Approaching Photography
Approaching Photography - An Introduction to Understanding Photographs (Paperback, 3rd Edition)
Description
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
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