Book Description
In this third edition of Photography and the Art of Seeing, Freeman Patterson reviews principles of composition and visual design and provides techniques and exercises for breaking away from traditional concepts. Aspiring photographers are made aware of the barriers to seeing and learn how to observe, imagine and express in a personal and creative way.
Customer Reviews:
Breaking the photographical routine.......2007-03-24
Freeman tries to get photographers to break out of their ways, to look at the world with different eyes, to question old habits. This is a good thing, in my opinion. But does he succeed?
I can only answer this from my own perspective: Yes, the book gives me impulses to try out different perspectives than the ones I'm used to.
The writing is fluent and to the point. The images underline the points in the text. I like many of them, even though they seem unspectacular at first. The printing quality could be better, though. I ordered the book together with two volumes by John Shaw ("Focus on Nature" and "The Field Book to Nature Photography", both Amphoto Books), and those are printed much better, with more contrast and color saturation.
Still, a recommended book for anyone who likes taking photos and would like to explore new grounds.
I deeply regret buying this book... RATED NO STARS AT ALL.......2007-02-16
I wrote a review as follows: 'Anyone can take a picture of a hot dog. If this photographer took a picture of a hot dog you would smell the french fries, hear the ocean, and taste the salt water taffy. The author offers the reader a chance to see the world through his eyes.
Then I looked through the book more closely. On page 137 I saw a picture that disgusted me. When I read what he wrote about the subject, I became angry. He wrote, "This photograph captures a moment in the life of a child, and suggests innocence. The little girl had withdrawn from her playmates on the beach; she wanted to be alone. She was crying a little. When I came along, she hid her face to preserve her privacy. I quickly made this picture and left. Note that the expanse of rocks and the girl's small space in the composition strengthen the sense of her privacy."
The picture is of a naked little child who was hiding her face crying and trying to turn away from the man taking her picture with his camera. It is only my opinion, but I think this man is greatly lacking in respect of human dignity.
I am sorry I put money in his pocket. I hope no one else will.
An excellent resource.......2006-12-15
If you have moved up from the technical aspects of photography, and are into "photography as an art", this is the book to buy to take you to that next level.
If there is just one book in the whole world that you can buy, this is it! I own all of patterson's instruction books - and they are all great! a worthy investment and proudly displayed in my bookshelf.
Don't buy this book - PLEASE!.......2006-11-30
Please don't buy this book. It will change your photography. I bought it, and now I have an advantage, and I want to keep it!
Seriously, this is probably the most disturbing photography book I have found. It will challenge everything you do in photography, and that is unsettling.
If you follow the exercises properly, you will develop a whole new way of seeing and taking photos.
Sure, if you want to, you can read it from cover to cover and go "Ho, hum, very nice." and take it no further. But if you want to improve your photography, take your time, and do the exercises carefully. You will be surprised at the results.
I especially like the one where you lock yourself in a small room (bathroom) and have to take 20 images. "If you don't feel desperation before you finish this exercise, then you have to take another 20 photos."
Don't buy this book! Run away and hide. Keep taking boring photos.
Stimulating Creativity.......2006-11-11
I found this book excellent for stimulating the creative process where photography is concerned.
Customer Reviews:
It doesn't get any better than this........2005-09-08
This is simply the best book about art I have ever read. Like other reviewers, I can say that this book permanently altered the way I see the world (and art). Irwin did it and he still does it.
still forgetting.......2005-08-22
I picked up this book in 1984 because it was on a reading list for an Art History class I was taking at Oberlin College. I stayed up all night in the library that night. I couldn't put it down. My mind has never been the same.
I still often think of it,tell stories from it and give it as a gift. I always say "skip the first chapter-it gets much better." If I remember right, the book begins with a description of Irwin's perfectionism when cleaning the engine of his car. I figure that will bore my friends.
I tell my students about Irwin's many years attempt to make the perfect line, to his wife's chagrin and his painting the back side of his paintings because it matters to him. They like the story of the riots that occured in South America due to the disorientation of his discs-concave and convex-the viewers couldn't tell where the wall started and the disc stopped. I have given the book as a graduation present.
I thought about this book at the mechanic the other day. My engine is very, very dirty.
