cede
all his copyrights to Morgan to cover the printing and publication
costs of the last three volumes of his work.)
Like most photographers who are driven, Curtis’
life was one of both triumphs and letdowns. For a brief time,
Curtis was known among America’s most famous photographers.
His final years were spent as a second cameraman in Hollywood
films. He spent most of his best years in Indian camps, and
eventually sacrificed his finances, marriage and health to
record these images for mankind.
Suggested retail price: $35.00
Arriving to Canada from Stockholm as a three-year-old,
photographer J.A. Kraulis quickly developed a great love for
Canada’s great beauty, scale and variety of physical
geography. Inspired by his older sister who took slides of
the Canadian Rockies, Kraulis says that he used to spend hours
alone in a darkened room with the slide projector, fantasying
about this wild grandeur.
Fast forward a few decades, and Kraulis has
earned the respect of Canadian photographers alike with his
first book of photography, “Alpine Canada,” followed
by “The Islands of Canada,” “Canada from the
Air,” “The National Parks of Canada, Ottawa,”
and then this gem, “The Canadian Landscape.”
This is a beautiful coffee table-style book
with absolutely gorgeous scenics and landscapes. Shots include
the surf on the incoming tide at Vancouver Island’s Botanical
Beach; the vast mud flats revealed by the departing tide at
the mouth of the Avon River at Minas Basis (Novia Scotia);
the thunderclouds filling a turbulent sky near Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan; and a lingering sunset near Mont-Joli, Quebec.
Other photos include: the badlands of Alberta;
the potholed Saskatchewan prairie, Nigara Falls; the St. Lawrence
Valley; and Yukon’s treeless Richardson Mountains (viewed
from a long and lonely journey up the world’s most northerly
highway).
“The photos here are random,” says
Kraulis. “They are random in part because that is the
nature of events, and in part because the country they come
from is so large and diverse that any book about it must necessarily
leave out far more than it includes. Most of the trips represented
here were made independently and each other for its own sake,
in search of images and experiences without any thought for
a larger context.”
The book’s captions are cleverly done in
both English and French, and the 150+ color photographs make
the book a pleasing experience.
As every photographer quickly learns, there's more to studio
lighting than simply learning how the equipment works. Known
among his contemporaries as "The Dean," author Tony
Corbell (who is also Hasselblad USA's senior photographer
and director of its photographic education at Hasselblad University)
has assembled a comprehensive book of lighting theory and
practice.
And he thoroughly has the credentials to address this topic:
before joining Hasselblad, Corbell was a faculty member at
Brooks Institute of Photography, and honed his lighting instruction
skills at Santa Fe, Tuscany and Palm Beach photographic workshops.
Corbell makes no bones about his choice of lighting equipment:
each of the 175 photographs presented in this book was lit
with the popular Visatec (monolight) light manufactured by
Bron Elektronik. "They have an amazing ability to produce
consistently clean light that has the truest color temperature
I have ever seen, from lowest to highest power," he writes.
And of course, each image is captured on a Hasselblad camera.
Chapters deal not only with portrait lighting, but also lighting
applications in the studio for commercial work. Many examples
and illustrations are given, and Corbell even delves into
sharing some of his choices for the best film to use.
Readers will discover the best tactics for using their equipment
properly, and come up with innovative ways to utilize color
and light to create fabulous effects. They'll also get some
practice with exposures, accent lighting, backgrounds, set-ups,
and dozens of studio techniques.
Chapters include strategies of studio photography, choices
in lighting equipment and principles of light control. Subsequent
chapters cover measuring the quality of light, one-light set-ups
and lighting for depth. Some topics discussed cover angles
of incidence/reflectance, specular highlight control and shadow
edge control. Corbell also does a great job at addressing
the use of light meters -- both reflective and incident --
which cover ambient light reading capabilities, as well as
flash metering.
This is definitely a "must-read" for any photographer
who is serious about lighting techniques.
As contributing editor of Peterson’s Photographic
Magazine, author Jim Zuckerman has assembled one of the most
colorful digital how-to books to cross this reviewer’s
desk in 2001. Zuckerman draws upon his experience from writing
seven photography books to put together his “Digital
Effects” masterpiece.
The book should appeal to the PHOTO Techniques
masses who prefer to shoot medium-format “traditionally,”
scan the negatives, and then go on to image manipulation via
Photoshop. Virtually all of Zuckerman’s images are shot
with his Mamiya RZ 67 loaded Fujichrome Velvia film. Particularly
pleasing are the images he presents from all locales of the
world, including the Orient, India, Egypt and Tanzania, to
name a few.
His chapters include: an introduction to Photoshop:
simulating darkroom techniques; artistic filter effects; altering
backgrounds; strategies in combining images; advanced manipulations;
turning your photographs into paintings; special techniques;
and outputting your images.
Mini-chapters cover topics like “Burning
and Dodging for Convincing Composites,” “Separating
Fine Details,” and “Tweaking Small Imperfections
and Magnifying Subjects with the Glass Lens Filter.”
Zuckerman also patiently describes how to work
with adjustment layers, and even discusses the importance
of calibrating your monitor to tweak color balance and contrast
to match your output device.
Overall, a delightful how-to book packed with
an amazing array of color photos and Photoshop interpretations.
Fine art landscape photographer Barry Thorton
delves into his personal portfolio to demonstrate the power
and impact of making monochrome prints. Unlike most primers,
Thorton’s book uses anecdotal essays that introduce his
chapter topics and reinforce mental images that he creates
with his words. His very close to his family, so it’s
no surprise that their influence plays a big role in his essays
and resulting images.
