Approaching Photography

Fully updated and revised, this seminal book explains and illustrates what photographs are, how they were made and used in the past and, more particularly, what their place is in the creative arts and visual communications world of today.

Paul Hill looks at photographs as modes of expression and explores the diversity of approaches taken when creating photographs and what these mean for a photographer’s practice and purpose. It emphasises the importance of contextualisation to the understanding of the medium, diving into the ideas behind the images and how the camera transforms and influences how we see the world. With an impressive collection of 200 full colour images from professional practitioners and artists, it invites us to consider the foundations of photography’s past and the digital revolution’s impact on the creation and dissemination of photographs today.

Essential reading for all students of photography, it is an invaluable guide for those who want to make a career in photography, covering most areas of photographic practice from photojournalism to fine art to personal essay.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Roger Taylor

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter One: SEEING AND THINKING PHOTOGRAPHICALLY

Reading Photographs

Lenses and Angles

‘Flattening’ the 3-D World

Tones and Hues

The Focal Point

Juxtaposition

Metaphors and Symbols

Chapter Two: AFTER THE SHUTTER IS PRESSED

Understanding Images

Selection

Ambiguity

Making Prints

A Theme

Sequence and Series

Chapter Three: ART AND COMMUNICATION

Influence of Photography on Art

Influence of Art on Photography

Links with Literature

Narrative Flow

The Moving Image

Mixed Media

Visual Impact

Chapter Four: HOW PHOTOGRAPHY IS USED

Captions and Titles

Galleries

Publishing and Reproduction

Commissions

Magazines

Newspapers

Photojournalism

Posters and Photomurals

Chapter Five: THE PHOTOGRAPHER AS WITNESS

Making a Record

Snapshots

Portraits

Content and Form

Documentary

Events

Chapter Six: EXPERIENCING BEAUTY

Landscape and Nature

Natural Landscape

Manmade Landscape

Home Environment

The ‘Fine’ Print

Chapter Seven: IN SEARCH OF SELF AND THE METAPHOR

Self-expression

Reflecting the Human Condition

Spirit of Place

Sequencing

Chapter Eight: FROM PRINTED PAGE TO GALLERY WALL

New Outlets

New Documentary

Surrealism

Topographies

Chapter Nine: RADICAL CHANGES AND THE IMAGING FUTURE

Conceptual Art

Democratic Dissemination

Signs and Symbols

Photography and Politics

Postmodernism and Beyond

Electronic Imaging

Conclusion