I will never forget,forgetting. Great book.
more than exceptional.......2003-11-04
if you want to understand the mind of a modern conceptual artist and his life...read this....profound,interesting,illuminating,inspiring...read this
One of the best biographies ever.......2002-12-14
Robert Irwin is a wonderful artist, and this is a must-read for anybody interested in his work, or in his West Coast brand of conceptualism. But this book is also a fantastic biography in its own right - Weschler, who now works for the New Yorker, writes like an angel, and reading this book is a pleasure indeed. To say that this is one of the best biographies of an artist ever would be far too faint praise: this is one of the best biographies ever, period.
amazing.......2002-02-21
This was an amazing read. Not only did it open my eyes to the concept of abstract art, but it opened my eyes to a different way of thinking. I highly recommend this book.
Customer Reviews:
Photographing the Blandscape: The Art of Blowing One's Own Trumpet.......2007-08-28
Colorado is at saturation point with Fielder's books, calendars etc. Whenever I picked one up in a bookshop I would think, "yeah, nice" and put it back with all the other pretty picture books. Then I visited his gallery in Cherry Creek Mall and was blown away. Massive prints (in size and price) that take your breath away. So detailed you can almost smell the breath of that mountain goat atop a grand mountain, so intense you feel you can reach out and touch the Indian Paintbrush nestled in the vibrant mountain meadow. I was so impressed that I bought this book.
But back at home, much of what those photos gained through size, pinsharp detail and technical excellence is lost when printed page size. Look at his online gallery (do a web search) and you will get the idea. A lot of his work doesn't scale down that well at all. Compositionally I find most are pretty average, some very good, but not consistently excellent.
Is that a problem? Not really except that you realise that he is his own publisher and so crams the book with self congratulatory arrogance. To hear him bleat about how much effort and skill he put into a mediocre landscape gets to you after a while.
However, loving the Colorado mountains as I do, I find myself appreciating the subjects whatever their artistic merit. His subjects are often beautiful, and reflect his dedication (of which he reminds you a great deal) to spending his life away from home searching for that perfect sunrise by being there at 12,000 feet at 4am.
And he does pass on a fair amount of technical knowledge and advice (if you can ignore his back-patting style).
Some people lap his work up and I would definitely buy one of his huge prints for my living room if could afford one. I'm not disppointed I bought this book, but I feel I wouldn't have missed much if I hadn't.
Great resource for photo composition and technique.......2007-05-31
I saw John Fielder at a public event and I was impressed with his matter of fact work flow model. This book lays it all out. Its a great how to resource.
Organizes to see and capture a scene.......2005-05-22
What a great help this book is to learn to see, visualize and capture the panorama and the detail in landscape photography. The first Chapter flows through how to see, compose and capture. The illustrative photographs and the accompanying commentary are invaluable supports to the text.
If you are learning how to do better landscape photography, read this book after John Shaw's Landscape photography. The two books are quite different and quite compatible. Both authors have strong points of view, but as a learner it is good to hear these and take away the good in each.
You will, however, have to take some leaps to digital as it is a film based book -- I did not find this to be overly concerning.
My only wish is that Fielder still did photography field classes!
Pictures teach more than words.......2003-05-06
John Fielder is one of the best photographers of this age. Perhaps not as commonly know as a Tom Till or a Larry Ulrich, he centers the majority of his work in the backcountry of Colorado where he's hiked virtually every inch of terrain.
This is one of the most beautiful books on photography that I own and his images taught me more than his words. He has some of the more typical landscape scenes that could be done by most competent professionals. But where Fielder stands out the most are the pictures that truly look like a complex model of math and art. He blends perfectly the elements of his trade. Photography is as much a technical craft as it is an art. To be great, you need both. Fielder is a virtual Bach of photography where he punctuates his gorgeous style with obvious control of technique.
What sets him apart from most other photographers is his style. Most of his images are not typical and clearly make use of simplicity, beautiful lines, hazy afternoons. He doesn't rely on perfect buttermilk clouds to paint a photograph for him. He uses the soft folds of a hill on a cloudy day or the sheer layers of a clear sunrise on a beach to make his pictures. He doesn't need much to turn his world in a vivid piece of artwork captured precisely on his large format.
His writing style is very much like his photographs. Simple and concise. Though at times, I did wish he would explain some concepts a bit more in depth. Mostly though, he uses his images as an example of what to do or what not to do.
He writes how he learned photography by taking pictures and then comparing them to the best (Ansel Adams and Eliot Porter). His own photographs have set a precedent, a standard beyond many landscape photographers could even dream. Take his advice and study the greats to develop an eye for the craft. The technical aspect requires some learning but to be great like Fielder, follow in his footsteps until your own style emerges.
