Book Recommendation - The Art of Photography
Posted: Sat 29 Dec 2012, 15:09
The Art of Photography - Bruce Barnbaum
An Approach to Personal Expression
Bill Yates initially recommended this book to me, but looking through the preview on Amazon I was not particularly impressed. The problem was that this book is an edition updated in 2010 from the original which was first published in 1994. During the intervening period much has changed in photography and what deterred me was that around a third of the book is devoted to shooting film, development and darkroom printing. The revised book has a new chapter called the "Digital Zone System" and elsewhere it has been amended to take account of digital imaging.
When Bill followed up and asked me how I was getting on with the book, he chided me on my admittance that I had decided not to buy it. As I now know, my original verdict was wrong and there is much to like about the book. One obvious indication is that my copy is from the 4th reprint of the 2010 edition. This is a book which has sold in large numbers over the years, justifiably so. There are many books which only ever have one print run.
Most books are written in a relatively short period, usually in a few months or even weeks. For Bruce Barnbaum, the process seems to have taken much longer and the early drafts were reviewed extensively by many others, including those attending his workshops. The result is a book which is comprehensive, easy to read and explains its concepts in a concise manner. If you only ever read one book about photography, this should at least be high on everyone's shortlist, if not at the very top.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/277-7798168-1785247?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=bruce%20barnbaum&sprefix=bruce+ba%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Abruce%20barnbaum
An Approach to Personal Expression
Bill Yates initially recommended this book to me, but looking through the preview on Amazon I was not particularly impressed. The problem was that this book is an edition updated in 2010 from the original which was first published in 1994. During the intervening period much has changed in photography and what deterred me was that around a third of the book is devoted to shooting film, development and darkroom printing. The revised book has a new chapter called the "Digital Zone System" and elsewhere it has been amended to take account of digital imaging.
When Bill followed up and asked me how I was getting on with the book, he chided me on my admittance that I had decided not to buy it. As I now know, my original verdict was wrong and there is much to like about the book. One obvious indication is that my copy is from the 4th reprint of the 2010 edition. This is a book which has sold in large numbers over the years, justifiably so. There are many books which only ever have one print run.
Most books are written in a relatively short period, usually in a few months or even weeks. For Bruce Barnbaum, the process seems to have taken much longer and the early drafts were reviewed extensively by many others, including those attending his workshops. The result is a book which is comprehensive, easy to read and explains its concepts in a concise manner. If you only ever read one book about photography, this should at least be high on everyone's shortlist, if not at the very top.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/277-7798168-1785247?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=bruce%20barnbaum&sprefix=bruce+ba%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Abruce%20barnbaum