Thorton favors his Rollei SL66 as his camera-of-choice,
but prefers to choose among the wide spectrum of available
black-and-white films. Ilford seems to be his favorite film
choice, and his images are captured on their product line
that includes: Delta 100, Delta 400, Ortho, HP5 Plus and Pan
F Plus. He also likes to shoot with Kodak’s TMax 400
and Technical Pan film. The result of each is simply breathtaking.
The book is written for the serious amateur,
and devotes little time to explaining black-and-white basic
concepts. He is quite adept at the varieties of films, developers
and papers available, as well as the pros and cons of each.
There are also lots of examples of his work, which helps illustrate
the points he makes.
Unlike most books with descriptive chapter titles,
Thorton’s chapters are instead tongue-in-cheek observations.
A chapter titled “Look Sharp,” for instance, in
another book would be “Print Sharpness, Resolution and
Contrast”. Likewise, the Thorton chapter dubbed “Through
a Glass Darkly,” may be more aptly titled “Just
Because the Picture Looks Sharp in the Viewfinder Doesn’t
Mean That it is Sharp in the Film Plane.” Finally, “Hold
it Right There” is about the importance of tripod selection.
Other Thorton chapters are: “Lamb in Wolf’s Clothing,”
“Inner Eye/Outer Eye,” and “Against the Grain.”
Subsequent chapters are “Three Feet and Reducing,”
“Focusing on the Unseen,” and, a grand salute to
unsharp masking technique, “The Mask of Sorrow.”
If your favorite bookstore is stocked well enough to have
it’s own “photography/business” section, then
this should be the first book that you look for. Compiled
by the American Society of Media Professionals (ASMP), this
text serves as “the business bible” for working
photographers and photojournalists alike.
For those who aren’t familiar with this Pennsylvania-based
group, ASMP has been the leading national organization of
professional photographers for more than 50 years. They’re
accepted as the leading authority on business practice standards
in professional photography.
Despite its mundane silver cover, the insides are brimming
with reference tools, resources and practical advice for the
variety of business, legal and financial situations that working
photographers will likely encounter. Some topics amply covered
include invoicing, promotional expenses, model releases, and
accounting practices. Sample contracts are provided, along
with an endless list of legal definitions.
Introductory chapters cover the business of assignment and
stock photography, how to price and estimate, and how to negotiate
fees and agreements. Other pertinent chapters cover “Rights
and Values in Traditional and Electronic Media,” “Formalizing
Agreements” and “Copyright.” Latter chapters
address electronic technology, business and marketing strategies,
royalties, book publishing and professional services.
The book also touches on seldom-discussed areas of the business,
including insurance, negotiating usage with models, and photographers’
ethics. The bibliography in the book’s back provides
an 18-page section complete with other related books and articles,
as well as industry contact information and helpful web sites.
Whether you work with traditional or digital
film, the image in the camera is created by the lens. Lens
selection determines the quality of the image produced, which
is why it's an essential consideration when selecting a camera.
The book includes an understanding of
the use and operation of lenses and optics. This includes
understanding terminology, different types of functions, the
advantages/disadvantages of various models, and how the angle
of view, aperture shutter and focusing abilities impact photos.
In addition, the author explains how to understand lens specifications--
including modular transfer functions (MTFs).
Author Wildi's discussion also includes:
low dispersion glass; aspheric lens elements; apochromatic
lenses; retrofocus lenses; floating lens element designs;
shift control lenses; image stabilizers and more. The other
topics he covers include astigmatism, chromatic aberrations,
field curvature and distortion.
While most photography doesn't involve
confrontation or legal risk, situations do arise where failing
to know one's legal rights can mean losing an image or incurring
liability upon publication. Insight into the law can make
you a more effective photographer because it enables the exercise
of judgement needed to achieve your objectives-- even in difficult
or risky situations.
Author Bert P Krages, a practicing lawyer,
writer and stock photographer, uses his book to efficiently
cover photographers' legal rights. It discusses common concerns,
like photographing private property, photographing people
in public places (with and without their consent), and violation
of copyrighted and trademarked material.
Krages discusses how laws governing photography
are made and enforced by local, state and federal legislative
branches. He also uses humorous "case studies" to
highlight his points. Topics cover federal insignia, stamps,
currency, architecture, restaurants, military installations,
and even nudes. It also provides help in learning to diffuse
confrontations before they get out of hand.
Kodak Gallery Elite Grand Award winner
and author J.D. Wacker provides an insightful, "how-to"
book on creating flattering, natural poses, which are the
key element to portrait photography. The author relates how
achieving a flattering, but natural pose requires the combination
of observational, interpersonal and technical skills.
He walks readers through the various considerations
necessary for posing, from the initial interaction with the
client, to the actual posing mechanics. Wacker discusses "the
role of gravity" in posing, as well as positioning what
he calls the "eight sections" of the body. He demonstrates
the importance of geometry in posing, and shows readers why
graceful "S-curves" and strong "C-curves"
are vital to creating dynamic portraits.
Other topics include corrective posing
techniques and rectifying both facial and figure flaws through
basic techniques. Wacker addresses the interplay between head/facial
plane, body plane and film plane, insisting that good posing
is 80% mental and 20% technical. Readers will learn how to
create images filled with personality, as well as those that
depict and celebrate the uniqueness of every client.
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