I also enjoyed his accounts of a day in the life of a landscape photographer. To find those beautiful, untouched places, you have to be tough and be able to hike miles at altitude. It's always great to have a personal touch to an educational book. Nothing could be more mundane than a purely technical photography book especially when we all know that photographers are fairly opinionated and outspoken.
If you want a strictly technical book, invest in National Geographic's field guide. But if you are looking for inspiration, for a chance to study a master in his prime, look to Fielder. He will teach you in his images, in the subtle language of art and make the text on the page virtually unecessary.
nice layout...concepts expressed simply.......2003-03-12
This is a book that explains basic concepts of landscape photography -- rhythm, proportion, etc. -- in ways that will allow you to easily understand and use those concepts. You get clearly explained information about different types of cameras, filters, lighting, etc. and how they affect the outcome. This author capably explains the principle AND illustrates that principle with his own work, so whether you learn best from a tutorial or a definition, this book will help you. It is laid out in such a way that it is easy and pleasant to read, and the author uses plain language. It includes some useful charts and diagrams. This book seems aimed somewhat more at beginners than advanced photographers. I've been shooting a while though and found my understanding of some concepts explained by his work. His photos may not be the best I've ever seen but they ARE quite good, certainly beyond the range of most beginners and adequate for illustrating the concepts. I collect Galen Rowell's books due to a great respect for who he was -- both in terms of his wilderness ethic and his phenomenal photographs -- but, as another reviewer mentions, his books are not nearly as easy to learn from. This author concentrates on teaching but includes enough of his own experience to make for an interesting and instructive read.
Book Description
Founded by Ansel Adams, directed by Minor White, and staffed by such luminaries as Imogen Cunningham, Dorothea Lange, Lisette Model, and Edward Weston, the first fine-art photography department in the United States was created in 1946 at the California School of Fine Arts (now known as the San Francisco Art Institute). Under White's leadership and against a backdrop of revolutions in photography as an art form, this dynamic faculty developed the modern photography curriculum, bringing a new academic pedigree to the medium and establishing the future of photography education. The Moment of Seeing is much more than a history of the program and those who comprised it. Including White's never-before-published writings on the teaching of photography, it is also a rich gallery of iconic images by both renowned faculty members and the dedicated students they taught.
Customer Reviews:
A surprising look at Minor White.......2007-05-13
Most of what has come down to us about Minor White as a teacher and thinker is based on his East Coast career from the late 1950s to the 1970s. This well edited, richly illustrated book deals with Minor White's time at the California School of Fine Arts (San Francisco), where he founded the photography program with Ansel Adams in 1946 and taught until 1953. There are fascinating details here about what was arguably the America's first really rigorous photography curriculum, and about the reception and teaching of people like Dorothea Lange, Imogen Cunningham, and Edward Weston long before they were enshrined in the canon of modern photography. A concluding series of portfolios in this book reminds us that much of Minor White's best work was produced during his early Californina years, and attests to the quality of the work of his first students. This is an valuable book in its own right, but also an excellent companion to the indispensable Minor White: The Eye That Shapes.
The Moment of Seeing: Minor White at the California School of Fine Arts.......2007-01-04
This was an excellent book documenting the work of Minor White and highlighting some of his former students of photography.
Book Description
Visual presentation of the artist's masks, a powerful affirmation of what is still human in us humans.
Customer Reviews:
A wonderful thing to behold.......2007-01-12
Frederick Franck's work consistently surprises me with his gifts as a student who reports on all sorts
of conditions that are human. This work was unknown to me until recently. I know his skills as an
old fashioned draughtsman, his support of drawing as meditation. I did not know of this
work of his that celebrates the fluidity of clay, it becomes drawing in three-dimensions. These
faces never ever lose their sense of all healthy, spontaneous drawing, They are about a life
time of obeservation by Franck, but we see split seconds here of revelation.
Book Description
Aspiring photographers are spared the rigors and tribulations of trial and error in solving lighting problems with the immense knowledge shared in this guide. Included is comprehensive coverage of the tools top portrait photographers use, the lighting styles they favor, and the problem-solving techniques they employ to ensure perfectly lit portraits. Techniques covered include dragging the shutter to produce a balanced exposure, warming the light for a softer portrait with a more accessible mood, and metering a subject with confidence for the perfect exposure every time. Filled with practical, up-to-date instruction, photographers will be able to make every portrait session a successful one.
Customer Reviews:
Boring..........2007-05-12
Maybe this is 2007, I find this style of photography doesn't sell very well in today consumer tastes. Yes, Mr. Blair is a master as well as Zucker; nonetheless, my clients want natural and fun. If I pose them and hold for the shot, their reaction is "I don't like to pose." On the other hand, there are some good lighting tips and hand position that are important to keep in mind.
Very disapointed !.......2006-12-13
I expected this book to be very useful, since it's written by a master portrait photographer. But I found it to be completely useless. Sample photos on this book look ackward and posing forced and also very, very outdated. It's the only photography book I own that I wish i never bought!. Sorry to say, but I considere it a waste of my money!
Not Impressed..........2006-08-09
Nothing struck me as intriguing, interesting or new in this book. It's just a book of mostly mundane very normal typical photography. I was hoping for a new spin on the old habit.
The Master Strikes Again.......2006-07-07
Along with Monte Zucker, Don Blair is one of our two living masters of people photography, and this book is a useful introduction to one of the key tools of portraiture: light. It features excellent photos that illustrate all the most important styles of lighting. Lighting diagrams would have helped, especially for beginners, but there is a lot you can learn from the examples and tips provided in this interesting compendium of techniques.
Superficial and of very little practical use........2005-11-24
I was very disappointed when I got this book (which I bought right here based on the previous positive reviews) - after about ten minutes I found I had wasted my money for just another photo book which serves more as some kind of portfolio for the author's work instead of delivering lots of useful information to help the reader. One might get over this if Blair's images were indeed outstanding - but unfortunately the are very conventional, very stiffly posed, and VERY 80's style! They annoy me so much it is hard to concentrate at the text.
The lighting advice given is very basic and only loosely connected with the image examples given. As a professional photographer I was looking for a book with a strategic view on portraiture lighting, how to create different moods and emotions with a broad choice of light sources, interpreting personality, some new ideas to spark my creativity. I guess will have to look elsewhere...
Book Description
Shows you how to take better photographs by studying the elements of the subject, using lighting, composition, color, shape, form, texture, and viewpoint. Explains how cameras, lenses, and films see differently from you. Suggests ways to achieve creativity by shattering preconceptions and lack of awareness. Helps you break through creative barriers.
Customer Reviews:
severely disappointed in lack of substance.......2005-12-05
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Save your money.
This book is virtually content free.
96 pages and most of them are pictures.
Which IMHO any average snapshooter already can do.
And if you can't this isn't the book to start with.
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This book is barely an outline of a few topics concerning how to see.
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The only substance, and I speak loosely, was to break the rules.
Use different angles. Look at parts instead of the big picture.
I infer that if most of your pictures are colored blue that that must be good as the author had a lot of blue pictures.
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A good book on composition, and admittedly those are very rare too, would tell you more about seeing. At least then you could look for elements to put together.
This book spent a lot of its few (about 48) pages of instrution doing a second rate job on composition versus actually seeing.
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Read it at the library, as you will feel cheated if you spend $20-$25 for this to buy it.
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Wabi Sabi for the artist and poet by ?? (Kamen??) would tell you more about seeing than this book.
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There are a few good photog books out there. Feininger would blow this one away if you can still find copies.
This is just another one of the disappointments. And it wasnt even artsycraftsy just blah.
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Discovering your true potential thru hightened seeing.......2002-11-16
This is one of the best books that highten your photographic abilities. It makes you aware of preconceptions you may have about photography, and encourages you to explore your seeing and observation skills. Included are chapters on what elements make up a scene, the importance of composition and lighting, and varying your ways of looking and treating the subject. I've reread it several times, learning new things everytime. It's remarkably well written and is non-technical.
Training for the Most Important Tool of Photography.......2002-05-31
The Art of Seeing is the latest, and most unique, book in my small but growing library on photography. I bought it because I was taking the same photographs over and over again and getting bored and frustrated with a hobby that I used to really enjoy. This book helped me work on the most important tool of photography: my eyes.
This book does what it says: teaches the art of seeing. I have been stuck in a rut of trying to take the pictures that I am "supposed" to take according to what my preconceptions tell me make a good photograph. This book encourages you to see everything differently and to photograph whatever you want.
Doeffinger breaks the book down into different aspects of what makes a picture, including color, depth, and form. He teaches you how to gain a new respect for every part of what makes a picture great while encouraging you figure out on your own what would make a picture great for you. While being a more abstract book, it does not fail to mention what techniques will help you bring out what you see with your eyes and put in on film. It does assume that you already know the basics of photography such as arpeture and film grain, but is careful not to go over the heads of beginners. Being an out of print book, the pictures are a little outdated but overall I would recommend this book to any photographer trying to put new life into their pictures.
Breaking out of the rut.......2001-11-19
This is a very good book for breaking out of the rut when you find yourself totally stuck for things to photograph. While some of the images remind one of those you might take in an introduction to photography class, that's not all bad. It gets your creative juices flowing again. Book helps you break repetitive image making and promotes creative thought processes, and it's not as dull as this sounds.
Visualization basics.......2001-06-21
A good intro book to expand the beginning photographers understanding of visual imagery. Will open your mind to new ways of viewing the world around you and lead you to create more interesting and engaging photos.
Book Description
Improvisation, spontaneity, fusion, freedom, innovation. Jazz has always been about more than music, and the ideas and moods of jazz have sent ripples through every branch of the arts. Produced by the Smithsonian, this spectacular compilation is the first to look at both art and literature inspired by jazz. Seeing Jazz showcases the music's riotous liberating influence with over one hundred beautiful images, including paintings, photographs, sculpture, multimedia works, and textile art. Inspired by the rifts and remains of jazz, here are pieces by Romare Bearden, James Phillips, JeanMichel Basquiat, Gjon Mili, Henri Matisse, William Claxton, Stuart Davis, Ann Tanksley, Archibald Motley, Ed Love, Gordon Parks, Man Ray, and many others. More than sixty cool literary selections from some of the twentieth century's hottest writers complement and enrich the arrangement of artworks. With an introduction by Columbia University jazz scholar Robert O'Meally, this exhilarating concert of jazz, art, and literature will enthrall jazz fans, art lovers, and literary hipsters alike.
Visit the Smithsonian Institutions' site on jazz.
Customer Reviews:
A perfect gift for art and jazz lovers alike........1998-01-07
This is a beautiful book in every way. The selection of art juxtaposed with the intriguing range of literary excerpts combine to make the reader do exactly what the editors want: to "see" jazz. I bought extra copies as Christmas gifts.
Customer Reviews:
The Art Of Seeing 2.......2004-06-14
I really enjoyed viewing The Art of Seeing 2, by Reuters. Coming from a journalism point of view, the photographs in this book are stunning! The book truly does capture some of the most significant moments in recent history. The photos range from important sports and celebrity moments to symbolic or historical political statements.
Since the photos are taken from an agency that shoots primarily photo journalistic photos, some people may not appreciate some of the photos. The true beauties of these images lie in the capture of the moment and emotion and truth. I really enjoyed many of the political and war photos, very in your face. Some of them were shocking, taking me back in realization and touched me at the same time. In a solely artistic sense, the pictures had a great sense of composition and lighting however they are documentary. This is definitely not printed to act as a fine art book, more of just a collection of incredible pieces of journalistic work. The book definitely demonstrates the talent pool found in the world of photo-journalists.
Books:
- Photography
- Photoshop Artistry: For Photographers Using Photoshop CS2 and Beyond (Voices That Matter)
- Photoshop CS / CS2 Wow! Book, The, 1/e (WOW!)
- Photoshop CS2 For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
- Planet Earth: As You've Never Seen It Before
- Playboy Girls Next Door 2007 Poster Wall Calendar
- Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?
- Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne
- Pure Sea Glass: Discovering Nature's Vanishing Gems
- Quilts in a Material World: Selections from the Winterthur Collection
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Sala's Gift: My Mother's Holocaust Story
- Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior
- El Tren Pasa Primero/the Train Passes First
- Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery
- In Me Own Words: The Autobiography of Bigfoot
- History of Life
- Infidel
- Portraits of the Rainforest
- In the House of Muhammad Ali: A Family Album, 1805-1952
- The Confederacy's Fighting Chaplain: Father John B. Bannon
General
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Photographing the World Around You: A Visual Design Workshop for Film and Digital Photography
Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition)
Learning to See Creatively: Design, Color & Composition in Photography (Updated Edition)
Photography of Natural Things: A Nature and Environment Workshop for Film and Digital Photography
Fine Art Flower Photography: Creative Techniques And The Art Of Observation
